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Reader Chris Martin, who has done live sound since he was in college almost 20 years ago and works at a local club, in Washington,DC, reminds us how important it is to get the details right, with this writeup on a Radial Engineering DI box. (It takes the output signal from one source and changes its level and impedence to match a microphone signal input into a mixer.)
“Overall, these are really good devices, but there is one thing that makes me think that either tiny fingered people (or possibly clueless ones!) designed this box. This is the first DI box that I have seen like this, and it is truly an annoyance.
At the location where the cannon connectors (mic plugs/xlrs) are attached, there is an overhang of the C-shaped metal cover as shown above. These cannon connectors have a small tab to release them, which is mostly blocked by the overhang. The spacing is such that there might be a whopping 0.25 inch of clearance to get at the release and press down on it. The problem is that most of us in the live sound business have big hands (you have to load a lot of gear and nothing is light!) and it’s almost impossible to get at it.
The normal approach when confronted by this kind of problem would be to grab a key or pen tip to pop the connector, but the problem is that when you are doing a concert, you are trying to get one band off stage and the next on in a very limited amount of time (15 to 30 minutes is a common set change time). And the stage is dim.
I usually have to fumble around and force it in with my pinkie finger, which is not the easiest maneuver, particularly when in a hurry. And since these DI boxes are usually used under a bunch of keyboards, you are on your hands and knees doing this, cursing that if they turned them 90 degrees, life would be beautiful.
I can say that I love these boxes, designed and sound very good, but that lip makes me often just grab another box because it’s easier to use. Funny, but on their web site it took quite a while to find a picture showing that connector and the lip. I wonder if they realize the error of their design?”
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