What do I gain with a reamping device?

[Shellacattack]

My current way of reamping myself is to use a Boss DD6 to split my signal, one portion of the signal goes to an amp (just to hear myself) and the other portion goes into the DI of my Sebatron pre, then into PT. Once the track is recorded, I send the DI'd track to one of the outputs of my Delta 1010 and into a guitar pedal, then into my amp for retracking/reamping.

I've never used an actual reamp box before, but based solely on what I've reamped using the method above, it doesn't seem like I'm missing much. The reamped signal seems pretty true to the original source, but I do wonder if perhaps I'm limiting the fidelity of the signal by using this method.

Can anyone comment on if they've found certain reamp boxes that significantly improve the quality of their reamped signal?

Thanks!

[vvv]

Strikes me that if the way you are doing it sounds like you are playing it, the pedal is helping and you are aiight.

That said, there's a thread here ...

[ashcat_lt]

Strikes me that if the way you are doing it sounds like you are playing it, the pedal is helping and you are aiight.

That said, there's a thread here ...

uhhh... That thread doesn't really say much abouts why the thing is necessary. I did notice, however, that you used the term dbu a couple times to describe differences in signal levels and attenuation amounts. FYI, in those cases it's ok, possibly even more correct, to just say db. db is a way of expressing the ratio of two values, and is the same no matter what scale you're working with. Not trying to call you out or anything, just trying to help.

OP - the only time a reamp boxes is necessary is when there are problems with the straight wire approach that you can't get around easily in other ways. If you're happy with what you're getting, save your bucks for something more fun.

[losthighway]

Yeah, it really is a way of covering your butt to make sure that the impedance is just right. Many of them give you a passive gain pot so you can fire up the signal and slowly creep up how much you're feeding to the amp when you're in the room with it to decide how hard to hit it. Some people might need the assurance that if you're reamping a DI bass that it's going to hit the amp as close to identical as the way the bass plugged in live would. This device would help those people relax.

That said, sometimes an impedance mismatch is the key to some of the weird things you're looking to get out of reamping in the first place: squash, distortion, weird gain staging, funky sounding eq curves coming out of signal chain etc. etc.

[wardshorsehead]

I use one, but my needs might be different than yours.

I have some funky old amps (octal preamp tubes) that don't like a very hot input. The reamp box allows me to feed it at full line level (no fidelity loss), and thus feed the amp at a correct level and impedance.

I also tend to use a standalone Fender reverb tank or a tape echo as a send fairly often, and the reamp helps me keep the correct level and impedance.

It all depends on what you are trying to acheive. if your system makes you happy, no harm, no foul.

At 24 bits, it's not like trimming the output from your interface is going to be a lo-fi exercise, so I wouldn't sweat it too much. For me, the issue was more on the receiving end, and my gear didn't like the level or impedance mismatch.

YMMV.

[I'm Painting Again]

I use one to feed from a good mic pre and match the instrument level input on the space echo..it just sounds better going in there than the mic input..

it's certainly not going to make or break a record..