Guitar tracks: amped vs. DI

[Arsenu,]

hi guys!

iv'e noticed that when i'm tracking my DI track (after virtual amplification) always sounds cleaner and much better than the amped track in general.
the amped track always needs a gate and the gate onle silences the braeks between playing so the actual sound remains dirty even when the amp's gain is only about half way through (5-6)

am i the only one getting much better DI tracks? and if not do you have any tips for clarifieng the sound without destroying it?

by the when i'm recording at unity gain (about -18 dbfs) so it's not digital distortion...

 

[El_Gato]

I don't get it. Do you mean amped vs re-amped? amped vs sim (as you mention virtual amp)?

 

[Arsenu,]

yes that's what i meant... (point is that the re-amped track is recorded direct and chained through a sim...)

 

[El_Gato]

Could be due to several factors: impedance, conversion, cables, reamp box... but if you like your reamps better why don't you simply stick to it?

BTW, gain should be 1-3, half way is too much so the noise. Furthermore, hi-gain amps always make noise that is, of course, noticeable in the breaks/silences and it's solved by automation.

I think your reamps are somehow attenuating your gain excess so you like them better. Try tracking guit->amp with gain at 1-2 and try this in the mix.

 

[DanLights]

that probably means you're not good at recording amp sounds, or simply have a bad amp in a badly treated room, recorded with a badly positioned bad mic. In those cases, of course and amp sim will sound better and "cleaner"

 

[Arsenu,]

actually i plug the amp directly to the sound card so the room and mic are not an issue, so it's probably the gain thing.

are you sure that 1-2 gain is enough? that's hardly any gain at all... almost like a clean tone!
is this a common method or is it just El Gato?

 

[Sickan]

You need a reamp box.

 

[DanLights]

what? so when do you "amp" or "reamp"? whenever you do that, you ARE mic'ing a cab right?

 

[Fama]

actually i plug the amp directly to the sound card so the room and mic are not an issue, so it's probably the gain thing.

are you sure that 1-2 gain is enough? that's hardly any gain at all... almost like a clean tone!
is this a common method or is it just El Gato?

Use as much gain as you need, it depends on the amp.

 

[Arsenu,]

to me 5-6 sounds right, tough i tried 1-2 and it's still ok, maybe ut's better to record on 1-2 gain and add a booster while mixing...

and no, i'm not micing anything. i only have sm58 and no-good room acoustics so i prefer not to mic.
hence my chain:
guitar-->DI box-1-->sound card
-2--> amp-->sound card

no mic. just amped track and DI track which is totally clean.

 

[DanLights]

So what are you trying to say then? That the clean DI track sounds cleaner than the distorted ampsim track? Do you realize the transcendence of your conclusion? Or am I still getting it wrong?

 

[Sickan]

He isn't using a reampbox, that's the problem.

 

[Arsenu,]

i'm saying both tracks are fondementaly the same besides the amped track which goes through a RAEL amp (not a sim) and yet the REAL amp seems to produce a much more dirty, unclean sound comapred to the DI track after it's amped using a sim (the guitar signal both tracks are recieving is the same, yet the sim amp sounds much clearer)

hope i made myself clear this time...

and what the fuck is a reamp box?

 

[Auroras]

*facepalm*

 

[SimonTaddio_Qc]

Please tell me you are not plugging the Line out of your amp in your soundcard...you'd have to use an impulse in that case, plus you'd be better off plugging in the Fx Send

hope i made myself clear this time...

and what the fuck is a reamp box??

And this is SO sigged for me, thanks


EDIT: On a constructive note, I will add go look HERE

 

[Arsenu,]

yeah i read that thread a couple of times already...

funny thing is iv'e got that berhinger shit it says you should avoid...
i have been wondering if this cheapass box is responsable for the noise but
i bought it cause since i coulden't find any DI box who has 2 outputs at a reasonable price

by the way i know what's a DI box just never heard anyone referring to it as a reamp box and thought there's a difference...

can anyone reccomand on a good, low-noise DI box?

 

[DanLights]

Well you already proved you are COMPLETELY lost (not meant as an offense, but the fact is clear), and if after reading the reamping thread you still are lost, I don't know how to help you.

You are obviously misusing the term "reamping". Reamping IS to record the sound of a previously recoded guitar track through an amp THROUGH A CABINET WITH A MICROPHONE. Whatever the he'll it is you're doing is NOT reamping and that's where the main confusion comes from.

Now, please explain EXACTLY what you are doing, because honestly I'm not clear yet

 

[Arsenu,]

well it's not that comlicated,
i connect my guitar to a DI box (that shitty berhinger) which splits the signal into 2 outputs:
one i connect directly to the sound card and use a sim on my DAW
the second output i connect to my amp's input and the amp's output goes directly to my sound card (could have mic'd it instead, put connecting the amp dirctly to the sound card helps me avoid bad room acoustics)

i don't have a REAL amp i can reamp through which is really worth the trouble so instead i basically record one track as if it's a regular guitar-->amp-->sound card chain and the other is basically guitar-->DAW-->sim

and i have to say i'm quite pleased with the results...

 

[DanLights]

Ok in that case you aren't reamping at all, you are simply recording, therefore you do not need a reamp box for that. Well, as someone said above, if you are recording the line out (or fx loop send) of your amp/head, you need to use impulses afterwards cause otherwise it simply sounds like shit.

Oh and every DI box has two outputs for you to do that, the "through" which should go the amp (cause it is not changing the level of the guitar signal) and the Di output which is an XLR connection, the one you plug into the mic preamp of your interface

 

[SimonTaddio_Qc]

Now things are getting clearer.
Altough I will not remove my new sig, I will now redirect you to THIS read.

Aside from the Beringher's DI quality we all love, I think the only think you need to get a decent tone is an impulse loader and a good set of impulse. You can check GH's impulses for a starter.