Owners Manual

Congratulations on your purchase of the Miktek Audio Tool
Box Series signal processor! The audio industry is filled with a
lot of ‘good’ audio gear. At Miktek we believe ‘good’ is not good
enough! We manufacture our products to go beyond average
quality and performance. Thank you for trusting our vision and
choosing Miktek for your important audio application.
In this manual you will find descriptions of the DI1, the active
direct box’s features, step-by-step set-up, and operating
instructions along with detailed specifications. In addition,
we’ve also included some simple application examples
to explain the features and functions of the DI1. For the
experienced audio engineer these applications may seem
basic, however at Miktek, we wish to support and encourage
new engineers to use our products and appreciate audio
quality! No explanation is too basic! We know you are
serious about your audio equipment, and at Miktek, we are
serious about providing superior products and service to our
customers. We appreciate your patronage and hope you enjoy
using your Audio Tool Box line as much as we enjoy making
them available to you.
Sincerely,
Michael Ketchell
Managing Director
INTRODUCTION
The Miktek DI1 provides direct insertion of an audio signal
into a mixer or recorder. It offers a variety of DI solutions for
live sound and recording applications. A variety of audio
signals can be connected to your DI1, e.g. guitars, bass guitars,
drum machines, keyboards, outboard signal processors, high
powered speaker outputs from an amplifier, etc.
FEATURES
• ¼” INPUT for the instrument’s audio signal
• ¼” THRU for linking the audio signal to an amplier/recorder
• Balanced XLR OUTPUT to send audio signal to main mixer
• PAD switch for attenuating the input signal
• COMBINE switch for summing/combining the INPUT and
THRU signals passively
• GROUND LIFT button to detach the XLR ground from the DI1
chassis
• Battery compartment at the bottom of the DI1
• Battery/Phantom switch for swapping between battery or
phantom power operation
1. PAD: Input signal attenuator.
2. INPUT: ¼” unbalanced input connector.
3. COMBINE: INPUT and THRU signals are passively summed
(combined).
4. THRU: ¼” output for passing the input signal through to a
stage amplifier or monitor system.
5. GND LIFT: press the switch and the ground from the DI1
chassis detaches from the XLR jack.
6. PHASE: Balanced output phase reverse switch to select
normal or inverted phase.
7. OUTPUT: Male balanced XLR connector.
8. BATTERY/PHANTOM SWITCH: Switch from battery to
phantom powered.
SETTING UP YOUR DI1
The DI1 can be powered either by a single 9 volt battery or
standard 48 volt phantom power. Whenever phantom power is
present on the XLR cable (connected to the OUTPUT), the DI1
will automatically disconnect the 9 volt battery and switch to
phantom power.
The DI1 enables you to take the signal from a guitar or
bass guitar and pass the signal from the THRU output to
an amplifier without affecting the original sound. This can
eliminate the need for miking the guitar amplifier, especially
with bass guitar. Because the DI1 is an active direct box with
a power supply, you can rely on an even frequency response
on any audio signal you connect to regardless of its output
impedance. The OUTPUT connection cancels hums/buzzes
while leaving the original signal clean and pure. Besides that
the DI1 is also useful for connecting unbalanced signals such
as DJ mixers, effects processors, and keyboards to a main PA or
recording mixer.
DIRECT APPLICATION OF AN INSTRUMENT INTO A PA
SYSTEM
A common practice for using a direct box is to get a bass guitar
signal into a PA. Bass guitars produce low frequencies that can
be difficult to capture with microphones. Because of this, using
a DI is preferable. The DI1 can also be used to plug guitars,
especially acoustic guitars with pick-ups, directly into a PA.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do this.
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FRONT AND REAR PANEL LAYOUT
DI1 Active Direct Box
Owner’s Manual