Groove Tubes Studio Series tube DITTO box Operators Guide

The TM

DITTO box
A Direct Input, Tube Transformer Output for Stage and Studio
Tube D.I. and/or Tube Preamp with +30dB Available Gain

Congratulations! Your DITTO box is also a powerful all tube

Tech
Specs
You’ve just purchased what we believe to be preamp that can provide up to +30dB of
Input level
the highest quality tube DI box and/or +30dB warm tube gain for all high impedance One mega Ohm

tube preamp available anywhere. instrument applications. The strong 2 tube High Impedance,
IE:
gain stage coupled with our custom wound Electric guitar

You can use isolation output transformer will provide all Electro-Acoustic guitar
Electric Bass
your DITTO the gain you need to directly Electronic Keyboard

box as a unity interface your instruments Electronic Synthesizer

gain DI box for to any of the audio Output Level

driving long interface 18.5 dbm

signal runs, computer terminated at 600

Ohms
totally isolated, recording
without any systems Dynamic Range
118 dB
loss of audio such as
performance or Pro Tools, Available Gain
+ 30 dB
dynamic range, M Audio’s
keeping the signal Delta Bandwidth

quiet and hum free. The 1010, the 6Unity

Hz to 200 KHz @

DITTO box also adds clarity, Aardvark or

RME system Noise
punch and tube warmth to any or A Weighted
all high impedance instruments such cards. DITTO will EIN -90 dB

as electric guitar, electro-acoustic guitar, also serve as a preamp and

Total Harmonic
electric bass guitar, electric keyboard and line driver for your instrument Distortion
synthesizer. DITTO was designed for all studio connections to any +4 line level inputs of your .013% @ +4 dBm
or live recording applications and also for all live sound re enforcement system, regardless AC
live venue sound reinforcement requirements. of cable lengths.. Primary input voltage

As a DI box DITTO is unsurpassed in it’s You can even use the Ditto with your portable isbetween
Internally Selectable
100, 120,

audio quality and will provide accurate unity recording platform that has USB or firewire for and 230 volts, 50-60
gain with the added clarity, dimension and recording guitar, bass or synth tracks. Your cycles

true dynamic response of tubes when
compared to the common solid state DI
boxes.
But DITTO is much more than just a DI box .
Ditto is, to our knowledge, the only two tube
(it has two dual triodes) DI box with a custom
wound output transformer that can deliver up
to +30 dB of make up gain! DITTO will
produce all the tube preamp gain you will ever
need for directly recording into your PC based
recording system.
DITTO box will add clarity, punch and warmth FUSE
to your keyboard, synth, electric guitar, 1 Amp @ 100-120
volts
electro-acoustic guitar or electric bass. For 1/2 Amp @ 230 volts
live recording, use DITTO to add all the make
up gain before your mixer’s preamp, replacing
the mixer’s gain (that is gain from inexpensive
Op amp or transistor circuits) with lush, real
dynamically true tube gain. Tube preamps
are popular for recording and live applications
because the dynamic response is more
realistic and the added punch and clarity are
desirable for musical applications. Groove
Tubes has been an industry leader in both
 www.groovetubes.com The DITTO box Operators Guide

Tech
Specs tubes and studio tube preamps for useful to “float” your signal in certain
recording. GT has been making the highest environments. This switch does not
Input level
One mega Ohm
quality tubes and tube electronics for unbalance your XLR transmission line or
High Impedance, recording for more than 23 years! Therefore add induction of hum or noise.
IE:
Electric guitar
you can trust Groove tubes to deliver a very
Electro-Acoustic guitar special tube preamp that can enhance all Gain control allows you to set DITTO for “0”
Electric Bass
your recordings. db, or unity gain, which means the signal
Electronic Keyboard
Electronic Synthesizer strength coming into DITTO will be exactly
FEATURES: the same as it leaves DITTO although it will
Output Level
18.5 dbm There are two 1/4” parallel inputs, one for now be a balanced, or fully differential,
terminated at 600 Ohms your instrument input, and the second signal path. Rotating the Gain knob
Dynamic Range passes on unaffected your instrument’s clockwise will add up to +30dB of all tube
118 dB output signal for loop output applications. preamp gain and would be useful for all live
Available Gain
Use this dual input feature to keep your and recording applications where warmth
+ 30 dB stage set up “as is” while balancing and and dynamic realism is desired. DITTO’s
isolating your unbalanced high impedance gain will have more clarity and punch than
Bandwidth
6 Hz to 200 KHz @ Unity signal for extremely long
cables runs necessary
Noise
A Weighted for transmission to your 12AX7 12AU7
EIN -90 dB recording and/or live GAIN
Total Harmonic venue mixer. Cable runs ADJ
Distortion of 500 feet or more are
.013% @ +4 dBm
possible with Ditto’s
AC powerful tube driver and
Primary input voltage is
output isolation UNITY +30dB
Internally Selectable
between 100, 120, and 230 transformer without any BALANCED
TRANSFORMER
volts, 50-60 cycles loss of signal strength or SIGNAL OUTPUT
FUSE character. You can also GROUND
LIFT
1 Amp @ 100-120 volts use some or all makeup
1/2 Amp @ 230 volts
gain and there by reduce DIRECT LOOP
the need for gain at the INPUT OUTPUT
mixer. Trading tube gain
for solid state gain is
almost always desirable and will result in a BLOCK DIAGRAM OF DITTO BOX
better sounding performance. that which could be provided by your
mixer’s preamp or other solid state gain
XLR balance low impedance output jack for devices. It can provide enough for direct
long line transmission of the instrument recording when connected to any -10dB or
signal. Pin 2 is “hot” as consistent with +4dB PC audio interface device.
AES standard. You may "unbalance" this
signal but hum and noise induction may There is also a On/Off switch and external
result depending on the environment fuse holder provided on the opposite side
conditions. from the audio input/output face panel.

Signal Ground lift will isolate your signal

ground from your Earth ground and can be

Studio Products
©2002 Groove Tubes LLC. All rights reserved. Groove
1543 Truman Street
Tubes, DITTO box by Groove Tubes LLC. All other marks
San Fernando, California 91340 USA
are the property of their respective owners. All GROOVE TUBES LLC Tel 818 361 4500
specifications subject to change without notice. Fax 818 365 9884
www.groovetubes.com