Direct Input Boxes for a Multi-Rig Synthesizer Set-Up

Video Transcript

"BEN ANDERSON: Hi. This is Ben Anderson with Expert Village, and today I'm going to be talking to you about direct input boxes. What a direct input box does is basically it takes the signal from your 1/4-inch cable coming out of your keyboard, right here, and then it goes into the direct input box and then back into a PA system. Now, the purpose of a direct input box is it converts the unbalanced line of a quarter inch cable into a balanced line. These are important for plugging into a PA as well as plugging into a mixer in a recording environment. The reason for this is that an unbalanced line does not have grounding in it and therefore will cause a hum oftentimes in a PA system or in a recording system, so by having a direct input box, that direct input box will then convert the unbalanced line into a balanced line by adding grounding and is then run out through an XLR cable into a mixing board. A DI box isn't always necessary especially if you're playing just directly through an amp without playing through a mixing board or a PA system. Oftentimes when I play live, I won't have to use a direct box 'cause I'll play directly into my amp, and an amp will definitely take an unbalanced line or a 1/4-inch line to produce the sound so it's dependent upon on what you want to do."