does nord electro etc need a direct box

[dan_e_thomas]

...when plugging into both PA and home recording? or is there some sort of built in Direct box in the unit itself. When I use it to record, without direct box, it sounds just fine. I did a gig yesterday and the sound guy had me go into a direct box.

fuirthermore(and if so), if Im using a rhodes sound + amp simulator, does it still need one?

[pablomastodon]

Hi Azwel,

Always a good idea onstage. There is no DI built in.

Pablo

[rb4u1]

In my experience these are usually used in a live situation.
I believe they can minimize noise when cables are going long distances.
Also, most of them will have a ground lift switch for when you have a large
amount of undesirable hum to eliminate.
Either way it can help remove objectionable unwanted noise.
Most sound men will want you to do this.

[azwel]

thanks, what about recording at home. usually I go straight to my mixer.

[RedLeo]

thanks, what about recording at home. usually I go straight to my mixer.

It's absolutely fine to go straight into your mixer at home, you don't need to change the way you do things. DI boxes are often used live, but are usually not necessary at home.

[mjbrands]

At home I would only bother with a DI box if you notice you're picking up noise on the Nord's output signal.

I used to feed a line level signal to my powered speakers at home, but I noticed it was picking up noise from my computer. Specifically, I could hear a faint high-pitched buzzing sound on the speakers when I moved my mouse. I then connected my powered speakers via a balanced cable to my audio interface and the buzzing went away. Using long cables (I was using two 5 meter cables that were coiled up) probably made this worse (= picked up more noise) for the line level signal, but the balanced signal isn't impacted by this at all.

[Mr_-G-]

I haven bought a DI box yet, but if I do I would get a passive, stereo one. I don't want to be on 9V batteries.

[mjbrands]

If you're plugging it into a device that can provide phantom power (such as a mixer or an audio interface), you might not need the battery.

I have an ART Dual Z Direct passive DI box - it is nice and sturdy and wasn't too expensive. It is connected to the line-level low-latency monitoring output on my RME soundcard and it connects that to my monitors. It seems to work fine.

[Mr_-G-]

I guess that eventually I will get one of those, thanks MJ.

[cphollis]

A related question, if folks don't mind.

I've been using a small mixer to boost my keyboard levels before piping them into my onstage QSCs. I usually play with two boards -- it's a Nord Piano 2 and a Nord Electro 4D these days. I don't have a problem with hum or noise. However, I might be better off using a DI box, especially a stereo one such as the JDI unit. So the question is -- active or passive?

I don't believe a passive unit can boost gain, so I assume that would mean a 9V active unit for me?