Radial Engineering HDI High-Definition Studio DI

Despite its complex internal circuitry, the Radial Engineering HDI offers an elegant control setup that lets musicians or engineers achieve a record-ready sound with minimal effort. The Level control drives the HDI’s inputs, providing instant visual feedback via the responsive front panel meter. The Colour knob allows for a seamless blend between a super-clean tone and amp-like distortion and saturation, giving you the perfect amount of character and grit for your instrument.

An Opto compressor smooths out peaks in the input signal, and a High-Pass Filter eliminates any excessive low frequencies introduced by the Colour control. Finally, the Presence control enhances the highs and high-mids, ensuring your sound cuts through the mix with impressive clarity.

With its gunmetal anodized 1/4″ thick milled front panel and a design that echoes classic outboard studio gear, the Radial Engineering HDI is a striking addition to any recording space. The custom output meter allows for quick level checks, and the oversized chrome knobs enable precise adjustments and easy on-the-fly tweaks. While the HDI is impressive as a standalone unit, it also includes mounting hardware for installation in standard 19″ equipment racks. You can mount one or two HDIs side-by-side in a 2RU rack space. Like all Radial products, it is built with rugged components designed to endure the demands of concert touring.

Though the HDI is remarkably user-friendly, delivering great sound in just seconds, the design philosophy and underlying processes are quite sophisticated. For an in-depth look at the HDI’s development and its unique circuitry, click here to read an interview with its designer, W.C. “Hutch” Hutchison.

Using the HDI with an Amplifier Record bass directly from the HDI while also sending the unbuffered Thru output to a mic’d amplifier, allowing you to blend the two signals. The HDI sounds so great on its own, you might find yourself muting the amp track entirely.

Using the HDI with Acoustic Guitar The Radial Engineering HDI works beautifully with any instrument. When used with an acoustic guitar, it adds extra body and character that other direct boxes might lack. Connect the line-level XLR output directly to your recording interface, eliminating the need for additional preamps in the signal path.

Using the HDI Processed Output The Radial Engineering HDI can function as both a DI and an instrument preamp, offering extra gain, saturation, and distortion before sending the processed signal to a clean amp or an amp modelling system.

Features

• Dial in an amazing tone within seconds
• Blend from ultra-clean to amp-like distortion
• Smooth Opto compressor for peak reduction
• Mic and line-level outputs
• Oversized custom-wound Jensen transformer