Why do you need a direct box if you can plug a guitar or keyboard directly into a mixer with no problems? That's a great question! It's easy to ignore DI's, but they play a vital role in the recording process, both in the studio and especially in live recording. There are several different types of direct boxes, but they all serve two main purposes: they function as impedance-matching devices, which change line level signals into a microphone level signals and they provide ground-lift capabilities to avoid that nasty ground-loop hum caused by faulty wiring.
More importantly, a direct box allows you to get a fatter cleaner sound than plugging directly into a mixing board. This is because a balanced signal can be run for long distances without picking up EMI (electro-magnet interference) or RFI (radio frequency interference). If you've ever heard a radio station suddenly coming out of your speakers, then you know what I'm talking about.
A DI will generally have a ¼" input, an XLR output and a ¼" thru jack that can be used to route the input signal to another sound source. This configuration allows a balanced microphone signal to be sent to the mixing console via the XLR output and, at the same time, allows you to plug your instrument into an on stage amplifier via the thru jack. DI's are also equipped with a ground lift switch, which will allow you to safely lift the ground without the fear of shocking yourself. This method lifts the audio signal's ground, but not the electrical ground which we do not recommend.
DI's come in two types - passive and active. The most obvious difference between them is, one needs power and the other does not. A passive DI is ready to use straight out of the box and needs no external power. They are very easy to set up – just plug in and play. However a DI with active electronics needs some sort of external power to run the internal circuitry. They can be run from standard 48 volt phantom power directly from the mixing board or, if phantom power is not available, they can be operated via a 9 volt internal battery. Active DI's can accept many different types of input signals, which make them much more versatile than their passive counterparts, but they are also more expensive.
Applications:
• Keyboard - direct boxes provide the cleanest sound possible
• Electric Guitar - direct box signals need to be run through an amp simulator, like a Line 6 POD, for some extra processing to fatten them up
• Acoustic Guitar - a direct box provides a clean, but sterile sound. The DI signal can be blended with a microphone signal to add warmth/depth
• Bass Guitar - a direct box provides the cleanest sound. The DI signal is usually blended with a microphone signal to add a beefier bottom end
I Recommend:
Radial and Countryman direct boxes for their ruggedness and quality.
Active Vs Passive Management
More has been discussed about various ways of exploding website traffic, but from those discussed, what are those you really consider effective and worth to implement? Learn that there are two broad types of website promotion, aside from the paid and unpaid advertising usually used to classify these promotional means: PASSIVE and ACTIVE.
Passive website promotional methods are those which do not involve much interaction from the outer side of your site. But instead you draw attention to your site. This is also referred to as the ?PULL? methods. You pull visitors to your site.
Passive Website Promotional Methods include:
?Grow and build information pages in your website. These may appear as a collection of content-rich articles, blog site, discussion forums and reports.
?Search Engine Optimization
Active website promotional methods, on the other hand, are obviously the opposite. These methods require interaction with the other sites in the worldwide web. Oftentimes, you ask the services or help of other Internet sites to do some promotions for your site. These are called as the ?PUSH? methods. You push people to your site through the ads you placed in other sites.
Active Website Promotional Methods include:
?Free Classified Advertising ? you can post your ads for free in the web, which works until today. These are the little advertisements you post
?Make use of Viral Marketing ? this is effective because it points back to your products and services with the contact information and web address attach or included in every viral tools you sent out. Examples are ebooks (you can write a short ebook that features your products or services), videos, animations and music clips.
?Distribute your articles in different websites. Articles, especially those very useful and informative ones, are good baits to generate visitors to your site. But why wait for people to sniff your baits. You should post them in strategic locations and push people to your site ?not so obviously.? Caution: most article directories do not want blatant advertising articles. Be sure to have good, informative ones to submit.
?If you have financial means to invest, try using paid advertisements such as:
Banner ads ? these ads are posted to other sites and you pay for them whether the visitors click them or not.
Pay-per-click ads ? are the most cost-effective ways to promote your site because you only pay for how many click your ad or site gets.
Ezine ads ? submit articles to where you have to pay for your articles to be posted.
?Tap businesses which hold the attention of your target market through different ventures. Usually, sites of these businesses have profile pages for members. When you are a member you can create your own profile where you can introduce your site, product or services to other member and those who visit the site.
?Reciprocal links or link exchanges. You can contact webmasters of different sites and ask them to swap links with you.
?Engaging in teleseminars ? these are seminars done by phone specifically about Internet Marketing or maintaining your online business. You can also offer courses like this as a special package to your customers
?Offline Networking ? simply telling your contacts about your site and products. Business through ?word-of-mouth.?
?Be active in forums, group discussions and message boards. Always have attached at the end of your posts your name, email and web address. Offer advice to people if someone asks for queries.
?Offline Media Advertising ? like TV/radio plugs, newspaper and magazine ads, etc.
All of them, active and passive methods, have their own strengths and weaknesses depending on your marketing plans, needs and demands.
But if you want to increase your traffic in no time, you can use the active web promotional methods for faster results. The passive methods are best for long term building of your site popularity so you cannot just neglect its effectiveness in promoting.
Another great way to maintain site popularity is to write articles for ezines and distribute them collectively. Remember, quality in writing should be practiced. You do not want to be branded negatively. It would not be good for your website promotion.
Your visitors will constantly come back to your site if you offer them great and valuable information.
Practice all methods and your website will surely have the traffic it needs.
Both Quinton Jones & are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Quinton Jones has sinced written about articles on various topics from Computers and The Internet. Quinton Jones is a Mixing/Mastering Engineer with over thirty years experience in the music industry. He is currently the Director of Operations at MusicPro Magazine. If you found this article helpful, then take a look at more articles and tutorials at:. Quinton Jones's top article generates over 6600 views. to your Favourites.
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