Starboard DI-Six: A Closer Look

Since we launched the pre-orders (in which the Super Early Bird sold out in no time!) there has been quite a few questions coming in about this new product of ours so we thought we would go beyond the product description and specs for a deeper delve into what it is all about!

Starboard DI-Six is a six-channel active DI designed around the practical requirements of working with individual string signals.

The starting point was SubSix, where each guitar string is available independently. That creates a lot of possibilities, but also a practical problem: once six separate signals leave the guitar, a conventional setup can quickly become large, cable-heavy and difficult to manage.

Starboard is designed to simplify that part of the system.

Rather than treating six-channel operation as six separate mono signal paths bundled together, it has been designed from the outset as a single six-channel device. The aim is not to reinvent the DI box, but to make this kind of routing compact, reliable and easy to integrate into live, studio and pedalboard setups.

Starboard has six conventional 1/4-inch inputs, alongside a dedicated direct connection for the SubSix system.

Each channel has its own balanced XLR output, allowing the six signals to be sent individually to a mixing desk, microphone preamps or an audio interface.

Alongside those are six independently buffered active line outputs.

That second set of outputs is an important part of the design. It means a clean six-channel signal can be sent directly to a console or recording system while the same six sources are simultaneously available for pedals, amplifiers or other processing.

For example, the XLR outputs could carry an untouched direct signal while the line outputs form the beginning of a separate effects path.

Those processed signals can then be fed into a second Starboard DI-Six and converted to another set of balanced XLR outputs. That makes more elaborate parallel rigs possible without needing a separate six-channel splitter system.

For spatial, multi-amp or heavily processed systems, that becomes particularly useful.

SubSix remains the reference source for Starboard and the system it is primarily being optimised around.

The objective is to provide the most straightforward route from six individually sensed guitar strings into the rest of a professional audio system, while preserving the flexibility that makes hexaphonic audio interesting in the first place.

The six conventional jack inputs also make Starboard useful beyond SubSix.

Other multi-output instruments are an obvious application, and there is potential for use with synthesisers and other electronic sources too.

Hotter line-level sources place different demands on the input stage, particularly in terms of maximum input level and available headroom, so we will confirm those limits once final production testing is complete rather than make broad compatibility claims in advance.

The electronics are a new design developed specifically for Starboard.

There is nothing intentionally exotic about the topology. The priorities are the things that matter in a utility device of this kind: appropriate impedance, low noise, good headroom, reliable balanced outputs and good isolation between channels.

The more unusual part of Starboard is not any single circuit trick, but the way six channels, parallel outputs and SubSix connectivity have been integrated into one compact system.

Development measurements are already looking very good, but we will publish final electrical specifications only once the production hardware has been fully tested and characterised.

The physical design has deliberately not been tied to one particular environment.

At approximately 246 x 75 x 40 mm (W x D x H), Starboard is narrow enough to fit comfortably into many pedalboard layouts while still accommodating a large number of connections.

The enclosure chassis is grounded, and shielding, grounding and PCB layout have all been considered with practical pedalboard placement and operation in mind.

At the same time, it works equally naturally as a compact studio or live DI beside an audio interface, on a desktop, or as part of a larger rack-based system.

The current weight is approximately 473 g. Both weight and dimensions remain subject to minor production changes.

There are already perfectly good ways to connect SubSix to a recording interface or mixing desk, including conventional DI boxes and multi-channel rack units.

Starboard is not intended to make those solutions obsolete.

What it does is remove much of the friction around a six-channel setup.

It reduces the footprint, simplifies the cabling, provides simultaneous balanced and buffered outputs, and makes more complex parallel routing much easier to build and understand.

That becomes increasingly important as a system grows beyond simply recording six strings independently and starts incorporating effects, multiple destinations, separate clean and processed paths, or more complex live and spatial routing.

The aim is to make those possibilities feel like a normal part of using the instrument rather than an engineering exercise.

The current plan is for Starboard DI-Six to begin shipping in December.

We will publish final production specifications once testing is complete, along with more detailed connectivity information and example setups.

The underlying goal remains simple: make working with six independent strings as straightforward and dependable as working with one.