Recording Bass Into The MPC Live Sounds Very Quiet

So I'm trying to run a bass guitar directly into the Live and record basslines. I ran it into a DI box and then into the input of the MPC but the sound is like 20db too low. I thought the point of the DI was to bring that up to line level? Did I miss something? I saw there are active and passive DIs too. This one is a passive. Do I need an active one? I also tried to run through my amp and out the headphone jack but there is a light hiss from the amp. Sound is a much better level and dynamics are much more noticeable. Any suggestions?

Make sure the Line/Phono Switch is in the right position

Is your bass passive or active? If it's passive get a active DI box. If the bass is active, just plug, play, adjust levels and record. A passive bass into a passive DI, will tend to lower the signal and change the tone. (From my experience.)

I don't think you need the DI in this case -- just plug your bass in to the MPC. A DI solves for changing instrument levels to sound board levels, and solve for ground hum at an amp. You don't need that in this case -- I've recorded bass straight in often. The problem will be figuring out a plug-in chain to beef up the dry tone -- start with a compressor, or try the AIR Channel Strip for starters.

^ Yeah what he said. The DI is just for changing the impedance so you can plug your guitar directly into like a studio console or a regular line input. The MPC has Line/Instrument inputs so you don't need it. Not too sure how your DI works but you could actually be killing your level with an impedance mismatch using it. Try plugging the bass straight in and try that. Might fix it right there.

I wonder what DI box he's using. Because they all can sound different. Some lowers, thins, or enhance the fullness. I've gotten varying results, from active and passive DI's.

cmackg wrote:I don't think you need the DI in this case -- just plug your bass in to the MPC. A DI solves for changing instrument levels to sound board levels, and solve for ground hum at an amp. You don't need that in this case -- I've recorded bass straight in often. The problem will be figuring out a plug-in chain to beef up the dry tone -- start with a compressor, or try the AIR Channel Strip for starters.

What bass and pickups combination are you using?