Last year, when I started to put more of my attention to the signal chain for acoustic guitar in a band that I've been working with for 14 years, I came to the following conclusion: we need a different instrument, we need to install a quality pickup in it, and we need to get a quality cable with a silent jack. We decided for a cheaper instrument that we won't be afraid to take on the road, but very well-crafted and with an amazing sound. Of course, the guitarist was there throughout the whole process and had the last say, but I got to choose the pickup. The next in line was a DI box.
By a coincidence, I got my hands on the DIVerse 1ch HiZ by OteCables. These are my colleagues that I have known for quite some time and I had the honor of working with them numerous times, and it was always a perfectly pleasant experience. I had already heard praises of their DI boxes by other colleagues, so I could not be disuaded from grabbing an OteCables DI box.
With the new guitar with LR bags pickups installed, connected through the new DI box (I normally use AR133, dn100 or sb-4), we had around ten shows in two months. I expected many things, but what happened was an absolute shock for me, I almost fell to my knees. You could call it a “mirracle”. I do not have the hearing of a bat, but I know what works in the mix and what doesn't. Now, I could clearly hear the acoustic guitar even in places where it ususally has trouble standing out in the mix. I should mention, without any equalisation. There was color, presence, pleasant highs, attack, transients, but everything in a tasteful, precise amount, just like you imagine right before going to sleep. But this was real life. It was simply an unreal experience that you have to try for yourself.
I was sad to let the DIVerse 1ch HiZ go after the end ot the tour, and I was planning to get one for the next tour in the spring of 2020. At this point, nobody knows how the situation will develop, but I know one thing with absolute certainty; the acoustic guitar will play through the DIVerse 1ch HiZ.
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JiÅ™í Šimůnek - FOH Engineer