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Old 08-14-2017, 10:29 AM
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panamajack panamajack is offline
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Default Re: Do I need a DI box to run into Eleven rack?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kinh View Post
. . . Was wondering if I need to convert to mic level before it goes into Eleven and by doing this I'll have the original tone (the highs) of the guitar.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kinh View Post
. . . True-Z circuit changing the guitar signal the same "manner as plugging into a real amp or effect." It doesn't say what that impedance value is. . .

. . . This supposed True-Z, do I need to activate it? Is is supposed to act as a DI box? Does it bring the high impedance down to low? It's just that there's no difference plugging into my interface vs going through eleven. NONE!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kinh View Post
I have a countryman type 85 active di box and obviously an eleven rack..rack. And mbox pro.
It's clear to me the true-z does little to nothing to the signal to improve or alter the impedance for recording at least for clean presets. . .

My question is simply

1) if I ran a di box into an eleven rack input will the signal be altered in any way. In other words will the eleven rack mess up the di box signal after the outputs of eleven go direct into interface?

2) My second question is if I run the output of eleven rack (essentially amp out) into my di box (with guitar-in eleven obviously) will I get a purer tone than the above given the di box is last on the chain?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kinh View Post
. . . What you're saying is run a S/PDIF from eleven not an analogue XLR. If yes, is it possible the reason eleven sounded crap was because I used XLR to mbox to record rather than digital? . . .
There may be some confusion as to the method you have used to experiment with your tone. Your first post above may have been prompted by how you subsequently note you were using the XLR connections from the 11R into the mbox. You would have had to pad the input or use a line level input on the mbox or you would likely get a distorted signal.

After reading your posts, the question remains as to what guitar and which stage amp would you use if you did not own an 11R?

Whatever the answer to that might be will affect your expectations from the 11R.

But your statements above reveal confusion about how to connect your hardware:

You do not need an mbox to record, the audio from the 11R will travel through the USB connection to the computer, assuming your 11R driver is loaded. (Although there are other connections possible.)

If you want to experiment with the mbox, then how you connect the 11R becomes critical. If you connect the XLR output from the 11R to the mbox, you will be sending a line level (slightly boosted signal). If you connect the "amp outputs" you will be sending an instrument level signal, the same level signal your (passive) guitar signal sends, but which may have been processed and converted to "rig output."

The True-Z settings are not for impedance matching, they are for emulating the way certain combo amp input jacks interact with instrument level guitar signals. Whether your guitar has single coil, double coil, passive or active pickups, and even the choice of potentiometers and any capacitors/resistors wired in-line, will affect tone.

Even if you have connected your cables correctly (for whatever purpose), you must additionally select the type of signal being routed to Pro Tools.

To answer your two simple questions:

1) The 11R "guitar in" input jack accepts a high impedance signal, but your Direct box outputs a low impedance signal. The benefit of a low impedance balanced signal is to reduce the hum created by long cable runs. Doing what you are asking is contrary to how the 11R is designed.

2) Searching for a "purer tone" is very subjective. The best direct boxes add no coloration. If you used the correct connections, it would allow longer cable runs from the "amp outs" -- but is unnecessary from the balanced XLR line-level outputs.
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Last edited by panamajack; 08-14-2017 at 10:52 AM.
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