Session DI or Venue DI? I can only afford one.

[ejbsk8]

Everyone,

If you could only afford one DI box which would you buy first; the Session DI or the Venue DI?

In my case I have a LR Baggs Athem Tru-mic in my Taylor DN5 acoustic and a multi-effects GNX4 guitar workstation from Digitech which has two three band EQ's with adjustable center frequencies that I can minipulate. The GNX4 can act like a direct box, without amp modulation or effects, but even dry the system does color the sound of my accoustic enough to make it difficuult to dial in. I am thinking the Session DI would compliment the setup.

Any thoughts?

Also what is the general consensus? If you could only purchase one what would it be?

[Caleb_Elling]

Hey ejbsk8,
If you already have some EQ with the DigiTech, then the Session might be a good choice. The Session would give you simpler controls, while still giving you a great sound.

You're tone may suffer a bit from the A/D conversion that happens in the GNX4, but the Session, by itself or in conjunction with your existing gear, should definitely improve your tone.

If you wanted to use something as a do-it-all solution, then the Venue would probably be preferable. If you already have a decent level of control over your tone, the Session will only improve it from there.

[ejbsk8]

Caleb,

Thank you for reminding me about the A/D conversion in the GNX4. I have a lot of options with the multi-effects box, but now that I've upgraded my guitar my ear is become more discerning. I can hear the effects of the conversion when I test my guitar by plugging straight into my Monitor/amp rather than through my GNX4.

I took another look at the Venue DI and noted the effects loop capabilities. What do you think of using a The Venue as my primary EQ and direct out and running my GNX4 through the effects loop? I would think that setup would be a natural yes, but I've had trouble running a signal out of the GNX4 and back in. In this scenario I would send the single to the GNX4 and then back into the Venue. Do you think I will need to worry about distortion and gain problems using the setup in this manner?

Thanks,
Ed

[Caleb_Elling]

Ed,
The analog EQ of the Venue would probably sound much better than the EQ on the GNX4, so that would definitely be a good way to run it.

That's probably what I would do in that situation. The Venue's EQ is extremely helpful if you have a halfway decent ear.

[guru maa]

Taylor DN5 acoustic and a multi-effects GNX4 guitar workstation from Digitech which has two three band EQ's with adjustable center frequencies.