Reamp without reamp box?

[digitaldeath]

Hey guys,
Quick question...
I've an M-Audio Fast Track Pro which I want to use to reamp.

Outputs 1 & 2 are TRS and outputs 3 & 4 are RCA.

From looking at the Fast Track Pro manual it seems that outputs 1 & 2 are the same as the headphone out.

Can I just run an cable (RCA-to-TRS cable) from outputs 3 & 4 (seeing as these outs are somewhat independent from the rest) into a tubescreamer and into my amp or should I really be buying a reamp box?
I also have a Countryman DI (using DIs in reverse) but I hear that only works best with passive DIs.

What way do I need to set this up in my DAW?

Thanks in advance.

 

[deLuther]

Active DIs don`t work in reverse, only passive ones, active just don`t work at all.

 

[digitaldeath]

Active DIs don`t work in reverse, only passive ones, active just don`t work at all.

Understood, but I know there's people here who reamp without using a reamp box. Would this work: Fast Track Pro outputs 3 &4 -> RCA-to-TRS -> tubescreamer -> 6505?
I know there's bound to be an impedence mismatch, but from some reamps I've heard, it won't make a huge difference!

 

[akbeda]

i got an 10€ millenium di bought @ thomann and use it reverse.
works fine for reamping but can´t compare to others besides the zdirect from art which is noisy as hell in that case.

 

[digitaldeath]

I've a cheap ass passive DI here too, but I honestly think that it'd just destroy the signal.
I hope to pick an RCA-to-TRS cable tomorrow, hope it all works.
I'll report back...

 

[Wolfeman]

Wait, you are going to go from 2 rca outputs into 1 trs? Don't even bother. When you plug that TRS into your boost it's only going to get the tip signal anyway.

EDIT- And now that I think about it, you cause even more issues since the input on the pedal will be a TRS jack wanting a mono plug. If you plug a TRS cable on there coming from 2 rca plugs, you would be trying to send a ground to the ring on the plug which is actually carrying signal from one of those RCAs.

 

[digitaldeath]

Wait, you are going to go from 2 rca outputs into 1 trs? Don't even bother. When you plug that TRS into your boost it's only going to get the tip signal anyway.

EDIT- And now that I think about it, you cause even more issues since the input on the pedal will be a TRS jack wanting a mono plug. If you plug a TRS cable on there coming from 2 rca plugs, you would be trying to send a ground to the ring on the plug which is actually carrying signal from one of those RCAs.

Yeah, I read somewhere lastnight that I actually needed a TS (not TRS) going into the Tubescreamer because it's an unbalanced signal.
I picked up a RCA-to-TS cable today. I has a black and red RCA on one end and black and red TS connections on the other end.
I plugged one of the RCAs into output 3, and it's corresponding end into my Tubescreamer.
So my chain was Output 3 -> TS -> 6505 -> Hotplate -> Hotplate line out -> Line in (interface). I used Recabinet for the cab side of things.

I reamped the Rose of Sharyn DIs that have been around here forever.
In retrospect I could have used more pre-gain on the amp (first time using my 6505) but I don't think it came out too bad...

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/14373373/RoseOfSharynReamp.mp3

Opinions?

 

[digitaldeath]

Grrr...I get feedback when I drive the pre-gain, also have to have the Tubescreamer driven hard.
Should I be trying to use the balanced TRS outputs instead?

 

[digitaldeath]

SOLVED!

Either the line-out on the Hotplate is shite, or I really needed to ground the signal...either way, here's how I did it.

M-Audio Fast Track Pro Output 3 (RCA) to TS -> Tubescreamer -> 6505 -> Countryman Type 85 DI (AMP in) -> run another cable from the Countryman Type 85 DI (INST in) -> Hotplate (input).
Then Countryman Mic Output -> Fast Track Pro line input. Ground is on and set the input switch to "Speaker" as it's a huge pad designed for taking large signals.

The Countryman splits the signal from the amp (much like how you'd simultaneously track a DI track and a miked cab). Since the AMP and INST inputs are paralleled, you can plug the amp into either input of the Countryman and connect a load (cab or Hotplate) to the other input. The normal DI output goes to the interface (I enabled phantom power to power the Countryman).
I'm still getting powertube saturation since I'm splitting the cab output which is very nice and the Hotplate is being used to replace a cab.

I'll try to repost a reamp test tomorrow.

 

[TheWinterSnow]

SOLVED!

Either the line-out on the Hotplate is shite, or I really needed to ground the signal...either way, here's how I did it.

M-Audio Fast Track Pro Output 3 (RCA) to TS -> Tubescreamer -> 6505 -> Countryman Type 85 DI (AMP in) -> run another cable from the Countryman Type 85 DI (INST in) -> Hotplate (input).
Then Countryman Mic Output -> Fast Track Pro line input. Ground is on and set the input switch to "Speaker" as it's a huge pad designed for taking large signals.

The Countryman splits the signal from the amp (much like how you'd simultaneously track a DI track and a miked cab). Since the AMP and INST inputs are paralleled, you can plug the amp into either input of the Countryman and connect a load (cab or Hotplate) to the other input. The normal DI output goes to the interface (I enabled phantom power to power the Countryman).
I'm still getting powertube saturation since I'm splitting the cab output which is very nice and the Hotplate is being used to replace a cab.

I'll try to repost a reamp test tomorrow.

The only reason Reamp boxes are really needed (as opposed to DI which can affect actual tone and are needed for impedance bridging) is to decouple DC. The transformer is used to couple the actual AC signal but nothing else, eliminating feedback/noise.

Your signal should be:

Interface -> Reamp Box -> Amp -> Hotplate -> Interface.

Or

Interface -> Reamp Box -> Amp -> DI -> Hotplate w/ DI mic out to interface.

Regardless a coupling transformer is needed between the interface to amp.

 

[digitaldeath]

Cheers dude, but I'd rather not buy a reamp box for now. I'll try out my setup with my Krank tomorrow and see if I get just as good results as I do with the 6505.

 

[TheWinterSnow]

Hell man you could buy a 1:1 small signal transformer and make one yourself. As long as the bandwidth is 20-20KHz it would suffice as the transformer is just coupling the amp from the interface, no need for an expensive reamp box, its the DI boxes you have to worry about in terms of coloration/quality.