THE Ultimate Reamping Question ;-)

Jan 22, 2006
86
0
6
REAMPING:YES OR NOT!?!?!?!?!?

let me explain!you have a band which wants to sound kind of natural and raw,with lots of ambience on the drumtracks etc...

the band is AGAINST reamping,cause they´re thinking,that reamping kills their natural and raw approach to their music.

they say:"reamping sound clinical and sterile,it works for modern clean metal like andy sneap is producing mostly,but not for a sludgy metal-rock-band"

OPINIONS,please:)
 
Let them do it their way. Your job as producer/engineer is to make the band comfortable and productive with whatever endeavor you're undertaking together. If the record comes out sounding muddy, off-time and indistinct, they know whose feet to lay the blame at.
 
Let them do it their way. Your job as producer/engineer is to make the band comfortable and productive with whatever endeavor you're undertaking together. If the record comes out sounding muddy, off-time and indistinct, they know whose feet to lay the blame at.

record it their way (but track the DI as well! you can still tell them it's easier to do editing etc that way), mix it your way.

the result is your advertising, do what you can to get the best possible result...
still, if the band wants a raw sound...why not? but it's bullshit to say that reamping kills the energy or something...track iot with the amps they need for the feel and reamp with the amps you need for the sound, you can still get a raw or vintage or whatever sound...
damn, I often even reamped clean tracks thru a JC-120 etc....do what needs to be done, they'll thank you in the end when it sounds good.

REAMPING DOES NOT CONTRADICT RAW SOUND
 
first off: i've never reamped before but i can imagine that it can sound pretty different than setting up an amp, playing your guitar through it, micing it and using that in the mix. especially for players / music that play with the dynamic response of an amp and ajust their playing to how the amp reacts. i can imagine things could turn out feeling a bit strange if you reamp through an amp with very different gain strucure and / or settings
 
first off: i've never reamped before but i can imagine that it can sound pretty different than setting up an amp, playing your guitar through it, micing it and using that in the mix. especially for players / music that play with the dynamic response of an amp and ajust their playing to how the amp reacts. i can imagine things could turn out feeling a bit strange if you reamp through an amp with very different gain strucure and / or settings

Wait ...

... isn't the difference in sound the main reason why people want to reamp in the first place? I mean, you only need to reamp if your original sound doesn't cut it (or if you want to add texture) ... :loco:
 
Wait ...

... isn't the difference in sound the main reason why people want to reamp in the first place? I mean, you only need to reamp if your original sound doesn't cut it (or if you want to add texture) ... :loco:

depends...
I find it way easier to edit the DI track and then reamp instead of editing the miced-tracks (sounds better), so I'll usually even reamp when the initial sound was perfect...
 
Wait ...

... isn't the difference in sound the main reason why people want to reamp in the first place? I mean, you only need to reamp if your original sound doesn't cut it (or if you want to add texture) ... :loco:

ofcourse, but what i'm trying to say is that in some styles of music (often the more raw kinds) guitar players tend to play with the dynamic response of the amp and if the dynamic response of the amp used for reamping is totally different from the sound used when tracking that could give some weird feel to it.
for most metal styles this wouldn't appear i guess, since it's mostly just plain shredding and chugging
 
I find it way easier to edit the DI track and then reamp instead of editing the miced-tracks (sounds better), so I'll usually even reamp when the initial sound was perfect...

I recently discovered this myself as well. You can really chop up a DI track and when you reamp it you can't even tell any editing has been done. Try the same thing with the miced track and it'll be all kinds of mess.
 
Yeah, I would just take a DI and tell them it's for editing. If you end up tracking a great tone and no timing mistakes and you don't need the DI then great! But if you or the band makes a small mistake in tone/mic placement, you have a backup plan that will save the record. It really doesn't make much sense to not track a DI if you already have the equipment to do so.


But, I know where you're coming from. I always tell bands exactly what I'm going to do beforehand and you have no idea how many times this happens:


Guitar Player: "Yeah, I don't want to re-amp. I'll just set up my amp and you can record that."

Singer: "Wait...what's reamping?"

Me: "Ask the Guitar Player."

Guitar Player: "Uhhh, I actually don't know. I just know I want to set my amp up and you to record it."


Bottom line is, all bands want is a great sounding record. If your name is on the record and it sounds bad, they're gonna blame you. We've all been blamed when the band dials in a shitty tone and you tell them that it won't work because the treble is on 10 and the mids are on 0 but they don't give a fuck. All bands want is a good sounding recording and taking a DI almost always helps with securing the quality.
 
I almost ever track guitar without amp and amp sim (even metal stuff and solos).
If I hit the right feel and every note clear, the reamped playing will always sound good, no matter what gain structure I (or the people I send my stuff to;-) use.
There is only few cases where the interaction with "sound" is really needed (solo with feedback ect.)
 
Tell them to shut up, they don't know what they are talking about. I usually do this and they listen. The reason? They are, after all, coming to ME to record their stuff. If they don't like how I do it, tough shit, they can go somewhere else or trust that I am only doing it in their best interest. I have yet to have a band question my methods after I tell them basically what I've just said. They always question it at first, but once I explain it's to have more options and could save the recording if anything comes up down the line they're cool with it. Drummers have problems with triggers, usually because of incorrect information, guitarists typically have no idea what reamping is so they don't like it to begin with. It will be a long time until that changes, but until then I just tell them to basically trust me and everything is cool.

~e.a
 
I don't know whether this 'I know best' attitude is conducive towards creating lasting and unique album sounds. I believe that the band should be allowed some say towards the sounds, as it is after all, their music in question. Otherwise we'd all end up hearing the exact same album over and over, with the 5150 and Recto blended on rhythm tracks. Granted, a lot of bands need guidance towards achieving their full potential, but you can't, as a producer, expect to be the be all and end all of solutions regarding the requirements of a particular project. I believe the key is to remain open minded and allow yourself to be taught as much as you teach others.
 
Its not as if i dont ask what sound they want our tweak the sound to how they like it!! It's just that i'll know how to get the sound they want quicker!!! its a matter of interpretting vague words about the sound and translating that into the sound for me!
 
Don't get me wrong, they still get the tone that they want but they, unlike AE's, don't understand that what the amp sounds like in the room isn't exactly what it will sound like once recorded. They also, typically, don't realize that the more tracks you use, the less gain should be used on the amp. The thing is, since I know how the amp will sound once recorded in my room, I know what it should sound like in the room to begin with. I don't let them dial anything more than their tone, once that is in, I start tweaking. I get it sounding like it should so that once it is recorded, it sounds like what they want after the fact. I usually tell the band that they are probably not going to like the guitar tone in the room too much while they are recording, but it will sound exactly like what they are after once I'm done eq'ing it. So far this has been true :)

~e.a
 
Why do they want you to record them if they don't like how you record? That would be my question. I don't like discussing details with bands about what I'm going to do to them because it always freaks them out, but they should be hiring you for "your sound", and how you get it should stay "your secret".