While a DI box converts an unbalanced instrument-level signal to a balanced mic-level signal for the mixing console or an audio interface, a reamp box will convert a balanced line-level signal to an unbalanced instrument-level signal. What is a Reamp Box?Ī reamp box is often confused with a DI box, but a reamp box is slightly a different device that takes a pre-recorded audio signal and sends it back through a guitar amp or a pedal chain.

So you’ll find that most studios will always record a DI just as a nice failsafe.Įssentially, you get both the clean DI signal as well as the amplifier signal at the same time, providing way more options for post-production. This is especially helpful as committing to a guitar tone only to find out it’s not working in the mix can be disastrous.

This allows you to first record your guitars, and then worry about the exact amp and tone you want to use later on. It is a process in which you first record a clean DI, and then that clean DI track gets sent through the amps, effects, and mics, and out to your DAW. Reamping is a recording technique used by guitarists. If you need to record instruments with weaker signals like single-coil electric guitars, vintage electric basses, acoustic guitars, Fender Rhodes, or condenser microphones, you will need an active DI box. The main difference is that active DIs come with a built-in preamplifier, and they need additional power like batteries or 48V phantom power to function. Active DI BoxĪs mentioned above, active boxes were born out of necessity to be able to work with instruments with weaker output signals.

Since it doesn’t have any additional boost, passive DI boxes are ideal for instruments with strong outputs such as active bass guitars, keyboards, electric guitars with active pickups, or even a dynamic microphone. Passive DI boxes are fairly simple devices, and it doesn’t come with any preamp or any other additional boost. This allows the DI to isolate ground-level voltages, and you can get a signal without any ground hum. Modern passive DI boxes that you encounter will use some form of balun transformer, and this kind of transformer has separate windings for both input and output stages. Passive DI boxes run without any additional power, and it contains an internal audio transformer that converts unbalanced signal to balanced signal for the mixing console. Although both boxes have many similarities, let’s find out what exactly each DI box does. These passive direct boxes weren’t suitable for instruments with weaker output signals like Rhodes pianos or vintage Fender Basses, so 48-volt phantom-powered active direct boxes came about in 1975 to address this issue.Īs we mentioned above, direct boxes come in two types – a passive DI box and an active DI box. These DI boxes were first developed in the 1960s, and they were developed to help solve the problem of mismatching impedance between mixing consoles and instruments.Įngineers like Ed Wolfrum first developed their own DI boxes in their studios, and what we know as passive direct boxes came about in world-famous recording studios like Motown, United Sound Systems, and Golden World Records. Think of it as a converting device or a connecting device between instruments and mixers, and DI boxes are crucial pieces of equipment for recording and performing live. ĭI boxes usually take the unbalanced signal from instruments like an electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, or keyboard, and convert the signal into a balanced signal for recording or live performances. What is a DI Box?ĭI box, short for direct box, is a device that converts unbalanced, high impedance signal to balanced, low impedance mic-level signal. In this article, we will take an in-depth look at both the DI Box and the reamp box, find out exactly how they are different, and figure out which one is the right choice for you. Check out our guide to the best DI BoxesĭI boxes and reamp boxes are often confused with one another, and visually, they are hard to tell apart.We cover the differences in utility between a DI box and a Reamp box.Understand the re-amping process and why we use Reamp boxes.Learn what a DI box is, and what it’s used for.Disclosure: We may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases.

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