For years, the direct box has been seen as simple impedance matching and balancing device that would allow an instrument signal to travel long distances without adding appreciable noise. With the advent of 24 bit / 96kHz recording, unlimited real or virtual tracks, multi-channel surround monitoring systems, and the constant evolution of instrument amplification and effects, new opportunities have blossomed which have imposed the reevaluation of the traditional direct box.

The Radial JDV Mk3 represents a milestone in new direct box technology by introducing the concept of creative zones for the musician and engineer all the while elevating the sonic expectations beyond any other direct box produced today. We call it the Super DI.

The Radial JDV was originally developed by John Vrtacic in the 1980s who at the time was the Chief Technical Engineer for Little Mountain Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia. Little Mountain was ‘home’ to producers Bruce Fairburn and Bob Rock and their astonishing number of hit records from artists like Aerosmith, Bryan Adams, ACDC, The Cult, Metallica, Bon Jovie, Loverboy and so many others. The huge Little Mountain ‘drum and bass sound’ became famous with millions of albums sold worldwide.

In 1997, Ron ‘Obvious’ Vermulin, Chief Technical Engineer at Bryan Adam’s Warehouse Studios (Ron also designed the Mutt Lang/Shania Twain studio) was asked to test the 1st generation Radial JDI passive direct boxes against a number of ‘popular’ DIs and it was from these tests that the Radial Green Report was produced. While testing the Radial JDI, Ron decided to run the same tests through one of the original John Vrtacic JDV direct boxes. Although the Radial JDI faired better than all other commercial units, the hand-made JDV was clearly the best. Ron suggested we contact John and build a commercially viable version of the JDV.

The 1st generation Radial JDV gained a strong following due the clarity of tone. This was supported with it winning comparative tests in influential magazines such as Mix, Recording and Bass Player. The JDV became firmly cemented in the industry when influential artists like Tony Levin, Will Lee and Alain Caron began using it on their bass tracks. The first generation JDV employed a battery as part of the power supply circuit along with a switching power supply and surface mount technology. This was done in an attempt to reduce the size and power consumption. Although the system worked well, many users did not like to have to keep the internal batteries charged so in 2001, the decision was made to update and redesign the JDV.

The Radial JDV Mk3 is our most advanced DI ever. We call it the Super-DI because it combines the amazing sound of the original with a significantly improved power supply, a very low noise floor and a tremendously useful feature set.