just got my reamp box - a question!

[aviel]

just got my new reamp box. it's a palmer Dacaapo.

i made a few tests, basicly just plugged my guitar to the amp, played a bit, and then played through the the dacappo some DI's, some from the forum, and some that i recorded at the moment.

with my guitar i noticed a difference in the sound between my guitar "live" and my guitar reamped. the live is a little more "sharp" and cutting, less rounded. the reamped one has some less attack, a little less tight.

but my question is? is there any point in comparing those two? i mean, i run through a DI box and then a preamp. even if i had a 2000$ transparent di box, i still need the most transparent and not "tube sounding" preamp to preserve the tone a transparent as it is. so all those analog sounding preamps wont do any good in this case, only for micing, not for DI'ing. am i right?

currently i use the instrument input on my focusrite penta for tracking, it might be low endish, but again, the preamp has an effect too.

so can i compare live situation to reamp? or just accept that is another "vibe" of sound, depending on the rack i use?

*btw, the audio interface is rme multiface so i guess the AD/DA are good enough


thanks!

 

[deLuther]

Set your recording/reamping chain to unity gain by sending reamper output into instrument/DI box input.
Maybe there is some level drop. Try to set multiface analog ouput level to highest possible i.e. +19 dbu.
Better to set input and output levels of multiface to +19 dbu and then match level with preamp to get unity gain (i.e. output level equals incoming level) with loopback into DI box or instrument input of preamp.
There can be some slight difference even with matched gain.

 

[aviel]

Do you mean something like sending white noise to the reamper and tjen ibto thr di? and play with the di gain? or the reamper level?

 

[deLuther]

Better set reamper to maximum level and play with preamp gain alone, to reduce number of unknowns.
White noise or just sine signal (for example 1 kHz) will be fine, but with white noise you can see frequency response of entire chain, with sine signal you can check levels with multimeter.

 

[aviel]

i might miss understood you here, but if i set the reamper to max level, and connect it to the amp, i have too much level in the amp, much stronger then a regular guitar

 

[deLuther]

I did not know if Daccapo can output balanced signal 1 to 1, usually reampers does not amplify signal (maybe there can be some exceptions). Stock Radial ProRMP, for example, drops level by 11 db, modified ProRMP transfers signal almost 1 to 1. So if interface input level equal to output level, no amplification at preamp (unity gain) and reamper has unity gain, then you will have same signal as guitar.
Unity gain approach and interface with high levels also means that you will not overdrive converters, there will be enough headroom.