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[David Shriver]

My go to box for laptops and other consumer level sources is the Radial ProAV DI http://www.radialeng.com/r2011/proav.php  I've used other solutions but none that work as well.  The summing of the AV1 model is a great addition too for dealing with stereo sources that would normally cancel when merged to mono.  I don't like using a USB device.  For corporate work I don't feel comfortable having to plug in anything that might/might not work or that requires installation of drivers or anything else.  I just want to plug in to their mini jack.  That's the simplest option. 

-d

I'm starting to get into more presentation style events and I'm looking into getting a few DI boxes to put on our podiums. I just wanted to ask everyone here what they liked bested.

Thanks

[Mac Kerr]

I don't like using a USB device.  For corporate work I don't feel comfortable having to plug in anything that might/might not work or that requires installation of drivers or anything else.  I just want to plug in to their mini jack.  That's the simplest option. 

It's also the worst sounding and most unreliable. I would use a basic no driver USB device over an 1/8 TRS into a DI every time.

Mac

[g'bye, Dick Rees]

It's also the worst sounding and most unreliable. I would use a basic no driver USB device over an 1/8 TRS into a DI every time.

Mac

First choice:  USB
Second choice:  headphone out

[Andy_Leviss]

+1 to Riley,

I think I've emailed/called a couple times in the past with no result.

I tried some searches on the theater sound list and didn't see anything recent like Tim has described. oesn't mean it's not there however.

Does any one have a link to Black Dog Audio? Their name is pretty much un-googlable (as is Duck's Echo Sound).

Thanks

Philip

Hi Philip, and everybody else,

I think you left me a voicemail I haven't returned yet, no? Apologies for that. Without getting into too many details, I've been dealing with a very serious medical emergency in my immediate family, and fell very, very behind in emails and phonecalls this month. I'm finally catching back up.

We are finishing up the first production run, I hope to have actual details and ship dates today or tomorrow. It's taken us a long time, with a run of enclosures that were made out of a thinner gauge metal than we'd ordered, some re-designs based on early feedback, etc.

Black Dog is my partner-in-crime Mark's company name, he'd originally built a couple for himself and friends under that name, but now we're releasing it as Duck's Echo, powered by Black Dog. The long and short is that we're a two-man show here, and my day gig is at one of the major Broadway rental houses, and Mark is Patti LuPone's engineer, as well as doing ridiculous amounts of freelance work as a Local 1 engineer here in the city.

Because of that, we want to make sure we can support sales and support, and didn't want to list the product or take orders until we had enough stock on hand to fill orders, and for replacements in the unlikely case of problems. So we've been holding off on updating the site and sending out details to people until we had this first run done. We're off to USITT next week, and aiming to have them ready to officially release there, along with another little toy I've been working on.

So, that's kind of the long and short of it. Please, don't hesitate to contact me directly with questions. Mac had an early prototype to beat on for a while, and has seen the new design, and Jim van Bergen (who I don't think posts here, but many of you know) beat on a demo unit for a while. As soon as the first run is done, I'll touch base with Craig here to arrange getting him one to kick the tires on for a bit, as well.

Hope that answers most questions,
Andy

[Greg_Cameron]

It's also the worst sounding and most unreliable. I would use a basic no driver USB device over an 1/8 TRS into a DI every time.

Agreed. Some of them are incredibly noisy on the cheaper laptops even when using a transformer isolated DI. Just ran into that the other day. I wound up having to loan Mr. laptop user my MobilePre USB to get useable audio.

Greg

[eytan gidron]

Really? If id doesn't nee drivers and is a standard USB audio device, how can it be not Mac compatible?

The Peavey is less money though and it works and sounds fine.

Duck's Echo/Black Dog Audio has a nice one as well.

Mac

Yes the Peavey is nice but it doesn't have the volume control that the ARX has. I find it very handy.

http://www.arx.com.au/Australia/audibox_usb_vc.htm

[Roger Talkov]

I am going to suggest going with the 1/8 jack as well to a Radial DI. People are just starting to show up at some events with ipads and if you hand them the USB cable you're going to get a funny look.

Regards to the list,
Roger

[Joseph D. Macry]

I'm starting to get into more presentation style events and I'm looking into getting a few DI boxes to put on our podiums. I just wanted to ask everyone here what they liked bested.

Thanks

When I used to do corporate sound, we used Whirlwind PCDI.
Now I'm an installer of school systems, which have tighter budgets, so we usually supply the users with ProCo iFace.
For mounting permanently into the surface of the podium, ProCo makes the iPlate, a wall-plate which fits into a 2-gang electrical box. They make two versions: one with mic level out, one with line level out.
Note that all of these units are passive, transformer-driven units.

[Jordan Wolf]

...we usually supply the users with ProCo iFace.

The PCDI has pads built in, whereas the iFace does not.  I haven't yet tried a USB DI, but would like to - anything to better audio quality.  Of course, client mp3 files, etc. don't help.

At my day job, we've started to use the Switchcraft 700CT for events where keeping things stereo doesn't matter.  My one gripe with the unit is that the XLR output connection doesn't latch!  I mean, I'd expect that of a lesser company, but Switchcraft?!?!  They've been doing this too long to make such an oversight.  It's a simple fix with some gaff tape, but the lack of a secure, mechanical connection really bugs me.

[Mac Kerr]

Yes the Peavey is nice but it doesn't have the volume control that the ARX has. I find it very handy.

http://www.arx.com.au/Australia/audibox_usb_vc.htm

I find the fader and input gain control sufficient.

Mac

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