On 6/23/2015 10:54 AM, Chris Adams wrote:
> Line-level is line-level. A keyboard will be putting out an unbalanced
> line-level signal, and a DI box converts that to a balanced mic-level
> signal (usually XLR) for a soundboard. Since most computers don't have
> XLR (or other balanced) input, a DI box is not needed or useful.
pro gear is typically +4 dBu, even if its single ended (unbalanced),
while consumer stuff is -10dBV. +4 dBu is about 3.5V P-P, while
-10dBV is about 0.9V P-P. you're right, I didn't mean that sort of
DI box, you just need a level attentuator ("L-pad") to drop the
unbalanced pro signal to something a consumer device can cope with (3.5V
P-P will likely overdrive the input stage of the computer line input,
causing rather nasty distortion).
--
john r pierce, recycling bits in santa cruz