Looking for a Detailed Explanation of "Re-amping"

Pink Unicorn Horsey

Megä Pöny Rÿdr
I started hijacking another thread, so rather than do that, I thought it best to ask here:

What is "re-amping"? What are the benefits? When is it appropriate to use it? What are some tools that do it well?

Just splat on this thread whatever you know about it -- that is, whatever you know about it that you think would be of use and interest to me and others on the forum. :)

- Keith
 
Re: Looking for a Detailed Explanation of "Re-amping"

Well, say you are recording, if you use one amp to record using a mic, but you also use a DI box which bypasses the amp and records direct to disk, you can then use that direct recorded dry guitar signal from the desk out into another amp, and you can do this as many times as you want. Just putting the original signal that came straight from the guitar into another amp, from a DI recording.
 
Re: Looking for a Detailed Explanation of "Re-amping"

1) Record your CLEAN guitar signal direct to the board with a DI box.
2) Playback recored signal through a "re-amp" box into a guitar amp and record the result. (it conditions the recoreded signal to be compatible with a guitar amp imput.) Once you have a good take in step 1 you can then experiment with all kinds of different amp settings and the best part is, you can send the guitar player home 'cause you don't even need him for a while.
 
Re: Looking for a Detailed Explanation of "Re-amping"

Believe it or not...that 'Rock and Roll Animal' Lou Reed album was re-amped in the studio. It works great for live stuff if you have the tracks and the money to play with amps all day...
 
Re: Looking for a Detailed Explanation of "Re-amping"

The thing I wonder about it is that I know through different amps I play differently to achieve a certain effect. Some of it is speed, some is dynamics, but if I'm listening to myself play through a modified Blues Junior I'm going to play to the amp and its strengths and try and emphasize that. if you flew the same performance to a different amp I tend to think it wouldn't6 be as good because I'm catering the performance to something entirely different.
 
Re: Looking for a Detailed Explanation of "Re-amping"

As everyone else said, it's recording a DI track from the guitar, and playing it back through a reamp box (a reverse DI of sorts), back into the amp.

It allows you to nail performances perfectly and deal with getting the perfect tone later, as well as some other cool things like blending 2 different amp tones from one performance.

The thing I wonder about it is that I know through different amps I play differently to achieve a certain effect. Some of it is speed, some is dynamics, but if I'm listening to myself play through a modified Blues Junior I'm going to play to the amp and its strengths and try and emphasize that. if you flew the same performance to a different amp I tend to think it wouldn't6 be as good because I'm catering the performance to something entirely different.


That's the only real problem with reamping, one that I've been working on solving for myself.

If you're monitoring your playing through a POD, it's going to lack all kinds of feel and vibe a tube amp will offer - it's the quickest way of turning a Mesa or a Peavey into an overpriced POD.

But yes, you're playing will definitely change based on the amp, which is why it's best to monitor with the amp you'll use later, albeit maybe at a lower volume, or with a different tone than you may want on the final mix.

It's a lifesaver when you track through something only to realize that the tone sounds overgained and muddy when everything comes into play, or the texture is all wrong, or it doesn't gel with the rest of the mix.

The most obvious solution is just to track it with the ideal tone, but time and volume restraints often prevent this.
 
Re: Looking for a Detailed Explanation of "Re-amping"

I recently 're-amped' 1 of my guitar tracks on my bands new EP.

The studio we chose to record at is quite small and 'itimate', so all guitar parts were recorded direct as guides to be re-recorded at a later date.

It turns out that on 1 of the songs, the performance on the guide guitar track was exactly the 'feel' were were going for, so I decided to re-amp this guide guitar through to my Orange rig and record it that way.

It actually turned out very well tone wise, and the performance didn't suffer than if I tried to re-record the part with the same feel etc :)
 
Re: Looking for a Detailed Explanation of "Re-amping"

A good way to get over the feel problem would be to record one channel dry and the other with your amp. That way you get the best of both. You can play to the strengths of the amp, and you've still got a raw track in case anything extra were needed.
 
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