Radial DI
Summary
Abstract
Radial Engineering is one of the most widely referenced DI box manufacturers in the community, with products spanning passive and active DI boxes, reamp boxes, and pedal interface units. The EXTC pedal interface is praised for integrating guitar pedals into a mix workflow, while models like the Radial J48 and Radial JDI cover active and passive DI needs respectively. Radial is considered reliable and functional, though some members feel their designs borrow from Little Labs.
Key Characteristics
- Wide product range covering active DIs, passive DIs, reamp boxes, and pedal interfaces
- The EXTC/EXTC-SA includes mix knob plus send/receive level controls for pedal integration
- Available in 500 series format as well as standalone units
- Passive DIs (green box, StageBug) great for live use but may roll off low end
- Active DIs preferred for studio use in the Radial lineup
- Built-in transformer on higher-end models provides clean impedance matching
Use Cases
- Integrating guitar pedals into mixing workflow (EXTC)
- Live and studio DI for keyboards, synths, bass
- Reamping through the JD7 splitter
- Converting unbalanced to balanced signals
Settings & Sweet Spots
- For pedal integration, the EXTC’s mix knob and level controls let you dial in parallel processing
- Passive DIs work well for bass in many contexts
- Active DIs recommended when using pedals in the signal chain before the DI
Comparable Alternatives
| DI Box | Price Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Little Labs Redeye | ~$400 | DI + reamp, considered the original |
| Neve RNDI | ~$270 | Active, wide fidelity |
| A Designs REDDI | ~$750 | Tube DI, colored tone |
| Countryman Type 85 | ~$200 | Classic active DI |
Common Mistakes
- Using passive Radial DIs with pedals — bassists have complained that pedals do not respond correctly through passive DIs
- Expecting significant coloration from Radial boxes — they are generally clean and transparent
- Not considering the EXTC for pedal integration when running line-level signals directly into pedals (which adds noise and grit)
See Also
Source Discussions
Zack Hames
“For live, the passive ones are great. For studio, I find active DI’s to be far superior in the Radial offerings.”
cian riordan
“The Radial EXTCs are amazing and I have a bunch of them. Include a mix knob and send and receive level to the pedal.”
Eric Martin
“I’ve used the radial passive stage bug, and the standard green box radial with my Wurlitzer, they both work great and don’t add any color… Currently I use the spectra 1964 BBDI for all my synths and wurli, it’s super clean and passes all the low end which is something the radials don’t do.”
GaspardMurph
“I know we are supposed to use impedance correct boxes (I have two Radial EXTCs for that) but the few times I have been in studios without them and ran stuff line level from say an SSL send directly into pedal usually adds some weird grit and noise that isn’t always bad.”