Problem with re-amping?

[zilla]

I've been fooling around with this all day and I'm ready to give up with re-amping.

one last shot to figure this out.. hopefully someone here can help.

interface is am m-audio fast track pro.
daw is reaper.

i've tried plugging my guitar straight into the FTP and also using a passive DI box ART Pro Audio

i get my DI signal in reaper.

I try running guitar rig 5 with it. sounds "ok".

Now to the re-amping part.

I;ve tried going straight from the TRS output 1 on the back of the FTP straight into my mesa. i've also tried hooking the DI box backwards and into the mesa.

if i don't touch the sliders in reaper, what i hear from the amp sounds like shit.

crank the sliders up to max and i get a nice saturated sound, but the problem is that it sounds like shit compared to plugging my guitar into the amp.

it kind of sounds like all of the bite and the articulation of the guitar is gone. it almost sounds flubby and mushy and there is almost no bass at all.

No, there is no EQ or fx being applied to the raw DI track.

I am only assuming that this is because i'm not getting the signal output in reaper to match what the guitar's output it when it hits the front of the amp?

Can anyone give me some pointers for getting this st up?

Thanks

 

[Narrillnezzurh]

I'd assume it's because the output on the back of your interface is line level, not instrument level. Line level signals are way too hot for a traditional amp, which would explain the mushy, saturated tone you're getting.

To be perfectly honest, I have no idea how you'd go about getting the DI out to an instrument level signal and back into your amp. I've only worked with plugins

 

[zilla]

the DI box has two 20 dB pads on it, so I can bring it down to instrument level.

 

[TheDepthsWillRise]

You're going to want to use something like the Radial Xamp. It takes a line level signal in and gives you instrument level outs.

 

[Winspear]

You're going to want to use something like the Radial Xamp. It takes a line level signal in and gives you instrument level outs.

But it's still possible most of the time with a line level signal. Try running said signal back into the input that your guitar is plugged into on the interface to check the level in comparison to the DI guitar. Get the output level adjusted so that they are the same.

Then see where things are at. The need for reamp box is more typically to do with noise - you should get close without.

 

[greglecompte]

the reamp box is to match impedance so the amp reacts like a guitar is plugged in and that sounds like your problem

 

[jsaudio]

Alright this is gonna sound crazy but I had a really respected engineer tell me to try this...

Export your DIs centered and in Mono. Put them on your iPod. You need a 1/8" to 1/4" converter. Then just run a cable from the iPod to the amp. I swear to god this works I've tried it give it a shot lol

This is a last option in case you can't figure your current situation out

 

[Narrillnezzurh]

Err... what?

 

[jsaudio]

Basically just export your DIs onto your ipod, then run the ipod output to the input of your amp, you'll laugh when it works perfectly, i know i did lol

 

[Narrillnezzurh]

I understood what you said, I was more balking at the thought of it. There's so much quality loss in that signal path, let alone tonal alteration, that I wouldn't even consider it a viable last resort.

 

[jsaudio]

Yea those were my thoughts exactly, I thought there would be no way it would work and sound good, but it actually does. I wouldnt have tried it if it weren't for the person who told me to do it. Cuz they said they have done it as a last option before.

 

[Winspear]

Meh I don't think it would make much difference (but can ipods even play WAVs? If not then no way.) but I'd rather rely on the D/A conversion of my interface.

Your basic point is that many people make the mono mistake. Easy enough to fix in the DAW rather than resorting to an ipod. Make sure your DI is going out in Mono out of a single output, otherwise you are only reamping half of it.

 

[zilla]

Pretty sure that it was mono, but I will double check.