You want the headphone out on the DAI for low-latency (“direct”) monitoring.
I highly doubt the Behringer preamp is better than the Zoom. If you’re concerned about this a better solution would be to use a preamp on your board (like the Alpha Omega) and run that in to the Zoom via XLR from its DI out instead of 1/4" from its line out. But even via its 1/4" out, if you’re using a preamp on the board to set the level it will be at the correct line level regardless of the bass.
Another tip - do not use USB bus power. Always use power from a power supply.
I wonder if you are not mixing up DI and DAI. I have a DAI (Presonus) that is basically an external sound card connected to my computer, not much of a pre-amp. As it is part of the computer, you can use it as an audio out and hear both instrument and other audio playing on your computer.
But I might be wrong… 
I think he understands - he has a DAI now (Zoom U-22).
DAI’s do have internal preamps, allowing gain control of the input signal. But they are all very basic AFAIK.
True, maybe I’m just imagining too many knobs when hearing preamp 
EDIT: I just use this one as an audio in to my computer:
Oh, so that is something I am doing wrong. I am just powered up thru the USB.
now, the power input is not a standard 9v pin, it is an Android charger, mini or micro USB or whatever. Can that be coming from a computer USB port, or does it need to be coming from the wall.
And, I used Behringer as an example cuz it was the first thing I saw that said something about pre-amp type, not just pre-amp, so I am not expecting Behringer pre-amp to necessarily be better then Zoom,
but wondering if it is.
But instead, i will go direct out from probably my Darkglass cuz it will be in closer to the front of the chain. the Behringer is closer to the end of my chain, and I want to go dry signal to GB only, and the only thing infront of the Alpha Omega Ultra will be compression and my Sub n Up, but I won’t be recording with that on.
I could go from the BDI-21, but that is at the end, and will have effects in what goes into it. or I could just take the input out of the BDI when I want to record, and put my guitar straight into it, and then XLR to the U-22
This way I should be able to have the gain all but off on the U-22 and have line level signal going in, right.
If I got another DAI, there would be an input for line level that didn’t have a pre-amp at all, right.
Any way I go about it with the U-22, the signal from my DI still has to pass thru the Pre-amp, right? Unless I had one with the line level input and no pre-amp, is this correct thinking?
why? You lose all your effects that way. That’s the opposite of what I would do.
The BDI-21 at the end would work fine as the DI. You can leave it as bypassed and the DI out still works.
I am looking for my dry signal now. in the future, I am sure there will be times that I want wet signal, but now I am talking about the dry signal.
And I don’t want to bypass my BDI-21, I am talking about using it as a pre-amp. thats what you were just talking about right, using a pre-amp on my pedal board instead of relying on the one in the DAI or getting a better DAI just for a better Pre-amp. So I want my dry signal, thru the BDI-21 as a pre-amp set flat.
And the other queston I asked, do I need a different DAI to go straight line level into the computer, or does it do line level if I turn the gain off? or is there no way to kind of bypass the pre-amp in the U-22?
I want my bass sound only in my recordings now.
of course there will be times where I want my wet signal to go to the recording, but now I do not want anything but my bass.
Unless I am recording pedal demo’s, then I go Looper to pedal to day.
and I would go Looper to pedal to BDI-21 to DAI now.
What I am saying is, the BDI-21 will send over the DI out whether or not it is on. So it makes sense to use it as your DI. You get a dry signal by just leaving all the pedals bypassed.
That way, you can mix in any effects you want, including the BDI-21. Or not. And you can still use a preamp earlier in the signal chain as a preamp to take your instrument in and output at any level you want, if you need to adjust line levels.
You should be fine to just plug the guitar directly in to the U-22 if you want. You do not need to bypass its preamp. It is just a gain stage on the internal sound card. So all you need to do is adjust the gain knob to ensure it’s not clipping and you’re good to go.
