Reddit mentions of Behringer Ultra-DI DI400P Professional High-Performance Passive DI-Box

The "right" way to go from an unbalanced 1/4" instrument cable -> balanced XLR is to use a direct box. You can also get an impedance matching cable.

As for the cable you have, whether you bridge pins 1-2 or 1-3 is a matter of convention. Some systems consider #2 the "hot" pin and others treat it as the "cold" pin. See Wikipedia for more info

Thanks for this. I just ordered a whole pile of stuff on Amazon with Prime. Came out to be a good bit cheaper than your estimate. I traded down on a couple of things like the vocal mics (Behringers for 1/3 the price) and direct boxes (half the price). The big thing I skimped on to make my budget was the mixer - I got a Behringer 12-channel mixer with great reviews for about $90. Hopefully it will get the job done.

Definitely couldn't have figured out what to buy without you. Hopefully this is everything we need for a great summer and beyond!

Get a cheap DI box

Something like this should work

https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-DI400P-BEHRINGER-ULTRA-DI/dp/B000KUA8G6/

$20 D.I. Box powered from the speaker:

https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-DI400P-BEHRINGER-ULTRA-DI/dp/B000KUA8G6/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_267_bs_lp_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=E60VVX77Y170MGHQRTSW

Lots of things you can do with $25 on Amazon:

Behringer Ultra Vibrato UV300 pedal ($25)

Behringer Ultra Chorus UC200 pedal ($25)

Rock Band 25-key MIDI keytar ($24)

M-Audio SP-2 sustain pedal ($14)

Behringer Ultravoice XM8500 dynamic vocal mic ($20)

Auphonix 6" double mesh pop filter ($19)

Behringer Ultra-DI DI400P passive DI box ($20)

On-Stage single X keyboard stand ($22)

Andoer melodica ($20)

Andoer kalimba/mbira thumb piano ($12)

Big Thunder Tube ($30)

Small Thunder Tube ($8)

Angled Thunder Tube ($28)

Meinl Percussion 8" claves ($6)

Stylophone ($24)

Cables

Cable adapters

I've already got Logic, which as I understand is a great option/competitor to Reaper, though some of my windows-using friends swear by it too!

I also already have an input/DI for sound box, sorry if I made that unclear in what I called it. I have the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, which connects via USB. What I was wondering was if per my concerns about a clean signal through that from my guitar, I could help things by buying a product like this one to change my guitar signal to a mic-level XLR connection before routing it to the Scarlett box.

My amp doesn't have a DI output unfortunately... would something like this be good?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000KUA8G6/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1479535732&sr=8-3&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=active+di+box&dpPl=1&dpID=414veu%2B2FtL&ref=plSrch

There are ones that cost way more than this. My bass doesn't have active pickups so I probably shouldn't get an active di box rather than a passive one, right?

What do you think of a direct input like the Behringer? It's got great reviews.

[Something like this ?] (https://www.amazon.de/dp/B000KUA8G6/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_Gzb9AbC80P234)

Is this the only thing that you use for you setup, or do you also have an audio interface/DAC ?

You'd need to put something between the Theremin and the amplifier in the powered speaker to isolate them, and match the impedance of a line-level input. I'd suggest something like a DI, or Direct Inject, Box which is a piece of professional audio equipment meant to do just that.

If the venue has a mic jack like this, you want a DI box, and a dual 1/4" to TRS mini cable, and a short XLR cable. Venues often can supply these things since this is an extremely common request from clients renting spaces. Is it a community hall or a hotel ballroom or what kind of space is it? In community centres there is often only one or two people who even know the parts exists in inventory and the rest of the staff has no idea and might say they don't have it. Dig deeper. Also if you have musician friends like guitar or bass players, they may have the items you require to borrow.

A standard instrument cable is a quarter inch Tip-Sleeve Connection. It is an unbalanced cable. Which is fine for use with instruments obviously, but can lead to electrical interference, ground loops, and loss of signal over long lengths.
When you use a DI you want to use a balanced cable, basically a cable that is has a ground connection. The two most common kinds of balanced cables are XLR, and quarter inch TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve). TRS cables look almost identical to instrument cables.

This explains the difference: http://www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/articles/whats-the-difference-between-ts-and-trs-cables/

This is probably way more in depth than you'll ever need, but it is a good reference: http://www.sweetwater.com/insync/cable-buying-guide/

Edit: To Clarify, when I say DI I mean using a DI box like this http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-DI400P-BEHRINGER-ULTRA-DI/dp/B000KUA8G6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1417904828&sr=8-2&keywords=DI+box

If you are talking about just plugging your directly into an interface, an instrument cable will work just fine.

Maybe this is what you had in mind? 1/4" in / XLR out?

https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-Ultra-High-Performance-Passive-Injection/dp/B000KUA8G6

Hello, sorry to pick your brain again but I'm still having some issue here. My current set up is as follows: Roland Fantom X8 keyboard -> 1/4 inch cable (3ft) -> Behringer Passive DI Box -> XLR to TRRS Smartphone Adapter -> HTC Desire Eye . I confirmed that the XLR to TRRS adapter follows the CTIA standard which I understand should work with the HTC (Android) phone. I tried simply recording video with the phone's built in camera app, however the phone is only picking up ambient noise using its built in mic. I tried recording audio only using the phone's "voice recorder" tool, with the same result. When I test record my voice using a headset with in-line mic, I have no problems. So my guess is that there is still some issue with the XLR to TRRS adapter. Is there something that I'm missing?

Thanks for the insight, I have a couple additional questions because I'm so green on this haha. Would something like this do the trick? And then what cables/how would I connect the two.

Focusrite Scarlett Solo and Scarlett 2i2 (Link 1). On amazon for around a benjamen. I would also get a DI box like link 2 to be in front of the Scarlett. This setup is pretty cheap but more than capable of recording, or playing through a laptop at Church. THe scarlet has output on back. hope that helps. I have both of these, great value.

Link 1: https://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Audio-Interface-Tools/dp/B01E6T56CM/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1472744892&sr=1-3&keywords=scarlett+2i2

Link 2 : https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-DI400P-BEHRINGER-ULTRA-DI/dp/B000KUA8G6/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1472744729&sr=1-1&keywords=di+box

Basically you will need a couple of things:

• Some way to get sound from your bass to your computer. I'd recommend a DI. Some amps include them, or you can purchase one for not too much money (e.g. Behringer has a $20 one).
  
• Some way to get the audio into your computer. There are relatively cheap USB or Firewire audio interfaces out there. I have a Focusrite Saffire 6 that was under $200 and works well.
  
• Some software to record and process the audio. There are many options; Reaper is relatively cheap and free to try.
  
  All told you can probably spend less than $300 and have a solid setup for most things you would do.