"Re-amping" without mics?

[YOUR KONG]

I've read a little about re-amping, but I'm new to all this recording stuff.

I just ordered a little Behringer tube pre-amp, and it occurred to me that I could use this for a little "re-amping" of my own. Say I have a .wav file of a drum loop I want to dirty up. Can I run a 1/4" out from my soundcard into my pre-amp, and then run a 1/4" of that back to my soundcard? Is that safe? Will running an out from my soundcard and then back in add lots fo noise? (not the tasty tube pre-amp kind of noise)

Thanks,
Clueless Joe

[les_chupacabra]

I'm a bit clueless about it too but it sounds like an impedance matching device to get stuff from line level into high impedance inputs like amps and stompboxes. Basically a DI box in reverse.

http://www.reamp.com

[YOUR KONG]

Yeah, that's the one I had seen advertised in Tapeop. I'm using keys, though...aren't keyboard 1/4 outs and headphones already "line level"?

[les_chupacabra]

Keyboards are line level, yeah.

The idea, as I understand it, would be to record something direct - guitar, keyboard, whatever - maybe late at night. Come back a couple days later - send audio from your DAW to an output, through a reamp, into a stompbox or guitar amp (something that's expecting a high impedance source - your soundcards output will be low imedance) - mic the amp up and record that. It should help you interface something like a Keyboard to a guitar amp or stompbox (maybe as an effect) too since the KB will be providing a low impedance output and the amp/stompbox will be expecting a high impedance input.

Mismatched impedance affects tone/volume and can affect the lifespan of your gear.

[les_chupacabra]

Check this out too - Little Labs Red Eye

http://www.littlelabs.com/redeye.html

[YOUR KONG]

I appreciate the replies, but that's not quite what I'm asking; I don't have any interest (for now) in "traditional" reamping. What I'm asking is, will running something my soundcard's 1/4 out to my tube pre-amp's in, and then back into my soundcard's in melt anything or add lots of unpleasant noise?

[les_chupacabra]

I suspect the level would be too hot for what a mic preamp is expecting so you'll probably find you're going to start distorting immediately - you'll probably want to trim the output all the way down and then slowly raise it. If your preamp has a mic/line switch - set it to line.

[touched1]

It'll be fine, just watch your levels. I've done this hundreds of times. As long as it is an actual mic/line preamp that you're using, and it's the last thing in the chain before going back to the computer.

For monitoring purposes, you may want to send the signal back to your board first, then use an aux send to get the signal to the computer. I always mute the input track on the computer when I'm doing this to minimize confusion.

I use a Joe Meek Pre, it has two outputs, so one goes to the board for monitoring, the other directly to the computer input, so there's no additional coloration by the board.

[YOUR KONG]

Thanks!!

[cassembler]

Gear like Beringhers are MADE for experimenting....

[dynomike]

Keyboards are line level, yeah.

Keyboards are theoretically instrument level I think, like guitars, only hotter.
Not a true line level I don't believe? I dunno.

But yeah, if your behringer pre has line-ins that would be better. But putting a passive-di (backwards) to turn your drum loop back into a mic-level signal would be good. You'll get some a/d, d/a converter noise, but it's probably negligable compared to the noise you'd get from the preamp.

mike

[/quote]

[touched1]

Or you could just connect everything and start twisting knobs and flipping buttons till it sounds good.

Don't fear noise. By today's standards, unless your card is really crap, you'd have to do quite a few bounces before it becomes a problem.and from what you're saying, noise is what you're after anyway.