Reamping already distorted guitars

[Flying_Dutchman]

Did you ever reamp a distorted guitar?

I´ve got to mix a session, where the guitars are already recorded distorted with line 6...well, i don´t really like that sound.

Unfortunately they didn´t record the clean guitar. I´ll get my X-amp back in 3 days, so I´ve got to wait, but i would like to know if this could be worth the wait.

I think about reamping the distorted guitar to amps in clean channel mode.
Does it sound good?

Thanks

[Mike Tholen]

Originally Posted by Flying_Dutchman

Did you ever reamp a distorted guitar?

Nope.
Never.
but YMMV.

[Jan Folkson]

Sometimes.

[RCM - Ronan]

Any record that has Line 6 distorted guitars on it in any way is already totally screwed up and anything you do is a salvage job. I ithink its a good idea to try anything you can to fix how bad the amp modeler has screwed up the record, including remamping.

You want to send the tracks out to a clean amp, since the guitars sounds have probably already been ruined by the modeler, you are not really going to get a good sound, but you will be able to get the natural high and low end roll off of the guitar speaker and and little bit of natural "air" around the guitar sound. Try moving the mic far and close from the speaker to see which sounds best. It will depend on your room.

[Lee Knight]

Originally Posted by rcm

You want to send the tracks out to a clean amp

I've done this to good effect. Treat it like a direct guitar with a distortion pedal on it. Then lightly overdrive the amp and it can get better. Not great, but better.

[AlexLakis]

I've ran mic'd distorted guitar signals thru Guitar Rig to change the tone before. It is what it is, depends on what you're using it for (the noise floor will definately be raised.) Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Give it a try!

[No4PCs]

Hi friend, i think when you re-amp the distorted signal into your guitar amp, you could addt a little bit of distortion in your amp to "mask" the original distorted sound !Some condenser far away the cabinet could help to blend the close mic in your speaker ?

[swankdoc]

If you got time....experiment, experiment.
I think its all about being really creative and you might come up with something interesting and useful. Whos to say in a few months people are gonna be saying.....man, how did that guy get "that" sound?

For some reason, the first thing that popped in my head was to record at least two passes on a clean amp. One with the highs all rolled off, and another with all the lows rolled off......mix those together. Could be shite. Could be da shite.

[Flying_Dutchman]

Thanks to all of you!

I still wait on the damn x-amp... Some things i should not give to sb else :-)

I hope it will do sth good to signal, otherwise my name shouldn´t appear on the record :-) What about this line 6 madness? I mean, ok, its better than amp modelling years ago, but for a record?

Maybe, if im allowed to, Ill post results when done.

[octatonic]

Why can't the performance be recreated?

Line 6 is fine for some things- a lot of what I do has a mixture of real amps and Pod Pro XT.
Line 6 converters are not brilliant though- running them via AES/EBU greatly improves things.

[Flying_Dutchman]

The performance can´t be recreated... if you mean that the guitar guy could play again. The guitar isn´t done with Pod XT pro, just with Toneport. Don´t ask me why they didn´t record dry, too... :-)

The Pod XT isn´t bad. It can really be a flavour when added with other guitars, espacially the attack translates good, in my opinion. But, nothing keeps me more satisfied than blending some real amps and mics together...maybe together with pod or guitar suite or whatever.

But, how to get sth good out of 2 Marshall JCM 800 style pod tone port guitars (l/r) ?? That will be tricky....

Thanks

[crypticglobe]

Originally Posted by Flying_Dutchman

The performance can´t be recreated... if you mean that the guitar guy could play again. The guitar isn´t done with Pod XT pro, just with Toneport. Don´t ask me why they didn´t record dry, too... :-)

The Pod XT isn´t bad. It can really be a flavour when added with other guitars, espacially the attack translates good, in my opinion. But, nothing keeps me more satisfied than blending some real amps and mics together...maybe together with pod or guitar suite or whatever.

But, how to get sth good out of 2 Marshall JCM 800 style pod tone port guitars (l/r) ?? That will be tricky....

Thanks

Looks like from your avatar you play guitar youself. If you are good... you might consider re-tracking it youself through a real amp. You will have to be careful... and do a real good job.... but... were it me... I would definitely include that in the list of things I might try.

[rewt_]

Originally Posted by crypticglobe

Looks like from your avatar you play guitar youself. If you are good... you might consider re-tracking it youself through a real amp. You will have to be careful... and do a real good job.... but... were it me... I would definitely include that in the list of things I might try.

bingo.

[GPl]

Originally Posted by crypticglobe

Looks like from your avatar you play guitar youself. If you are good... you might consider re-tracking it youself through a real amp. You will have to be careful... and do a real good job.... but... were it me... I would definitely include that in the list of things I might try.

