DESIGNED AND ENGINEERED IN THE

UNITED STATES BY SAMSON TECHNOLOGIES

INPUT OUTPUT/LINK
LEVEL

GTR/SPK

SD100 www.samsontech.com

PIN 1 GND
PIN 2 HOT
PIN 3 COLD

PHANTOM
BATTERY

GND LIFT BATTERY

BALANCED OUTPUT
MADE IN CHINA

Direct Insertion Box

 Table Of Contents

Front and Rear Panel Layout 3

Powering S direct 3
Operating the S direct
Direct insertion of an instrument into a PA system 4
High power signals 5
Converting the output of unbalanced devices 6

Specifications 7

Copyright 2002, Samson Technologies Corp.

Printed April 2002

Samson Technologies Corp.

575 Underhill Blvd.
P.O. Box 9031
Syosset, NY 11791-9031
Phone: 1-800-3-SAMSON (1-800-372-6766)
Fax: 516-364-3888
www.samsontech.com
A
K-TEAM
PRODUCTION
--
 S direct Front and Rear Panel Layout
1 2 3

DESIGNED AND ENGINEERED IN THE

UNITED STATES BY SAMSON TECHNOLOGIES

INPUT OUTPUT/LINK
LEVEL

GTR/SPK

SD100 www.samsontech.com

PIN 1 GND
PIN 2 HOT
PIN 3 COLD
BATTERY PHANTOM

GND LIFT BATTERY

BALANCED OUTPUT
MADE IN CHINA

4 5
1 INPUT - 1/4” input connector.
2 LEVEL - When engaged, the level
is switched from instrument GTR to
amplifier speaker SPR level.
3 OUTPUT/LINK - 1/4” output for pass-
ing the input signal through to a stage
amplifier or monitor system.
4 BATTERY COMPARTMENT - Houses
6 7
5 GROUND LIFT - When engaged, the
ground from the S direct chassis
detaches from the XLR jack.
6 BALANCED OUTPUT - Male XLR
connector.
7 BATTERY/PHANTOM - Switches S
direct from phantom power to bat-
tery operation.

Powering S direct
The S direct can operate on a single 9 Volt battery or standard 24-48 volt phantom
power. Whenever phantom power is present on the XLR cable that is connected to
the Balanced Output, the S direct will automatically switch to phantom power and
disconnect the 9 Volt battery. The Phantom/Battery switch can be used to turn off the
battery power when the unit is not in use.

3
Operating the S direct
A direct box, or DI box, provides the facility for the direct insertion of an audio signal
into a mixer or recorder. The S direct offers a variety of DI solutions for live sound
and recording applications. You can connect all kinds of audio signals like guitars,
keyboards, outboard signal processors and even the high-powered speaker output
from an amplifier. The S direct enables you to tap off the signal from a guitar or bass
guitar and pass the signal from the Link output to the on stage amplifier without
affecting the original sound. This can eliminate the need for micing the guitar amplifi-
er, which in many cases is preferable, especially with bass guitar. The S direct is also
very useful for connecting unbalanced signals from sources like signal DJ and sub-
mixers, effects processors and keyboards to a main PA or recording mixer. Unlike
passive direct boxes, the S direct is active (has a power supply), so you can rely on
an even frequency response on any audio signal you connect to regardless of its
output impedance. Also, the S directʼs balanced output provides a clean signal at a
low level so long runs of cable are possible. Another benefit from a balanced con-
nection is Common Mode Rejection, which provides cancellation of the bad sounds
(hums and buzzes) while leaving the original signal pure.

Direct Insertion of an Instrument into a PA System

One of the most common applications for using a DI box is getting the signal of a
bass guitar into the PA system. Simply put, the low frequencies produced by bass
are difficult to mic, so use of a DI box is almost always preferable. In addition, the
signal going to PA system can be tweaked by the FOH (front of house) engineer,
without affecting the sound the musician dials up on stage. You can use S direct to
plug a guitar directly into the PA system as well, especially acoustic guitars with pick-
ups and when using electronic guitar processors and modelers. Follow the diagram
and steps below to connect a guitar to a PA mixer.

• Connect the output of the guitar or bass to the S directʼs INPUT.

• Connect S directʼs OUTPUT/LINK to the input of the guitar or bass amplifier.
• Connect S directʼs BALANCED OUTPUT to the input of main PA mixer.

