Z-TONE DI

Take your guitar tracks to the next level

A whole new take on the DI box

Want to track guitars the way the pros do, with a new level of sound quality and powerful workflow? Look no further than the groundbreaking Z-TONE® DI.

Z-TONE DI combines the award-winning sound shaping from IK’s AXE I/O interface with the flexibility to record both processed and DI guitar tracks at the same time, as well as best-in-class sound quality. It takes any audio interface (or live mixer) to the next level using the same techniques in the studio as pros like Joe Satriani.

Key Features

Active/Passive pickup selector
PURE channel for transparent sound
JFET channel adds warmth & harmonics
Z-TONE variable impedance control creates
a wide range of tones
20 dB pad for extended operating range

Balanced & unbalanced outputs
Link out splits signal to amps & pedals
Ground lift switch eliminates buzz & hum
Rugged, stage-ready metal housing
Designed and made in Italy

A whole new way to record

Z-TONE DI lets you record two tracks simultaneously: the processed track coming from your amp and effects rig, and a direct track for post-processing using amp sims like the included AmpliTube 5 SE.

This way you can record with your real gear, and at the same time have maximum tone flexibility with a second track that you can process and fine-tune at will, without having to record countless takes.

Powerful tone shaping options

Z-TONE DI offers a high-quality instrument preamp with exceptionally low noise and wide frequency response, and multiple circuit topologies to adapt to any type of guitar, pick-up and style.

Pick your pickup:

PASSIVE: designed to accommodate everything from low-output vintage pickups to hotter modern humbuckers with ultra-low noise and extended frequency response.

ACTIVE: bypasses unnecessary gain stages when using active pick-ups, to keep your signal path as direct, transparent and clean as possible.

Choose your channel:

PURE: a completely transparent and ultra-accurate preamp circuit that won’t color your sound in any way.

JFET: a Class A JFET input buffer for subtle harmonic
enhancement, midrange focus and warmth.

Tone and feel like you’ve never heard

Guitar pickups can dramatically change their character depending on the impedance of your preamp. That’s why the tone and responsiveness of your guitar can change when plugging into different gear.

Z-TONE DI puts you in control, with the same variable impedance control as our award-winning AXE I/O audio interface. Dial in impedance from 1 MOhm to 2.2 kOhms to shape your sound In unique ways. At the maximum impedance, you’ll find your sound tighter, sharper and more precise. Increase the load and the sound becomes thicker and more bold.

You’ll quickly find yourself using this to give your guitars even more sonic character, dialing in sound that fits beautifully into the mix without the need for EQ.

Premium sound & build

Best of all, Z-TONE DI is designed to preserve the natural tone of your instrument. With exceptional 114 dB(A) dynamic range and extended 5 Hz - 30 kHz (+/- 1 dB) frequency response, , Z-TONE DI ensures every nuance and detail of your instrument is carefully maintained.

And Z-TONE DI is made in IK’s Modena factory and packed in a rugged metal housing for years of reliable performance.

Comprehensive options

Z-TONE DI offers a range of useful output options. The balanced XLR output offers a switchable ground lift, to eliminate noise and hum caused by ground loops, and an unbalanced ¼” output offers additional flexibility.

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Instrument input

Link output

Gain control

Pick-up selection

Patent pending Z-TONE impedance tonal control

Discrete JFET/PURE preamp selection

An optional 20 dB pad extends the useful range of the unit, letting you use instruments and sources aside from guitar & bass. Many keyboards, synths and more still benefit from Z-TONE’s unique PURE / JFET circuits and ground lift feature, for flexible routing and tone shaping.

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9V battery compartment

Unbalanced output

Balanced output

Ground lift

PAD -20dB

Z-TONE DI runs off a 9V battery for easy portability, but can also be powered by +48v phantom power from your mixer or interface to run longer sessions without worries!

See all the ways to use Z-TONE DI

Home studio

Live

Pro studio

Dual track, high end guitar/bass recording

High end guitar/bass direct recording in a home studio

High end guitar/bass amp+DI recording in a home studio

High-end guitar/bass direct recording in a pro studio

High end guitar/bass amp+DI recording in a pro studio

Live electric bass rig

Live electric bass rig with pedalboard

Elimination of ground-loops with USB instruments

Elimination of ground loop noise using laptops or tablets onstage

Includes AmpliTube 5 SE

Z-TONE DI comes with AmpliTube 5 SE, the hyper-realistic guitar and bass tone studio for Mac/PC that includes 77 models of must-have gear.

You can easily expand your sonic collection with IK’s range of additional amp and effect models – there are over 400 pieces to choose from, including officially licensed re-creations of gear from Fender®, Orange®, Mesa-Boogie® and other iconic gear manufacturers, as well as guitar legends like Slash, Joe Satriani, Jimi Hendrix and Dimebag Darrell, all available a la carte.

Bring Z-TONE to your pedalboard and more

Looking to level up your live rig? Check out Z-TONE Buffer Boost offering the same killer features in a convenient pedal format to upgrade your stomp & amp rig.

Or check out AXE I/O and AXE I/O SOLO, IK’s range of premium audio interfaces offering the same great tone-shaping features, and find out just how easy creating best-in-class guitar recordings can be.