[ajspence]

Just wondering, for those of you who play out... what, if any, DI box, outboard preamp, compression, or other effects units you may use before your signal goes out to the PA or mixing board? Not so much brands or models (though that is fine to know as well), but more what do the devices do to improve or change your sound? Or maybe, many are like me, running straight from your guitar to the mixer? That's good to know also!

I play acoustic solo and sometimes duo, guitars and vocals. Currently I just run our guitars and vocal mics direct to the mixer and then to my Bose PAS or whatever PA system we are using for the gig. I may add a tiny bit of reverb in the mixer but not much. We play everything from small dinner settings to larger outdoor concert in the park types of things.

We use Takamine, Martin, and Taylor guitars, all with onboard preamps and I am generally happy with the sound. But I've read discussions and reviews talking about improved tone, compression, etc, that DI boxes and the like can provide. Also I've seen acoustic performers using them whose sound I liked, though I'm not sure if the DI boxes had a lot to do with that.

Any thoughts and experiences would be appreciated. Thanks.

-Andy