Normal
Re: Guitar DIsThey can, actually. I use the H&K Redbox, and it works pretty well. This may be obvious, but there are DI units, and there are cabinet emulators. Some boxes do both, like the H&K. I use mine for recording or playing in the middle of the night as to not wake up my sleeping family (inspiration strikes at strange times...). The direct signal has your amp and effects so it is "your sound" but by not hooking up a speaker, it is silent. It would be possible to use one of these in the same way, but on the stage. If you are using IEMs, this could work. Don't forget that when doing this, especially with a tube amp, you'll need a power soak of some kind since otherwise, the guitar head will see an open circuit (a big no-no). For this purpose, I made up a box that provides either 8 or 16 ohms and can absorb a fair amount of power from the amp.
Re: Guitar DIs
They can, actually. I use the H&K Redbox, and it works pretty well. This may be obvious, but there are DI units, and there are cabinet emulators. Some boxes do both, like the H&K. I use mine for recording or playing in the middle of the night as to not wake up my sleeping family (inspiration strikes at strange times...). The direct signal has your amp and effects so it is "your sound" but by not hooking up a speaker, it is silent. It would be possible to use one of these in the same way, but on the stage. If you are using IEMs, this could work. Don't forget that when doing this, especially with a tube amp, you'll need a power soak of some kind since otherwise, the guitar head will see an open circuit (a big no-no). For this purpose, I made up a box that provides either 8 or 16 ohms and can absorb a fair amount of power from the amp.