4
 Operating the S direct
NOTE: To avoid Typical Instrument Hook-up
annoying pops Balanced Output
and clicks be sure (opposite panel)
to mute (or turn SIGNAL FLOW
down the volume
control) of your Input
DESIGNED AND ENGINEERED IN THE
UNITED STATES BY SAMSON TECHNOLOGIES

INPUT OUTPUT/LINK

LEVEL

mixerʼs output GTR/SPK

while connecting SD100 www.samsontech.com

the S direct, or SIGNAL FLOW

Link
when switching MODEL 3500 350 WATTS

INPUT PRE AMP 30Hz 64Hz 125Hz

GRAPHIC EQUALIZER

250Hz 500Hz 1KHz 2KHz 3KHz 5KHz 8KHz

CONTOUR MASTER
Transient Attack
Output
A B +15 +15
+12 5
5 5 5 0 0
PASSIVE 4 6 4 6 4 6 IN
+9 3 3 3 3 4 6
3 7 3 7 3 7
+6
+3 5 5 5 5 3 7 o

from battery to
+2
2 8 2 8 2 8 0 0 10 10 10 10 2 8
-2
1 9 1 9 1 9 -3 15 15 15 15 1 9
0 0 0 -6 -18 -18 0
10 10 OUT -9 +18 +18 10
ACTIVE -12
-15 -15
LOW PASS HIGH PASS VOLUME POWER
TUBE SOLID STATE COMPRESSION
30Hz 64Hz 125Hz 250Hz 500Hz 1KHz 2KHz 3KHz 5KHz 8KHz

phantom power. MIC/LINE 1 MIC/LINE 2 MIC/LINE 3 MIC/LINE 4 MIC/LINE 5/6 MIC/LINE 7/8

AUX 1 OUT
MASTER SECTION
LEFT LEFT MONO OUT

CR MIX
MONO OUT
30 30 30 30 AUX 2 OUT RIGHT RIGHT 5
R LINE IN R LINE IN
GAIN GAIN GAIN GAIN
CLIP CLIP CLIP CLIP

5 60 5 60 5 60 5 60 0 10
-26 +26 -26 +26 -26 +26 -26 +26

Amplifier Mixer
0 0 0 0 0 0
HF HF HF HF HF HF
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
12K 12K 12K 12K 12K 12K

10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 MAXIMUM DYNAMIC RANGE

2T TO MIX
15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
0 0 0 0 0 0 5
MF MF MF MF MF MF 2T IN 2T OUT
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
2.5K 2.5K 2.5K 2.5K 2.5K 2.5K

10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 0 10 LEFT RIGHT LEFT RIGHT

0 0 0 0 0 0
LF LF LF LF LF LF
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
80Hz 80Hz 80Hz 80Hz 80Hz 80Hz

24 DSP
10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

BIT
15 15 LO CUT 15 15 LO CUT 15 15 LO CUT 15 15 LO CUT 15 15 15 15
DIGITAL EFFECTS

MODE
HARD

DSP TO MON DISK

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

AUX 1 AUX 1 AUX 1 AUX 1 AUX 1 AUX 1 AUX +48V POWER

MON MON MON MON MON MON RET 1

0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
AUX/DSP PEAK
AUX 2 AUX 2 AUX 2 AUX 2 AUX 2 AUX 2
RET 2
DSP DSP DSP DSP DSP DSP 1 LARGE HALL +6
2 MEDIUM HALL
3 LARGE ROOM
4 VOCAL RM. 0
5 VOCAL RM. 2
0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 6 CHORUS+REVERB -6
4 5 7 CHORUS+DELAY
PAN PAN PAN PAN BAL BAL 3 6 8 STAIRWELL
-12
2 7 DSP

-20
1 8 PEAK

L R L R L R L R L R L R
SELECT

REC REC REC REC REC REC DIGITAL EFFECTS MASTER SECTION

10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

MIX/2T

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

C/ROOM
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +PHONES 0 0 0
5

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

0 10
10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15

20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20

30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30
40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40

CHANNEL 1 CHANNEL 2 CHANNEL 3 CHANNEL 4 CHANNEL 5/6 CHANNEL 7/8 PHONES L MIX R

Connecting to High Power Signals

The S direct provides the capability of tapping off the signals from amplifiers, such as the
output of a guitar amp or power amplifier. You can even use S direct to connect to the
speaker output of a consumer stereo system or boom box, for example, if you want to
sample some old records or cassette tapes.
NOTE: Be sure that the LEVEL switch is set to the AMP position before connecting the sig-
nal from the output of any amplifier.
Follow the diagram and steps below to connect a powered output of a guitar amplifier to a
PA mixer.
• Connect the output of the guitar or bass to the guitar amp input.
• Set the Level switch to the SPK position.
• Using unshielded speaker cable, connect the guitar ampʼs speaker output to the S
directʼs INPUT.
• Using another unshielded speaker cable, connect S directʼs OUTPUT/LINK to the
input of the guitar amplifiers speaker.
• Connect S directʼs BALANCED OUTPUT to the input of main PA mixer.

