Radial PZ-DI Orchestral Active Instrument DI Box Radial Engineering

The PZ-DI is a high-performance specialized active direct box designed to accommodate acoustic and orchestral instruments, with a selectable input impedance that can accommodate magnetic pickups or piezo transducers, and a variable low-cut filter.

• Optimized for orchestral instruments on a live stage
• Adjustable load for piezo and magnetic pickups
• Variable low-cut filter to control low frequency resonance
• Powered by 48V phantom, no batteries required

Piezo problem solver

The PZ-DI has a variable load selector switch that allows you to set the input impedance of the direct box, so you can optimize the performance with your instrument’s pickups. The 1 meg ohm position delivers the classic impedance found on most active DI boxes, while the 220k ohm setting warms up the tone of magnetic pickups to provide the feel and tone as if your instrument were connected directly to an amplifier. The third setting is an ultra-high 10 meg ohm impedance that is specifically designed for piezo transducers, helping compensate for the harsh or squawky tone that can occur when a piezo is connected to a lower impedance input.

Variable filter to suit any instrument

To remove unwanted resonance on stage and prevent feedback, the PZ-DI is equipped with a fully-variable low-cut filter that gently rolls off low frequencies. The roll-off point of this filter can be raised or lowered to match the frequency response of your instrument, with a lower point for acoustic bass and a higher setting for violin or banjo. A switchable high-cut filter is also included, which is useful on instruments such as acoustic guitars that incorporate a battery-powered preamp, softening any harshness or high frequency edge for a smoother tone.

Using the PZ-DI with a piezo

Piezo pickups often sound harsh and unnatural. The PZ-DI solves the problem with a 10 meg-ohm input impedance that extends the frequency response and smoothes out the peaky edges. Adjust the low-cut filter to size the instrument and reduce unwanted resonance.

Using the PZ-DI with active acoustics

The convenience of a built-in pickup and battery powered preamp makes it easy to plug-in and play. But with less than ideal electronics, these instruments end to sound brittle and unnatural. The PZ-DI helps with a low-pass filter that gently smoothes the top end plus a variable low-cut filter to eliminate resonance.

Using the PZ-DI with a magnetic pickup

Optimize the tone of the bass by setting the load to 220k-ohm. This produces a warmer tone and natural feel that is particularly useful when recording or when preparing to Reamp. When touring with low-output vintage instruments, set the impedance to 1 meg-ohm to reduce the load.