The reason I suggested moving to use a DI in to the Zoom was to use a balanced line out with optional preamping before it if you were concerned about signal level. But you totally do not need to do that. Just the DAI and the bass should be fine.
Yeah, I am wanting to do this, I want the better pre-amp, I am not that confident in the one on the zoom, I rather have line level input then have to go thru it. I will live with it for now, but if it ever dies, or I just upgrade, I will get something that has a line level input as well as inputs with a preamp
The Zoom is a line level input. The function of a DAI is to convert a line level input to a digital signal. All of them have preamps. I have never seen a DAI without a gain control, and even if one existed, it would still likely have the equivalent of a preamp internally. The gain control is a feature, not a bug.
I do not think this is the cause of the problem you were having.
Hmmm, I was looking at the DAI’s on Reverb in the article and they were listing them as having for example 4 inputs, 2 pre-amps, 2 line level.
I am not saying you are wrong, I am just saying, if that is the fact, the way they describe them is confusing
Ok. So I was oversimplifying a bit - apologies. There is line level and instrument (High-Z) level. The difference between the two is basically impedance - everything else is the same, you can send instrument level into a line in without harm, etc. The U-22 is an instrument level and mic combo input.
The U-24 and U-44 (and other DAIs) have inputs that are switchable between line level and instrument level. This is probably what the article referred to. But they both still go through the preamps.
That said, if you have an exceptionally hot input, it is worth trying sending it in to the line level in instead of the instrument level in. The preamp is not the problem, it’s the input impedance. That might be worth a shot for you.
Ideally the U-22 would be switchable as well but I don’t think it is. That would actually be an excellent reason to upgrade, either to the U-24 or a different switchable DAI.
It actually might make sense for you to try one out. Kind of a bummer if the U-22 is not switchable. You probably want to check if it is (it would be a “Hi-Z” switch).
Does that make sense?
Example from my U-24, you can see the Hi-Z switch by my top input:
Note that mine is OFF, as I am running my drum machine into that input. My bass input is the XLR in to the line level input below it.
Most passive guitar signals actually need the Hi-Z input to avoid tone-suck, unless you run them through some other processing, like a preamp with a DI out, which is why I suggested trying that to see if it made any leveling difference for you. That’s also presumably why the U-22 is apparently Hi-Z only.
Yeah, that is why this is a big deal for my. I play stingrays, and they are extremely hot pick ups.
The U-22 says MIC / HI-Z for the imput, but there is no HI-Z switch that I can find.
there is one that says 40v. on/off.
I don’t fully understand that, but I think it is power and not for impedance and input, so unless that is actually related to the Hi-Z, there is not a switch.
I should clarify,
AS I UNDERSTAND IT, my pick ups are extremly hot, or notorious for being so.
I cold be wrong about this too, but I have had issues with signal distorting on them, where other basses won’t distort on the same settings, and have had to make big adjustments to keep the stingray clean.
48V is the Mic phantom power. Should be off (doesn’t matter but no need to flick that switch, it won’t do anything).
It’s worth a shot to try a DAI with Hi-Z off. However you can probably also fix any level problems via preamping and/or sending through an XLR as well. Worth a shot anyway.
Yeah, as discussed that is my first course of action.
If it works, awesome, problem solved.
if it still leaves something to be desired, i will upgrade to something with a HI-Z switch.
Fortunately for me, if I sell the U-22 on reverb, I can almost pay for the upgrade, or a lot of it. And I will be getting back WAY more then what I paid for it. Which I hate doing, cuz it was sold to me for an extremely generous price, but if I need the money to upgrade, I will.
Unless somebody on BassBuzz wants or needs it, I would give it for the same generous price I got it for, as a wey to pass it on
i am going to study the above convo in depth, howard, a LOT of good info there. it brought up a question i have, but not about zoom, going to start a new thread.
A hack to get any effect you want from any zoom processor new and old
i do not think that works with any of the bass pedals, including the MS60B? hmm… looking at the comments i think i’m wrong.
