reamping - is it necessary with a DAW?

[flanneljammies]

OK, here's a dumb question... how should I go about reamping if I only have a soundcard with a -10 unbalanced RCA connection? I mean short of buying a new interface or a mixer with XLR outs?

[Jeff White]

A pod is absolutely not a replacement for a guitar amp in any manner, shape nor form... if its a demo you don't really care about then cool... but if you're trying to make something sound like there is anything even remotely resembling "depth" or "size" those boxes are a complete, total waste of time and money.

No Shit, that's why I said MONITOR THROUGH THEM, record the direct signal (pre-POD) to DAW, and then REAMP later. In my opinion this justifies the $60 version #1 pricetag, and $120 for two of them is most likely a less expensive and better solution to isolation than building tons of isolation walls, especially, if, like me, you end up piecing recordings together because you don't have an actual room and run remote sessions all over the place with a PowerBook.

I usually end up recording drums in my folks' 200 yr old barn (high ceilings, all wood, concrete floors), but there is no way that I can separate the sound of a guitar amp from my drum tracks in there and keep a band in that room together. Recording basic band performance tracks in this manner preserves the band performance and solves the isolation problem in one shot. ReAmping later allows you to separate the performance from getting a sound. It allows you to get the best guitar tone, use the best room, work on mic placement techniques, etc. Of course, you can still record an amp AND take a direct signal as well.

I have a Pod that I use for this function only (again, M...O...N...I...T...O...R...I...N...G... ONLY), as well as NI's GR and GR2 for MONITORING when recording gtr overdubs at 4am, etc. I'm all about printing direct guitar signals now, and I even take one when the guitarist/bass player wants to/insists on recording through an amp. ReAmping has changed the way I think about recording. It's logical and just makes sense. It also saves time.

Jeff

[mjau]

You're using a pod? That's so lame, man.

[Jeff White]

You're using a pod? That's so lame, man.

I know, sheesh, I feel like I just admitted that I used to have a mullet. I did, btw, back in 1989.



Jeff

[MoreSpaceEcho]

i did too.

don't tell anyone.

[meblumen]

OK, here's a dumb question... how should I go about reamping if I only have a soundcard with a -10 unbalanced RCA connection? I mean short of buying a new interface or a mixer with XLR outs?

Do you have any sort of mixer at all? I'm guessing no based on the question but if you do just use a 1/4 direct out, aux send, main out etc... Since I'm guessing you don't I would recommend either buying or making a RCA=>1/4 cable of some sort. I can't guarantee it will work but you could make one by hacking up a cheap stereo one you often find at best buy or radio shack for under $10 otherwise on the cheap see if hosa has anything. It will be a short-term solution at best but I have spent more money for less promising results. You could also try running the rca outputs into another device like a stereo receiver that has rca in's and either using the stereo's output to feed something else or just micing the speaker attached to the stereo.

I think sometimes people have this misconception that reamping involves sending a guitar/bass signal back out to a guitar/bass amp. That is one approach but I have recorded stuff played back through my main monitors, sent things out of pa systems in large rooms, used random speaker cabs for other instruments (included vocals) and of course there is always the snare drum trick. Really the possibilities are endless so try different things and then come back here and report your results.

[flanneljammies]

OK, here's a dumb question... how should I go about reamping if I only have a soundcard with a -10 unbalanced RCA connection? I mean short of buying a new interface or a mixer with XLR outs?

recommend either buying or making a RCA=>1/4 cable of some sort.

I've got that, but it's sitll line level going into an instrument input on an amp (yeah I've done plenty of recording drums through PAs). All the reamp units I've seen (including passive DIs) require a balanced +4 input and all but the Reamp MkII are XLR inputs.

[RefD]

Send output of POD(s) to DAW for monitoring ---> headphone amp.

I think he meant he was using the POD only for monitoring, and reamping the tracks through real amps for the final recording.

don't interrupt Fletcher while his knee is jerking.

[meblumen]

OK, here's a dumb question... how should I go about reamping if I only have a soundcard with a -10 unbalanced RCA connection? I mean short of buying a new interface or a mixer with XLR outs?

recommend either buying or making a RCA=>1/4 cable of some sort.