Exactly. No one has to know and you can get your name back on the record

[robot gigante]

I hope the people wondering if you can get away with amp sims are reading this thread...

[Flying_Dutchman]

Well, good idea. Off course, i could play the guitars again. Mhh... I don´t think that anyone will pay me for this...

Today, the X-amp should arrive....

Ill test this first.

Thanks!

[Flying_Dutchman]

Originally Posted by robot gigante

I hope the people wondering if you can get away with amp sims are reading this thread...

Hehe...

They´ll refuse this as usual....

[dropblacksky]

Adding a few tracks of your own guitar playing isn't the most honest thing to do (if you don't tell em), but if they gave you shit and you're name is gonna be on the final product, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

I once redid a whole bass track on a demo I did for a decent metal/hardcore band. They had a 15 year old little brother type on bass...and he really was several levels below the other guys in musicianship. My options were either blend the bass low to hide it, or redo it so they can sound tight....I chose the latter and they were very happy with how it came out...and none-the-wiser to my little scheme.

[Jason Poulin]

Originally Posted by rcm

Any record that has Line 6 distorted guitars on it in any way is already totally screwed up and anything you do is a salvage job. I ithink its a good idea to try anything you can to fix how bad the amp modeler has screwed up the record, including remamping..

I've heard some godly sounds come from Line 6 flextone heads on some records.

Check out Obliveon - Carnivore Mothermouth

Line 6 is not a bad amplifier company IMO


Jason

[thethrillfactor]

Originally Posted by octatonic

Why can't the performance be recreated?

What if its 56 tracks of layered guitar? IS the guy gonna replay 56 tracks? Might as well and do the drum parts while you are at it.

I wouldn't recommend it because it can tick off your clients who may be guitar players themselves.

Part of the job of being the "mixing guy" is to make things work. There are tricks you can do apart from replaying the parts to make Pod tracks work.

[Coldsnow]

Try a reamp and just go into a warm guitar pedal for some modulation or analog delay, then run that into the di on a tube mic preamp or neve etc, then run it back to the mixer.

[Flying_Dutchman]

Originally Posted by dropblacksky

Adding a few tracks of your own guitar playing isn't the most honest thing to do (if you don't tell em), but if they gave you shit and you're name is gonna be on the final product, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

I once redid a whole bass track on a demo I did for a decent metal/hardcore band. They had a 15 year old little brother type on bass...and he really was several levels below the other guys in musicianship. My options were either blend the bass low to hide it, or redo it so they can sound tight....I chose the latter and they were very happy with how it came out...and none-the-wiser to my little scheme.

I´m glad to see that this thread is still alive! thanks for all your opinions. Well, they decided to record background vocals and the mix sessions will start next week, but i didn´t really try to work on the guitars.

There are about 12guitar tracks each song, it would be too much for me to replay that.
They came to me and ask me if i could mix/premaster their record. They don´t pay days, they pay the whole mix. The money is fixed, so i cant go there and tell them to get the double price.

What would you do? Spending one day/song and play all the guitars?
I don´t know.... 5minutes later.... i wont do it. Ill try the reamping and some other things and do my best with mixing. If its still "shit" than i well...
If they don´t know how to record, well they shall come to me next time. :-)

Don´t get me wrong, i love my work and i usually put all my energy in getting the best result i can get, but replying all the guitars isn´t ok, or?

[Flying_Dutchman]

Originally Posted by Jason Poulin

I've heard some godly sounds come from Line 6 flextone heads on some records.

Check out Obliveon - Carnivore Mothermouth

Line 6 is not a bad amplifier company IMO


Jason

Hi Jason,

maybe the guitars were rocrded with a flextone head including cab mics etc..
This would make a huge difference than recording direct.
Or did they use a direct out from the amp?

[Flying_Dutchman]

Originally Posted by thethrillfactor

What if its 56 tracks of layered guitar? IS the guy gonna replay 56 tracks? Might as well and do the drum parts while you are at it.

I wouldn't recommend it because it can tick off your clients who may be guitar players themselves.

Part of the job of being the "mixing guy" is to make things work. There are tricks you can do apart from replaying the parts to make Pod tracks work.

Hehe, off course :-) Ill play all the drums and than the 52 guitars. Then, well ill replace the vocals with Vocaloid :-)

I recognized too much energy in the 3-4k area on many pod recorded sounds. Played loud, my ears bleed. I think applying a high cut a 4k and than running sonic maximizer could help. Than running some tube and tape saturation.

What else do you have in mind?

Thanks

[Flying_Dutchman]

Originally Posted by Coldsnow

Try a reamp and just go into a warm guitar pedal for some modulation or analog delay, then run that into the di on a tube mic preamp or neve etc, then run it back to the mixer.

Thanks, ill try it next week and keep posting my opinions.