Z-Tone DI Box. ONE BOX TO RULE THEM ALL! Does IK Multimedia have the Swiss Army Knife of DI Boxes?

#IKMultimedia #Z-tonedi #dibox #production
Today in the studio we check out the brand new Z-TONE DI BOX from IK Multimedia. We put this versatile box through all its paces under real world studio conditions. Is this capable of clean and buzz free recording as well as flexible tone shaping for your guitar or bass? And most importantly, is this capable of hardware reamping to real amplifiers and not just your software modeling apps like Amplitube and Guitar Rig? Is this really the Swiss Army knife of all Guitar, Bass and instrument DI Boxes? Let’s find out.
Special thanks to Mike Colotonio from The Vanderwalls Band for helping out today. They are working on the second full length album following their phenomenal debut record that landed them in the Sony Playstation Universe as part of the AAA Game “Days Gone” soundtrack. Check them out here:
/ vanderwallsband
Check out Rick Beato reviewing “Mosquitos and Flies” off their first record here: watch/?v=232...
#z-tone #ikmultimedia #dibox #guitartone
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THIS IS NOT A SPONSORED VIDEO
All products reviewed here are completely out of pocket with our own money.
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Gear used in my video reviews:
IK Multimedia Z-Tone DI Box
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Gear Used to make this video:
Coda Music MB-Stealth mic preamp
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Nikon z6ii w/24-70 f4 lens
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DJI Pocket 2 Creator Combo
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GVM 2 pack RGB LED lighting kit w stands
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Neewer LED Bi-Color 18in 70w Flapjack Light
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FEELWORLD T7 7 inch 4K Camera Monitor
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NICEYRIG NATO Handle with rail
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SMALLRIG Z Series Camera Cage
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Fotga Swing Away Matte Box
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REYTRIC 154 Wh V Mount Battery
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Shure SM7b Microphone
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Mackie ProFXv3 10 Channel Mixer
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DJI Ronin-SC - Camera Stabilizer
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IK Multimedia Z-Tone DI Box
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#IKMultimedia #Z-tone #re-amp

[@kylemiller3742]

The fact that you can reamp with this just sold me! I've been looking for a DI box and looking for a reamp box upgrade, so this is a game changer! Thanks for the great video!

[@Garraliposker]

Thank you for this GREAT video, man.Thumbs up!!

[@paulbradshaw431]

Great video thank you. I’m a bit late to this party having only just purchased one. I’m using it strictly for live work. My rig is a Tonex pedal running all my amps, cabs/IRs into an HX Stomp XL providing everything else and doing the switching. I’ve now placed the Z-TONE in front of that and the extra control you get over your sound is amazing. Your video gave me some great fine tuning ideas.

[@Diogrus]

Amazing tool! I was almost sold to it earlier, but when I see here that it can be used to reamp, damn! Just bought it!

[@Siticmon]

this thing looks great also i love the music!

[@Featherlightstudio]

Thanks!

[@coconutstrum]

Great review and tutorial. You packed a ton of info into this quick paced video, clearly and to the point. Much appreciated! I already have a decent audio interface so don't need the Axe I/O yet still want better instrument inputs. This helped answered that the DI Box version was worth it on its own. The ability to reamp using this same device is huge. From the video it looks like I can send audio from a guitar recorded direct previously and apply the Z-tone to it on the way to the amp (or even looped back into the DAW for Amplitube), so older bland DI recordings could benefit too. Very nice!

[@im-bb4fn]

Totally agree. one of the best tutorials I've seen. Arturia can learn some tricks from this guy.

[@GILSON300LBM]

O bom na gringa é que equipamentos de áudio e instrumentos musicais custam bem barato, já aqui no 3º mundo tem que vender o carro para montar um set descente, se for TOP tem que vender a casa rsrs

[@prodsamper]

Nice video. Do you recommend that just to use to play to vst amps? I already have a Audient ID14, which has a good DI input. Do you think there will be much of a diference recording with the input DI on the interface vs using this DI box?

[@Featherlightstudio]

The Audient has nice preamps but no variation for passive or active pickups. Also, the Z-Tone allows you to change the impedance of your guitar ‘s pickups before it hits the the audio interface. This is a pretty big deal as far as guitar tone goes. Instead of using software to emulate that difference, the Z-Tone ‘IS’ the difference. Much the same way a real analog amp works by reacting differently to different impedance loads.

[@headbangerministries]

I just started using this so I can double track on my DAW (Logic Pro) as I dont have an amp. What I'd like to do is record two tracks using my Revv4 into it and a raw signal so I can find another dirty damp in my Amplitube 5 (I have the Max version) but not sure how to set up the dual recording track yet. I did get one channel going directly and my Crummar floor pedal on separate tracks.

[@Featherlightstudio]

Sound like your on the right track with the Crummar on one side and the direct on the other.

[@thorvelizelos]

Great tutorial! Thanks! Do you know if i am able to reamp and do all the same things with the Z-tone boost instead? As I understand it they both have pretty identical functions just the boost pedal has the boost functions also and also the DI has that 20 dB pad Button on the back

[@Featherlightstudio]

The boost has most of the same features plus the bump in gain so I would imagine the hardware is the same, but I don't have one here to confirm that. Maybe some one else here can chime in on if it still can re-amp?

[@lucarenzi8033]

Are you sure the unbalanced jack is able to send out the right impedance for reamping?? There's no official mention from IK Multimedia that this device can be used as a reamp box... and that's strange because it would be a killer feature to push the sales of the device. Even in the official manual, reamping is not mentioned once.