I've got that, but it's sitll line level going into an instrument input on an amp (yeah I've done plenty of recording drums through PAs). All the reamp units I've seen (including passive DIs) require a balanced +4 input and all but the Reamp MkII are XLR inputs.

I apologize but I don't think I understand what you are asking. Are you intending to purchase a reamp device but don't want to do so because they all have balanced xlr inputs and your soundcard only has unbalanced rca outs? If so you can use a rca=>xlr cable, it's the same principal as any balanced=>unbalanced cable. I can't promise you will always have the best results but it would probably work. An alternative would be to get something like the ebtech line shifter or something similiiar. Then you would run your soundcard into that and in turn you could run that into a reamp device. Ultimately, based on your current situation, if you want to be able to get a balanced +4 signal out of your converters you are going to have to buy/build something.

[inflatable]

I think he meant he was using the POD only for monitoring, and reamping the tracks through real amps for the final recording.

I have done the pod/DI reamp thing and it ended up taking at least twice as long while sounding worse than a straight up "live" take with amps blaring in the room. Get the sounds, and print them.

Unless you are recording in your bedroom, reamping is a a waste. There is something to be said about tracks that you can't alter later. It takes away decisions that you can put of forever, speeding the process. Cuz once you finish a track, you can start on another.

[Jeff White]

Unless you are recording in your bedroom, reamping is a a waste.

Really? I guess that my experience, being the opposite, is completely wrong.

I haven't let the lack of a proper live room discourage me from the possibility of making great recordings. Since I cannot afford to own a decent space or build a live room where I live, ReAmping makes the most sense.

Maybe you will agree that taking a dry track (as a safety) as well as just going for it and printing sounds gives you the most options in case of a great performance take of the full band but the accidental hitting of a pedal or something? To me, printing a dry track is a great safety net, regardless of Pods, overdubs, full band, etc. I like the options ReAmping allows.

Jeff

[meblumen]

Unless you are recording in your bedroom, reamping is a a waste.

Really? I guess that my experience, being the opposite, is completely wrong.

I haven't let the lack of a proper live room discourage me from the possibility of making great recordings. Since I cannot afford to own a decent space or build a live room where I live, ReAmping makes the most sense.

Maybe you will agree that taking a dry track (as a safety) as well as just going for it and printing sounds gives you the most options in case of a great performance take of the full band but the accidental hitting of a pedal or something? To me, printing a dry track is a great safety net, regardless of Pods, overdubs, full band, etc. I like the options ReAmping allows.

Jeff

I have to agree with Jeff. inflatable, I think you are making a pretty bold generalization. Everything is situation dependent. Sometimes it's nice to cut down on the amount of decisions you have to make during mixing by printing as much to tape and sometimes due to a time constraint you have no choice. However, when I know I have time, I like to have the option available. I will admitt I reamp guitars less than anything else but there have been times when either the song's direction wasn't solidified, I hated the guitarists tone, we didn't have the amp on hand, tracking live and couldn't set the amp up where we wanted etc... that have caused me to do some reamping and I'm not working in my bedroom.

[inflatable]

I reamp guitars less than anything else but there have been times when either the song's direction wasn't solidified, I hated the guitarists tone, we didn't have the amp on hand

That' why I attend the bands rehearsal to make sure everything is ready to go. Once we setup in the studio I want time to fly. I don't want to think about reamping later and all the associated crap that goes with it. If it sounds good in the CR, I print it, go home and enjoy a beer and some smoke. It really is not gunna matter at the end if the day. No one is going to hear it but you.

I like to work old school where if you screwed it up, you start over from scratch. Play the friggin song, all the way thru. If you can't do that, go practice more. I will edit together different takes, but I refuse to spend all day recording take after take of some song because the drummer keeps forgetting where the bridge comes in. I'm getting too old for that crap.

[RefD]

...if you screwed it up, you start over from scratch. Play the friggin song, all the way thru. If you can't do that, go practice more. I will edit together different takes, but I refuse to spend all day recording take after take of some song because the drummer keeps forgetting where the bridge comes in. I'm getting too old for that crap.

amen.