Reamping and sync-ing the result

[LeSedna]

Hello,

I had a question coming to my mind yesterday. For you all guys reamping through real cabs, how do you process to bounce the result track and be sure it's as long as the DI track, and that there is no delay ? I mean, how do you do to avoid manual editing so that you can send back or use a track that just has to be put to the beginning of the project to be in good timing ?

I was thinking about that because of the fact that the sound has to be produced before to be recorded, even if all the process is quick...

Anyway is there somewhere I can read about the reamping process, I mean, not the "how to prepare your tracks for reamping" FAQ thread that deals about the recording process ?

 

[Force666]

The general consensus would be unless you can *HEAR* the tracks being off-time or out-of-phase, don't worry about it. If you do notice something then just slide the track back. Only takes a second or two.

 

[LeSedna]

so basically you route it so that it records to a new track, play the whole song, and see if it needs editing ? OK I thought there was some trick !

 

[ahjteam]

I use this at the beginning of the track: http://www.ahjteam.com/upload/2008/500hz_sine_for_alignment.wav

 

[Oak]

Your DAW should compensate for the latency between output and input.

Otherwise musicians wouldn't be able to play along (in time) to what they hear in their phones, e.g..! Think of the cab as 'playing along' with the output

 

[LeSedna]

@ahjteam : yeah good idea. I guess you just have to hear if there's any Haas effect, and if yes, move the track.

@Oak : I forgot about that. so theoretically the only think not compensable is the path of the sound in the air ? If yes obviously it's not audible (3ms for 1m, so nothing for a 1 or 2 inch away position)
I still don't get how it could compensate something that is not linked logically for the sequencer ? I mean, maybe I'm starting to get messed in my head, but let's say this chain :

Di.wav > Di track > jack > cab > mic > Reampedtrack

How can it be compensation here if the middle part is outside the box ? It cannot know if the final track is supposed to be synchronized with the .wav. It can put a recorded track at the right place even if the playback needs 100ms of calculation (it just have to put the recorded file 100ms earlier in the mix) but it's not the same problem here.

 

[LeSedna]

No it's 30ms for 1m. So it's 3ms for 10cm=4inches, let's say it's 1ms an inch.

 

[John_C]

i detect maths.................

speed of sound is roughly 340 m/s

so 1/340 gives you the number of seconds per metre = 0.0029 seconds per metre = 2.9 milliseconds per metre

 

[Oak]

Di.wav > Di track > jack > cab > mic > Reampedtrack

How can it be compensation here if the middle part is outside the box ? It cannot know if the final track is supposed to be synchronized with the .wav. It can put a recorded track at the right place even if the playback needs 100ms of calculation (it just have to put the recorded file 100ms earlier in the mix) but it's not the same problem here.

100 ms of "Calculation" will also be included in the DAWs calculations for latency and delay compensation (at least in Reaper and as far as i know in Sonar and Cubase). That is if you mean calculation in the DAW. If you're talking about 'analog calculations' or something, the link 'jack -> cab -> mic' is virtually zero delay... there are no calculations unless you're using some kind of modeling amp

And if you mic the cab really close (that's what most people do) you don't have to calculate any distance/speed numbers.

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

You know I try to defend you Frenchmen whenever the rednecks here in the States make fun of you for being so feminine but really I can't defend you here...

 

[LeSedna]

Ahahah i'm laughing at my quick head calculus, I messed with the unity (like 1cm=1/100m=10*1/1000m... shame on me).

About maths... it shows even after 2 years of intensive maths full of K-lipschitzian functions endomorphism or matricial calculus applied to topology, an engineer school and a plane pilot concourse... I can invent a factor 10

I wanted to add my pilot's 2cents : 340m/s is only ok at average ground temperature in the air, it's roughly 20*sq(T) in m.s that means if metallica played at FL400, the first master of puppets powerchord would come to our ears at 291m/s. It would also be easier by 17% to flee from Within Temptation playing live, which sucks by 100%.

EDIT : @Oak : yeah I think I got it. The fact is that I really thought that even the slightest tiny difference of synchro would be important, but what you named the analog part is quite negligeable.