5
Operating the S direct

NOTE: This example may Balanced Output

(opposite panel)
appear to be the same as
Input
the previous, however in
this example, the S direct Amp Speaker INPUT
DESIGNED AND ENGINEERED IN THE
UNITED STATES BY SAMSON TECHNOLOGIES

OUTPUT/LINK

is tapping the sound of the

LEVEL

Output GTR/SPK

instrument and amp, as

SD100 www.samsontech.com

opposed to just the instru- SIGNAL FLOW Link

Output
ment itself.
MODEL 3500 350 WATTS
GRAPHIC EQUALIZER Transient Attack
INPUT PRE AMP 30Hz 64Hz 125Hz 250Hz 500Hz 1KHz 2KHz 3KHz 5KHz 8KHz
CONTOUR MASTER
A B +15 +15
+12 5
5 5 5 0 0
PASSIVE 4 6 4 6 4 6 IN
+9 3 3 3 3 4 6
3 7 3 7 3 7
+6
+3 5 5 5 5 3 7 o
+2
2 8 2 8 2 8 0 0 10 10 10 10 2 8
-2
1 9 1 9 1 9 -3 15 15 15 15 1 9
0 0 0 -6 -18 -18 0
10 10 OUT -9 +18 +18 10
ACTIVE -12
-15 -15
LOW PASS HIGH PASS VOLUME POWER
TUBE SOLID STATE COMPRESSION
30Hz 64Hz 125Hz 250Hz 500Hz 1KHz 2KHz 3KHz 5KHz 8KHz

SIGNAL FLOW PA Mixer

MIC/LINE 1 MIC/LINE 2 MIC/LINE 3 MIC/LINE 4 MIC/LINE 5/6 MIC/LINE 7/8 MASTER SECTION
AUX 1 OUT LEFT LEFT MONO OUT

CR MIX
MONO OUT
30 30 30 30 AUX 2 OUT RIGHT RIGHT 5
R LINE IN R LINE IN
GAIN GAIN GAIN GAIN
CLIP CLIP CLIP CLIP

Amp Speaker
5 60 5 60 5 60 5 60 0 10
-26 +26 -26 +26 -26 +26 -26 +26

Amplifier
0 0 0 0 0 0
HF HF HF HF HF HF
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
12K 12K 12K 12K 12K 12K

10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 MAXIMUM DYNAMIC RANGE

2T TO MIX
15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
0 0 0 0 0 0 5

Input
MF MF MF MF MF MF 2T IN 2T OUT
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
2.5K 2.5K 2.5K 2.5K 2.5K 2.5K

10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 0 10 LEFT RIGHT LEFT RIGHT

0 0 0 0 0 0
LF LF LF LF LF LF
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
80Hz 80Hz 80Hz 80Hz 80Hz 80Hz

24 DSP
10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

BIT
15 15 LO CUT 15 15 LO CUT 15 15 LO CUT 15 15 LO CUT 15 15 15 15
DIGITAL EFFECTS

MODE
HARD

DSP TO MON DISK

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

AUX 1 AUX 1 AUX 1 AUX 1 AUX 1 AUX 1 AUX +48V POWER

MON MON MON MON MON MON RET 1

0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
AUX/DSP PEAK
AUX 2 AUX 2 AUX 2 AUX 2 AUX 2 AUX 2
RET 2
DSP DSP DSP DSP DSP DSP 1 LARGE HALL +6
2 MEDIUM HALL
3 LARGE ROOM
4 VOCAL RM. 0
5 VOCAL RM. 2

Converting the Output of Unbalanced Devices

0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 6 CHORUS+REVERB -6
4 5 7 CHORUS+DELAY
PAN PAN PAN PAN BAL BAL 3 6 8 STAIRWELL
-12
2 7 DSP

-20
1 8 PEAK

L R L R L R L R L R L R
SELECT

REC REC REC REC REC REC DIGITAL EFFECTS MASTER SECTION

10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

MIX/2T

The S direct can be quite useful on stage or in the studio for connecting unbalanced
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

C/ROOM
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +PHONES 0 0 0
5

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

0 10
10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15

20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20

30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30

devices, particularly keyboards. The output levels of many keyboards are low, so their sig-
40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40

CHANNEL 1 CHANNEL 2 CHANNEL 3 CHANNEL 4 CHANNEL 5/6 CHANNEL 7/8 PHONES L MIX R

nals can benefit greatly by connecting their unbalanced outputs to the S direct. By doing
so the signal can be
sent cleanly for long Typical Stereo Keyboard
Link
Output
distances while ben- Hook-up Input INPUT
DESIGNED AND ENGINEERED IN THE
UNITED STATES BY SAMSON TECHNOLOGIES

