huh well that's pretty cool.  would be neat to see more artists doing something like that :)
 
hmmmm your link got me thinking about something i read in passing.....i have 2 Boss distortion pedals
could i possibly use them to serve as this DI/preamp to plug into the behringer (bypassing the pedal effect for a clean tone)

Probably you can try those, but without using the effect then the volume just goes straight through, or at least mine does, it does not add volume until the effect is being used. So I doubt it would do much if anything at all.
 
After 4 years I never heard back from her to know what to do with it anyway, so a person can listen to it, that is about it (the version I did). (other versions from different people were put together as shown on her page and then could be bought at the time, being at least 4-5 years earlier.)
 
My volumes (on about anything except bass) is not all that loud either, but loud enough in the end. There's threads around here on that also - -6dB peaks maybe all the way down to -18dB to -15db for the actual RMS volume. Way less noise in digital than tape.
And again better equipment does a better job, and that is also why it costs more - maybe way more.
 
There is also these:
http://www.sweetwater.com/c665--Channel_Strips
which I have a couple of cheap Presonus ones to use for both a pre-amp, compression, and EQ, but all that can be done in a DAW also if needed at the end instead of at the beginning of the signal chain or with the mix in a DAW.
 
 
 

ahh good point.....i suppose i could try keeping the pedal engaged but just turning the distortion all the way down etc.
 
we'll see i'll surely update with whatever progress i make

A DI box is used on stage to convert your direct bass, keyboard, acoustic guitar hi impedance output into low impedance so it can be sent to the FOH and monitor system of a PA. There is also a pass though for the signal to carry on to your stage amp.
For electric guitar this sound would be very boring, so most always you would mike an amp. Radial makes a cool DI that goes on an amps speaker output that is great for eliminating the mike on stage. 
Other than wanting to record your dry ( boring) sound at the same time as an amp, there is not much use for a DI in a home studio. 
 
A pre Amp is what takes a signal and kicks it up to the next level. It is where the "tone and colour " come from in your system. Your guitar amp has a pre amp. If the line out is AFTER the pre amp then you'll get the colour. 

If the best guitar sound is from your amp, then there are ways to record it without being loud in your house. One way is to  use an extension cabinet and build a sound proof box or closet for it. 
 
ELectric guitar can be the hardest sound to capture without just the right set up. 
For most, this is a small amp , a SM 57 and a audio interface with a good XLR input and pre amp. 

the one thing i don't get here is what the "amp sim" really is
 
i know it's not the ideal etc. but isn't it a good enough goal to want a clean and strong signal going into my PC at which point the amp sim will color it as best as possible?
 
stuff like guitar rig and amplitube and all that....don't you just want a clean line in type signal because they are the virtual amp??
 
 

"amp sim" is what it is a simulated amp done through electronics.
Same way perhaps with modeling amps they have out now.
But some people only like tube amp sounds.
 
The way you record your guitar is the way you want it (or actually can do).
What you add before (or not) or add after (in the DAW) is your creative choice.
 
In my case, I use the equipment I have and try to make the best of it.
Perhaps best to have a sense of humor with some of it.