I just use a L/R RCA to mono 1/4" adapter to plug into my keyboard amp. What else do you guys use? Anyone use any direct boxes?

For a much cleaner sound.. I use Direct boxes.. Then I use tube DI's also.. most mic preamps have this.. So this kinda knocks 2 birds with one stone..

Which one's do you use?

it depends on the sound, but most I reach for my tube preamp/DI the tube will fatten up my sound..

who makes it? i can't find a tube DI that has rca inputs on it. or do you just use rca to 1/4" adapters

I'd check out a company called Radial. Search Google for "Radial DI" and the company's site will pop up. They have a mind boggling array of DI boxes-they literally have a solution for every problem-and they're relatively cheap. They sell some expensive boxes, but I can attest that the cheaper models still sound great. Very clean, transparent sound conversion.

EDIT: I'd take a look at the combination Turntable preamp and Direct Input. Model J-33, it has phono inputs and everything, and it's only $220. Looking at their site right now, I think I might pick one up soon.

The Radial stuff is wicked rad.

A cool tip for RCAs (they often shit the bed) is to buy some higher quality (Monster, etc.) RCA to 1/4 cables and leave them hooked up to your piece as if they were built in... RCA connectors often go bad from the constant plugging & unplugging.

Keep in mind a regular DI box typically just brings line level to mic level.
Although they usually have line outs, if the input to your amp is line level you won't get that much sonic benefit from a passive DI.
If your amp input is 1/4" it's PROBABLY line level, but it should say on it somewhere-

pEaCe

He's right.. I wouldn't even use a passive Di, they serve no purpose.. I do recommend check out some DI boxes.. like the brick by groove tubes, they label it as a mic pre, but the phantom power only puts out 44volts, great for ribbon mics though.. Just go to you local music store and try some.. You will notice a difference in your sound.. Also any mic pre will do, check out your channel strips they are a plus for this type they come with eq/mic pre/compressor...




True, but don't spend money on Monster cables, they are too expensive and you can buy more quailty cables like Quantum I use these alot especially for mics since they are oxygen free. Monster and planet waves have the gold dip tips... And they do nothing unless you are worried about corrosion problems those are best used for live work, due to humidity in a club from body heat that creates mositure in the air, that is what starts the corrosion problems.

This is only my two cents..


All I can say is that Hxc is 100% right follow his advice..

So all these tips are for stereo use? My amp is just mono. So I also need some sort of good quality way to get it to mono too. I could just use a mixer but those still have stereo outs usually

No purpose in this situation that we're discussing. But they do have their uses outside of the Sampler/Turntable realm. I use them often when playing live, as most clubs have passive DI's for me to jack into. They're nice if you're just trying balance your inputs, but not trying to play too much with your gain or overall sound.

As far as your amp being mono-
I would just run one single out from either the left or right of your SP-
"Summing" or combining the L & R out into one input could muck up your sound- definitely no benefit. If your amp is mono there is no way to stereo-ize the signal.
Just be mindful panning & effects that make use of the stereo fields such as Rotary, etc...

Yeah, that will only really work when using some kind of extra pre-amp in between, but in the end you're better of buying a real stereo-amp if you are feeling you really need the stereo sound.

Of course it's a given that these things cost money.

Or get another amp just like it and use 2 for super stereo!

olde schoole

What would be a good way to "mono-ize" my signal? There's just gotta be something that's better than my RCA to 1/4" adapter. But maybe other options are overkill.