reamping?

[PT]

I find myself with limited time these days. As a result, it's taking forever to complete these three songs my band is working on. So I'm interested in reamping, as I see that it could be a way to save time in the future.

But I'm concerned about tone...

If I record direct, then reamp, will my tracks still retain the characteristic sound of my various guitars? Will a reamped track sound like a Tele, a 335, or a Strat? Or do reamped tracks tend to sound like they were recorded with a "general" electric guitar.

To boil it down, how different does a reamped direct track of a guitar sound compared to that same guitar straight into the amp?

I rely on the different tones of my guitars to build up tracks that sit well with each other. My fear is that all the reamped guitar tracks would sound too similar, making mixing more difficult.

[A.David.MacKinnon]

Generally what goes in is what comes out. A tele sounds like a tele etc etc. The only variable is how hot the signal is going from tape (or computer) to the amp. You'll also need a re-amp box of some kind. Do a search. There's a very easy and cheap to build reamp schematic floating around on the net.

[Jeff White]

I believe that as long as your analog front end for direct recording is good, you're going to keep your individual gtrs personalities. I just started reamping and can tell the difference between the Epi Sheraton and Fender Tele tracks that were recorded direct and then reamped through a 1976 Fender Twin Reverb.

I use a Burr-Brown modded Presonus MP20 as my DI for Gtr, both into the computer for recording the direct guitar as well as the reamped signal.

My Reamp box is a Radial X-Amp.

Jeff

[pk]

Lots of good info here: http://reamp.com/

[Brian Brock]

The Millennia TD-1 has two different reamp outs, one with a Strat sound, one a Les Paul - I would guess that it mimics impedance and timbre but idunno.

[Al_Huero]

The only downside to reamping guitar in my experience is that you lose some of the natural sustain between guitar and amp.

[sonikbliss]

The only downside to reamping guitar in my experience is that you lose some of the natural sustain between guitar and amp.

That, and since every amp reacts differently to the gtr and how you play (or maybe it could be said that you react differently depending on what you're hearing), you can lose some of the nuances of the performance when you try other amps or settings. For example, if you play through a really aggresive amp while you're tracking the DI, you may lay off a little bit, but when you you reamp that signal through a less aggresive amp you may wish that you had played a little more aggresively. Overall though I would say reamping is a great tool and you can get some great results with it.

[curtiswyant]

I could only see myself using a reamp because of time/budget/gear constraints. I "play" the amp just as much as the guitar, especially if we're talking an almost-breaking-up old tube amp

[tommy]

How would reamping a direct guitar signal save you time? Wouldnt it take more time to play the part then reamp it as opposed to playing the part through an amp and it being good to go?

[BobbyRay]

It could save time by- being able to sample different tones quickly.

Sometimes I would like to hear different tones than the one I recorded, like if I recorded the guitar too clean or too overdriven. Sometimes im just not sure what kind of sound would be just right for the song, untill I start putting all the rest of the overdubs on. Besides that I think being able to compare tones and experiment quickly is just fun in general. Im the kind of person who like to know all my options, I guess its how im wired.

[PT]

How would reamping a direct guitar signal save you time? Wouldnt it take more time to play the part then reamp it as opposed to playing the part through an amp and it being good to go?

For my personal situation, I don't have a permanent recording studio set up. I have to drive, set up, record, tear down, drive again. I got a wife, a baby, a job. If I could track direct at night, focusing on getting the arrangement and performance down, I could save a lot of time when I finally do get to set up the computer, preamps, mics, etc. I could focus solely on getting sounds.

Basically, I have the time to play the parts for an hour or two at night while the baby is asleep, recording direct. But I don't have a lot of time to play the parts AND have all my recording gear set up in a studio ready to go.