Improve my reamping quality

[Diego Rugiero]

Hi guys, I'm doing reampings with my Digi 003 thru Radial X-Amp. I'm thinking in add a better AD/DA (something like the Apogee Rosetta 200) to send my DI tracks with better conversion and avoid the Digi conversion.

I'm recording the DI tracks with my Radial J48 Active DI box into RME Octamic II via adat to the Digi.

What do you think? thanks in advance.

 

[PD-Baraka]

Burl Audio Converter and Creation Audio Labs MW1 and you are done.

 

[Diego Rugiero]

Thanks, sounds great, but I don't want to replace my Radial DI and X-Amp, I'm fine with them. My idea is send a better signal conversion to the X-Amp. I understand DA converters are for monitoring, but could be possible use it this way?

 

[Trevoire520]

I would suggest seeing if you can borrow something with a higher quality DA/AD before committing to buying something. I'm not sure how bad the converters in the 002 are but I'm unsure if upgrading converters will give you a significant leap in quality unless the 002's converters are REALLY bad.

 

[Mago]

You might want to try first how the level of the X-Amp affects the reamp.
I had to crank it to full level to get a decent signal, even when using balanced cables and maxed output on my interface.
After a lot of try and error I found out, that at least the X-Amp I use colors the reamp a LOT if you go past 2/3 of the way.

 

[Diego Rugiero]

I crank the X-Amp level to max always. I record my DI tracks to peak -3dbFS at max and then reamp. I get a similar tone, but I discover the lift button in the X-Amp changes the tone. I did a track with lift out and sounds more open. When I engage the lift I hear a little "cardboard" sound (in the 500 hz zone). Now I'm testing Slate VCC with gain to max (level at 0) and Neve settings in the DI track (I send the DI track with the Slate VCC to the X-Amp). That seems to add an extra life to the track. Anyway, my idea was preserve the chain quality adding a better converter and see what happens.

 

[Scott C.]

The apogee stuff(mini me/rosetta/adx) is a big improvement over the 003 converters. I would skip the rosetta 200 though and get the 800. used it's not much more expensive and gives you 8ins and 8outs so it not only would give you a better reamp chain but a better monitoring path too.

also syncing to the apogee as a master clock will sound better than the oo3.

 

[Diego Rugiero]

Thanks Scott. I already have an RME Octamic II (I use it thru adat connection so I can't add more channels via adat). I'm looking for something via spdif connection.

 

[Mago]

I crank the X-Amp level to max always. I record my DI tracks to peak -3dbFS at max and then reamp. I get a similar tone, but I discover the lift button in the X-Amp changes the tone. I did a track with lift out and sounds more open. When I engage the lift I hear a little "cardboard" sound (in the 500 hz zone). Now I'm testing Slate VCC with gain to max (level at 0) and Neve settings in the DI track (I send the DI track with the Slate VCC to the X-Amp). That seems to add an extra life to the track. Anyway, my idea was preserve the chain quality adding a better converter and see what happens.

yeah well...before you do that I''d try to NOT crank the output to the max, see if it fixes that for you.

And...you know what the lift button is for...right?

 

[Drummerrrrr?]

IMO, converters would be the last thing in your signal chain I'd look at.

 

[deLuther]

IMO, converters would be the last thing in your signal chain I'd look at.

Completely disagree, difference in noise between top converters and pre-top can be more than 6 db, i.e. noise will be much more prominent after reamping.

 

[Diego Rugiero]

yeah well...before you do that I''d try to NOT crank the output to the max, see if it fixes that for you.

And...you know what the lift button is for...right?

I have an studio man, of course I know the lift function... try for yourself and you'll find a difference in tone with lift engaged.

I'll try adjusting the X-Amp level, thanks.

 

[Trevoire520]

Completely disagree, difference in noise between top converters and pre-top can be more than 6 db, i.e. noise will be much more prominent after reamping.

I would have thought the noise floor of a screaming high gain amp would be so much that a 6dB change in noise floor (still something like -100dB) from the interface would make no difference in practical terms? Chain only being as strong as the weakest link and all that?

 

[deLuther]

More input noise = more output noise, even with noisy amp, things just becomes worse
For example I`m have interface with loopback noise floor (output to input) around -106 db and other interface with -117 floor, difference in noise with same amp setup becomes obvious, guitar straight from instrument preamp and reamper (analog split) gives slightly less noise than reamping with my best interface.
Of course, better to get rid of noisy amp first to improve overall result

 

[Mago]

I have an studio man, of course I know the lift function... try for yourself and you'll find a difference in tone with lift engaged.

I'll try adjusting the X-Amp level, thanks.

Yeah, no offense man, it's some people having a 'studio' seem to have missed some basic principles, that's why I asked.
If you're not talking about any ground-humming issues, then no, I don't hear a difference with the lift button, honestly.

 

[Zombietakeover]

Your recording your DI's way to hot.