Reamping a preamp

[Tom-D]

Kinda nooby question but IDK if I understand the concept of reamping in this particular situation. I have a Peavey Rockmaster preamp that I like.
Just plugging it into the line in of my tone port and playing with a cab impulse.
Now, is it possible to record a DI signal that my friend sent me through the preamp without a reamp box ? Just telling my tone port to record itself and with the preamp in between. Or will I still need a reamp box ?

 

[Tom-D]

I was thinking of something like that:

Tone Port line input-> rockmaster input and then rockmaster line out->Tone Port input. Is it workable ? DK.

 

[AntonioPetrole]

I mean, the only way it could technically work is if you route the output on your track as an output on your tone port (if you can even do that with a tone port) and then into the rockmaster and back out.

Tone Port line ***output***-> rockmaster input and then rockmaster line out->Tone Port input

It would be less than desirable results, but more power to you if you can get it to sound okay

 

[RedDog]

http://www.diyrecordingequipment.com/4143/line2pre-re-preamp/
Oh wait I thought you meant.

Nevermind. I"m slightly confused, but from what it sounds like, you are still going to need a reamp box to attenuate the signal to instrument level to go back into the amp fx return.

 

[TRUIE]

Reamping into a guitar preamp is the same as reamping into a head.
So just route a line output from your Toneport (if available) toward the input of your guitar preamp, then plug the line output of the preamp to a Toneport line input.

The use of a reamp box is optionnal, I don't know the Toneport but you still can try and hear how it's going with line output straight into the preamp (you won't damage anything).

 

[deLuther]

Reamp box is needed to properly convert balanced signal to unbalanced signal without level loss and also for ground isolation.
I think with toneport output level will be weak, sometimes headphone output can do the job better than line output in case of getto-reamping.

 

[TRUIE]

A reamp box is not necessary at all if :
- you use an unbalanced jack into the (balanced?) line output of the Toneport.
- you set your levels properly and use a professional + 4 dBu line output to feed the amp

In theory, the only addition of a reamp box is the ground lift option.
Anyway, I'm not an "anti-reamp box" at all (I use a LL Redeye all the time), I'm just trying to answer the OP question : yes, you can reamp into a guitar preamp, just like you'll do with a head, and there's no problem at all with sending a line output of your interface into the input of your amp/preamp.

If the result is not satisfying (frequency loss, hum...etc), then the use of a reamp box will be a good option.

 

[Tom-D]

Thanks. Well there are no line outs per se in the Tone Port. There are analog outs that are used to connect the monitors. IDK if connecting it there would make sense ?

 

[RedDog]

A reamp box is not necessary at all if :
- you use an unbalanced jack into the (balanced?) line output of the Toneport.
- you set your levels properly and use a professional + 4 dBu line output to feed the amp

In theory, the only addition of a reamp box is the ground lift option.
Anyway, I'm not an "anti-reamp box" at all (I use a LL Redeye all the time), I'm just trying to answer the OP question : yes, you can reamp into a guitar preamp, just like you'll do with a head, and there's no problem at all with sending a line output of your interface into the input of your amp/preamp.

If the result is not satisfying (frequency loss, hum...etc), then the use of a reamp box will be a good option.

I'm disagreeing on this one. It isn't recommended to connect line level signals to an instrument input i.e. a high gain guitar amp for reasons of mismatched impedance, signal noise, and likely overly hot input level; aka shit signal. "In theory" a "reamp box" not only provides the ground lift, but "Converts impedance" from low-Z to Hi-Z and "isolates the grounds" between the two signals. You want the attentuation and the ground isolation, and especially the impedance matching so the amp "Sees" the signal just as it came from the pickups or in your case, amp head.

 

[deLuther]

If interface has balanced outputs, than with unbalanced connection you will have -6 db signal, unless you have impedance-balanced outputs, reamper not only provides ground isolation option and impedance matching from, say, 100 Ohm to 10 kOhm (or similar, depending on transformer), but also properly converts balanced to unbalanced without level loss (also depending on transformer).
For me main reasons to get reamp box are balanced to unbalanced conversion and ground isolation, from my experience impedance matching does not play significant role here.

 

[TRUIE]

In theory, there's no issue to plug a LoZ output (soundcard) into a HiZ Input (amp) because of the rule Zin > 10 x Zout, and you won't have any signal degradation doing it that way.
You have to use proper levels though, but if you run a -18 dB FS signal through a +4dBu line out feeding an amplifier input with an unbalanced guitar jack, still in theory, there's no technical issue in doing this.

EDIT : +1deLuther. I totally agree that a reamp box is useful and I use one myself.
But it's worth to try first without, depending on your soundcard, and hear if it works like that.

 

[deLuther]

Most issues I`m get while trying getto-reamping are level loss and ground problems, sometimes last issue can be fixed by ground lift on amps, if there is ground lift, level loss problem can be solved with some line preamp, for example I`m have mic/line/instrument preamplifer with impedance-balanced output, so I`m can use it as balanced to unbalanced converter without level change (or for amplification), but no ground isolation. In that case reamper is cheaper solution that solves most issues, but can not solve issues with weak interface outputs.

 

[Lintinanims]

Be careful, if I'm correct toneport is not load bearing on the input so there is risk of damaging your output transformer on the amp by doing so. It seems the safest, possibly cheaper route is to get a reamp box. However I could also be wrong, I don't know anything about your amo but some amps(My Line 6 Spider Valve has one) A line level cab sim headphone out, that would also work using the chain mentioned above.

 

[deLuther]

TS mentioned reamp with just guitar preamp, so it`s as safe as send or line output on any amplifier.

 

[TRUIE]

+1, I do it all the time with my Marshall JMP1 and Mesa V-Twin, the load thing is only valid when using a poweramp output, not when using a guitar preamp.
And this has nothing to do with the use or not of a reamp box.

 

[Lintinanims]

/hey you learn something new everyday!! I didn't know that!!

 

[Tom-D]

If you dont mind, I would also ask you guys about DI Boxes. I watched this video:



Does it mean that I would have to connect it through a unbalanced XLR cable with the rockmaster ? The IN is where the guitar goes, OUT goes to the line in of my Tone Port and XLR cable goes into the balanced line out of the RM. Is that correct ?

 

[Tom-D]

I think I messed it up. The guitar goes into the INput, the OUTput goes into the Input of the rockmaster. And the XLR goes to the mic preamp of the Tone Port. Now the question is: I would have to set the recording through this mc input. Will it work ? Cause I dont have the DI Box yet, dont want to waste money if its not compatible with the tone port ?