Acme Audio / Motown D.I. WB-3

This passive direct box from Acme Audio faithfully reproduces the transformers used in D.I.s, providing the same tone as in the 1960s.

■ Direct Box
■ Passive Type

■ Introduction
Inspired by the famous direct box that was used in every Motown recording of the 1960s and '70s, ACME AUDIO's ""Motown D.I. WB-3"" was born. It faithfully reproduces the transformer used in the original D.I., reviving the original sound unaffected by the 1960s. After 35 years, Acme Audio has been working to revive the Motown sound, searching for the original engineers who manufactured the transformer that was at the heart of this original sound.
The resulting Motown D.I. WB-3 uses the same components as the original D.I., boasting the same sonic character and specifications, and featuring a pure sonic image not found in other direct boxes. The Motown D.I. is manufactured in Detroit, the birthplace of Motown.

■ How to Use
The Motown D.I. WB-3 is designed to replicate the way the output signal was connected to a mixer or preamp in the 1960s and 1970s. Since a microphone preamp was connected after the D.I., the output level of the Motown D.I. is adjusted to match the input level of the microphone preamp.

Specifically, an output of approximately 0 dB is obtained when the microphone preamp gain is set to approximately 20-40 dB.

Line input preamps do not provide sufficient gain, so be sure to use the microphone input.

Motown used consoles such as the ALTEC 1567A, 1566, or ALTEC 250, and the Motown D.I. WB-3 was designed with the assumption that a microphone preamp or console would be connected after it. If you want to recapture the sound of that era, try connecting it to one of these consoles or preamps. This truly brings back the authentic Motown sound.

Shifting the switch to the ATTN. position will further reduce the gain by approximately 20 to 40 dB.