$29.99 Behringer BDI-21 review. (Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI Clone)

I 'm a working bass player (and guitarist) with River Canyon Band out of Chattanooga. A key tool in many working bass players' arsenal is a solid active direct box to get a balanced line in into the PA with your preferred amp gain and eq settings intact. You connect your bass to the DI box via 1/4" instrument cable, run an XLR cable from the low-z out on the box to the mixing console, and have the option to run a high-z 1/4" out to your on stage amp to use as a monitor. Once set up, you click the foot switch, dial in your tone with the gain, presence, EQ and blend controls...and play. Simple, and effective.

Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver

For years, the gold standard has been the Tech 21 Sansamp Bass Driver DI. It gives you a great tube bass amp emulation with adjustable gain/drive, 2 band EQ, presence and a blend knob to blend the simulated tube amp tone with raw tone from your bass pickups. This box does exactly what it is supposed to do and is housed in a very durable metal housing for the reasonable price of $199.00 at www.sweetwater.com With theSans amp, you can get everything from mellow tube amp bass sounds to growling 70's style overdrive and plenty of degrees in between. 

What if you don't have $200? Or maybe you've never used an active DI for bass and you are want to try one out without dropping a pair of Bejamins.On stage I had been trying to use an underpowered (100W) bass combo amp for my gigs-and it wasn't punchy enough. Trying to conect an unbalanced high z 1/4" instrument cable directly to the PA got me a decent recording sound, but wasn't getting me the live punch I was looking for either. I knew I needed something like the SansAmp Active DI/Amp emulator box, but finding the $200 wasn't going to be easy. That's when I heard about the Behringer BDI-21. 

Once I researched the BDI-21 and realized it was a mere $29.99, it was a no brainer to order it from my go to professional music supplier www.sweetwater.com.

I'll make this brief. I wholeheartedly recommend this box. It works exactly like the SansAmp and I couldn't be happier with the nice round warm tones I'm getting through the PA. I can get mellow classic tube amp tones, or crank up some midrange growl and really drive it. Setting up my rig is quick and easy and everything sounds dynamite. The housing doesn't seem quite as durable as the SansAmp-so buying a backup isn't a bad idea. Of course at $29 each, you can get 3 for $100 and have a backup for your backup!