So my bass player comes over to my house to lay down some funk and I get my little cheapy set up out and long story short, after 1.5 hours of frustration and trial and error and still not getting a good sound, I give up. Jump on the web to find that it seems that the easiest way to record a bass is through a DI box. To be honest, my setup includes everything in Avinashv's "recording on the cheap" setup, minus the pop filter and, of course, the DI box. So sense tells me to stick with his setup and go with the

 ARTcessories Xdirect
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ART-ARTcessories-XDirect-Professional-Active-Direct-Box?sku=180636

Only now I am cruising and I also see the

Behringer Ultra-G GI100 DI
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Behringer-GI100-UltraG-DI-Box?sku=150934

Now this one gets me real excited becasue of the 4x12 cab simulator which has recieved stellar reviews on nearly every site that I have been to. So the question is, which is better?

OH I guess I should mention that I will also want to use this DI for recording my guitar as well (if the switchable 4x12 sim is good), and I want to use it for vocals.

So which looks best for

Bass
and
Guitar
and
Vocals

but mainly bass.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys, and great forum here!

http://uk.line6.com/pod20/index.html

I've got one of these little babies, Line 6 POD Mk2, Costs about $180.

It's mainly a guitar effects processor, but it also has a tube pre-amp for any instrument.

I get a nice sound form my bass, I go through a digital workstation with a hi-z input which is necessary to capture the full Eq of an electric lead or bass guitar.

I would explore this subject as much as possible, I suppose you are going through your sound card,
Best to look at everything that will for fill all your needs, rather than buy lots of different gadgets, often they
are multifunctional.

When I bought my Box I just rang a music shop and spoke with a guitarist who was really helpful, I simply explained my set up and that I was looking for a good quality DI box just for recording.

Hope this helps

Cheers

Denis

Please be warned that the DI box on the article I wrote is not something I own---I cannot vouch for it.  I would buy it if it were my choice, but unfortunately it's really hard for me to tell you to go for it.

Behringer make solid products, and I've looked at the one you recommend before.

Honestly, with DI boxes it's just a matter of trying them out.  Try them out at a Guitar Center or something if they have that possibility.

[edit]

Ahh, I forgot to ask.  What's your setup on the software end?  I've recorded bass with reasonable results without a DI box on my setup before.  Maybe I can help you shape your tone on computer.  Hit me up on IM, and when I am at my laptop I'll get back to ya.

Pop filter = pantyhose stretched over a clothes hanger

there ya go, solved one problem for free

I'm not sure about the behringer DI.. I do have certain things that I look at though when trying to record. I like to get the purist sound possible into the software.  The more stuff you have that colors your sound it seems like the less you can shape it.  I do know that the ART MP tube stuff sounds pretty good for the price. under $30.00 and works with vocal mics, and line input (keys, guitars, bass, ect).  The tube tends to warm your sound a little and other than that there is not much tonal change (for this cheap of unit).

you can buy just a DI box but why.. you can get a pre amp for cheap and do vocal, guitars ect.

I am a little confused. Perhaps I need to research what preamps do. I am looking for the easiest way to record a bass (though I found out today that his bass amp has an xlr out on it and it sounds pretty decent tied directly into the xlr on my mixer). So if I got this preamp, I would need to mic everything right? I dont understand how the ART MP functions as a Di box when there are no instrument cable inserts. Maybe someone can put this in newbie terms for me. Thanks guys.

Also, avinashv's post on good starter equipment is called "Recording on the cheap"...lol... so a $160 DI is way out of the question. Thanks though.

-Spencer

Edit: toasted, I just noticed that you said line input? This means I can plug the bass directly into the box just like a DI? This sounds exceptional if that is the case... maybe I missed something.

I think im going to miss the cab emulator on the Behringer though, was looking forward to that.

Edit: Av, I am currently using Audacity to record, but I have Reason software on another computer. Just kinda got used to using Audacity. Is this a bad idea?

i recently bought the Art MP tube pre amp :

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ART-Tube-MP-Studio-Mic-Preamp?sku=180581

i am quite happy with the sound so far, but only tried a condensor mic yet, it gives a good warm sound and lots more output level

cant try bass now cause i lent it to a friend, but i am getting curious about that so i might try soon

anyway, it has 2 inputs and 2 outputs, both one xlr and one jack,so you van connect whatever you want to it.

the guy in the shop told me he got back behringer gear often with eletronic troubles

all things Behringer are fantastic for the price, as long as you take care of it... If your a bunch of kids whos idea of taking care of something is to toss it in a box with all the cables and mics and everything else, then you will have problems with it working well...  If your careful, and mature about how you handle it, then it should last well, and work well... for a basic home setup, Behringer would be a wise choice..  Great price, and great sound.. Art is a fantastic preamp, and sounds real warm...  It colors the sound though, so if you want pure, it isn't what you want..

           JimK

coloring sound ,, I have several  Behringer pieces including a mixer  and compressors that I uses/used for  both live and for recording..   The Behringer mixer is noisy ,and the Eq'n is just terrible, so I don't use it any more , I am getting a much better sound out of just using the pre amp into the recording interface.(especially on vocals).
The compressors are ok but my DBX 160 blows em  away.  I believe that Behringer does make some good stuff for the price, but I am not real sold on their gear for quality recording, if quality is not a issue then Behringer would work fine.
hope this help some .. I have some pro DI boxes that I use to use I'll check back in with the brand and info on them.

A standard external DI is the Countryman type 85 active DI. The Countryman 85 DI's do not color the signal or sound. I have used the type 85 DI for many years on Bass, Keyboard, Acoustic guitar, sequencers, etc...
They are reasonably priced. And, reliable.
As for vocals, I would suggest a good mic preamp, and not a DI.
My personal opinion about Behringer is, you get what you pay for.

There is a bunch of stuff out there.. The D.I. that Teedro has is top of the line.  it's a buy one and never need another one again virtually indestructible. 

That said  you have to really think about what you are trying to do. If you are going to be recording a lot  and thinking of doing some vocals somewhere down the road, and if funds are limited, then  a pre-amp that does both
lowz and highz, (mic and instrumests) might be the way to go. 

The thing that you have to look at is quality against dollar amount.

If you buy the very bottom stuff you will probably not be very happy with the tonal quality and noise factor.
Then again very few of us have tons of money laying around to spend on top end gear.
I purchased a focusrite platinum trackmaster pro preamp and even though it is not anywhere near pro quality
it does way (and I mean WAY) better than the Behringer stuff I was using. I run vocals, guitars, bass, keys, whatever thru it.  ART make one about the same price range that is tube I hear it is pretty good.
ART also makes the mp stuff that is real cheap but sounds pretty good (under 30.00). you can do vocals, guitars keys whatever thru em too. plus they have phantom power for condensor (need power supplied to em) mics.

Anyway I hope this helps some ...your probably more confused now than ever.

links to some gear:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/navigation/art?247SEM=&N=100001+201098&src=00632

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/navigation/direct-boxes?N=100001+304644

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Mic-Pre-Amps-Signal-Processors.gc?o=1