[@im-bb4fn]

I just bought one mainly to record my guitar, but I was wondering the following: Do you think I'll be able to use this DI with the following alignment: electric guitar + 2 analog synths + vintage keyboard --> pre-mixer (e.g. mx400) ---> pedalboard (about 11 pedals, all kinds) ---> Ztone DI ----> mixer and amps?. Of course, from the Mixer I'll send the signal to the computer interface, and maybe mic the amps and send that to the computer interface as well... thanks!

[@im-bb4fn]

BTW the main reason I use a premixer is because I like to use my guitar pedals with my synths and keyboards as well, and I vocode with all the instruments... (i have a couple of aby boxes as you can imagine lol)

[@Featherlightstudio]

The Z-Tone has a lot of gain control options so I don't see why not. Its primary design is to change high impedance to low and back again with tonal options so there are many setups possible with this.

[@Hzuuuu]

I'm curious, why do you have your pickup mode as Active on the Z-Tone box? Is that an active guitar? I've always thought that P90 pickups are passive. That music is awesome though, is that off a real track?

[@Featherlightstudio]

Yeah, normally that is correct. The 'active' position just engages the preamp and can add some extra tonal shaping choices as we wanted a little hair going into the console track. The track is off the new Vanderwalls record coming out next month. facebook.com/vanderwallsband

[@martincaz7772]

Hey, first time in this channel. I just bought this with a bunch of other stuff I needed for my studio, have never tried so was kinda feeling still a bit unsure , I watched a bunch of videos before buying it, but then had to watch one more lol... and landed here, this is totally my favorite review, very detailed, well explained, and taking it one step further with the reamping! Ecellent! Now I can't wait till it arrives! :D Thanks!

[@Featherlightstudio]

Heh thanks Martin, its killer and I use it on almost ever session we do here with guitar.

[@martincaz7772]

@@Featherlightstudio Well.....it's here! I can't believe how my guitar sounds on my monitors JUST through the Z-Tone!! 0.0 sweet!!! And yes, I'm going out to my amp also, cool! Lovin' it! :D

[@naneezay]

At church…we are for some Reason having a hard time getting enough signal from the bass guitar into the livestream. We use di boxes too. For some reason, all the keyboards come thru the live well but for the bass. We just not getting enough signal and the bass is super low in the live. Wondering if this will solve it? Help….Also do u have to keep changing the batteries or?

[@Featherlightstudio]

These have a level adjust on them to help make up the difference in output as well as a passive/active pickup switch. And they can be phantom powered from the board.

[@guinganfg]

Great piece of hardware.. How does it compare to the Neve RNDI?? Cheers!!

[@Featherlightstudio]

Heh Guilherme, both boxes use very high quality isolating transformers and have great specs but the Neve is only a Direct Box. It can't sculpt the tone like the Z-Tone, it has no gain controls, and it can't Re-amp either.

[@guinganfg]

@@Featherlightstudio great to hear!! I just got a Ztone! I have a question.. I’m connecting the Ztone into the Apollo twin thru the balanced Xlr straight to the mic pre.. When I start struming, I have some kind of reverb happening the monent I stop playing.. Is this something related to the gain (Ztone or Apollo)? I’ve tried to lower the gain in the apollo and increasing in the z-tone.. Did the opposite too.. Still having these “reverb”.. Can you help me? I’d really like to set things properly and get to recording.. Thanks again!! Cheers!

[@Featherlightstudio]

@@guinganfg Hmm, this sounds like a loopback of some kind in the UA monitoring console but difficult to tell without being there to go through your setup. I would start by disabling all FX and routing-simplify as much as you can to troubleshoot.

[@labadal]

Is the unbalanced output the same line level as the balanced xlr out, or does it stay at instrument level? btw great video! :)

[@Featherlightstudio]

They appear to be the same output level when both types ( xls and Hi-Z ) are measured at unity inputs on our mixer. However, that gets a bit more complex when you consider that each output will have a completely different impedance designed for different input applications and preamps ( XLR mic preamp at unity vs TS preamp at unity ) The short of it is that you could, for example, re-amp using both the LINK and the TS unbalanced outputs for a stereo or dual amp setup. But, the gain control on the front panel ONLY affects the rear unbalanced/balanced connectors so, you would to keep this at unity to match the rear output with the LINK output.

[@bivotarshamble3672]

Most flexible and powerful of today? 🤔 Get real dude ! So many to compare and most are absolutely worthless in my opinion. Many options for eliminating ground loop and other unwanted noises. That is probably the best use from these crappy so called signal changing heroes. Again just my opinion. I mean, why buy and pay for a guitar amp for it's tones and pedals and processors to boot, if what you still need a di/reamp box to still achieve tones that you can not dial in with your main gear ? Fn stupid ! Hell, let's get rid of amps and individual pedals altogether and in just make a processor to do it all ! One unit that can do it all from amp modeling, cab simulation, di, reamp, cuts, boost, passive, active, USB audio interface, eq, mixer, shit tons of effects, effects loop mono/stereo... Lol, the whole kit and kaboodle ! Screw it man, get rid of it all for one mother of all bad ass musical brain. 🧠 Some of us want to play and just create cool music and some of us, do not have funds to buy all of this shit ! I suppose if you do, well then keep stacking your walls, desk and shelves with so much equipment that you will hardly ever even use. Just keep fantasizing about being a rock star sitting in your studio at home. Sorry 😔, I just get so tired of the consumers contributing to these manufacturer's and their endless so called answer's to that never ending mind blowing guitar tone . This is crazy and almost nails the true definition of insanity ! So, let me keep shopping around, I got distracted. ☺️😉 Well chit... Gonna buy one, thanks guys for all of your hard work!

[@Featherlightstudio]

LOL!!