OUTPUT/LINK

efiting from the low

LEVEL

GTR/SPK

noise and common Keyboard Stereo SD100 www.samsontech.com

Output SIGNAL FLOW Balanced Outputs

mode rejection pro- SIGNAL FLOW (opposite panel)
vided by S directʼs bal- Input
DESIGNED AND ENGINEERED IN THE
UNITED STATES BY SAMSON TECHNOLOGIES

anced low-level out-

INPUT OUTPUT/LINK

LEVEL

put. The diagram fol-

GTR/SPK

SD100 www.samsontech.com

lowing shows a typical SIGNAL FLOW

Link
Output
hook-up for a stereo On Stage
keyboard connected to Keyboard SIGNAL FLOW
Monitors
a stereo stage monitor
MIC/LINE 1 MIC/LINE 2 MIC/LINE 3 MIC/LINE 4 MIC/LINE 5/6 MIC/LINE 7/8 MASTER SECTION
AUX 1 OUT LEFT LEFT MONO OUT

CR MIX
MONO OUT
30 30 30 30 AUX 2 OUT RIGHT RIGHT 5
R LINE IN R LINE IN
GAIN GAIN GAIN GAIN
CLIP CLIP CLIP CLIP

system and the main

5 60 5 60 5 60 5 60 0 10
-26 +26 -26 +26 -26 +26 -26 +26

0 0 0 0 0 0
HF HF HF HF HF HF
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
12K 12K 12K 12K 12K 12K

10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 MAXIMUM DYNAMIC RANGE

2T TO MIX
15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
0 0 0 0 0 0 5
MF MF MF MF MF MF 2T IN 2T OUT
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
2.5K 2.5K 2.5K 2.5K 2.5K 2.5K

10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 0 10 LEFT RIGHT LEFT RIGHT

PA mixer.
0 0 0 0 0 0
LF LF LF LF LF LF
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
80Hz 80Hz 80Hz 80Hz 80Hz 80Hz

24 DSP
10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
BIT

15 15 LO CUT 15 15 LO CUT 15 15 LO CUT 15 15 LO CUT 15 15 15 15

DIGITAL EFFECTS
MODE

HARD
DISK
DSP TO MON
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

AUX 1 AUX 1 AUX 1 AUX 1 AUX 1 AUX 1 AUX

Main PA
+48V POWER
MON MON MON MON MON MON RET 1

0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
AUX/DSP PEAK
AUX 2 AUX 2 AUX 2 AUX 2 AUX 2 AUX 2
RET 2
DSP DSP DSP DSP DSP DSP 1 LARGE HALL +6
2 MEDIUM HALL
3 LARGE ROOM
4 VOCAL RM. 0
5 VOCAL RM. 2
0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 6 CHORUS+REVERB -6
4 5 7 CHORUS+DELAY
PAN PAN PAN PAN BAL BAL 3 6 8 STAIRWELL
-12
2 7 DSP

-20
1 8 PEAK

Mixer
L R L R L R L R L R L R
SELECT

REC REC REC REC REC REC DIGITAL EFFECTS MASTER SECTION

10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

MIX/2T

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

C/ROOM
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +PHONES 0 0 0
5

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

0 10
10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15

20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20

30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30
40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40

CHANNEL 1 CHANNEL 2 CHANNEL 3 CHANNEL 4 CHANNEL 5/6 CHANNEL 7/8 PHONES L MIX R

6
 S direct Specifications

Frequency Response 5-35 kHz, -3 dB

Noise Level (22-22kHz, Input Shorted) -104 dBu
THD + N (10 Hz -22 kHz) 0.013% typ. @ 1 VRMS,1 kHz.
Input Impedance (GTR) > 1 Meg. Ohm
(SPK) 10 k Ohm
Max. Input Level (1% THD) +8.1 dBu ( 9v. Batt.)
+11.3 dBu (48v. Phantom)
GTR/SPK Input 1/4ʺ Phone Jack, unbalanced
OUTPUT/LINK 1/4ʺ Phone Jack, unbalanced
BALANCED OUTPUT XLR Connector, balanced
Phantom Power 24-48 VDC
Battery 9 Volt
Dimensions 5.6ʺ W x 4ʺ D x 2ʺ H
142mm W x 101.6mm D x 50.8mm H
Weight 15 oz.
.43 Kg

7
 Samson Technologies Corp.
575 Underhill Blvd.
P.O. Box 9031
Syosset, NY 11791-9031
Phone: 1-800-3-SAMSON (1-800-372-6766)
Fax: 516-364-3888
www.samsontech.com