Re-preamping techniques..

[HenriKay]

Some of you gearslutz are using “re-amping” techniques when recording electric guitars. As I understand it these DI splitters let you change amps and sonics in a post-recording phase if necessary… Now, someone wrote that recording is about choice of pres and mixing about using your pres again all over. I’m not sure I fully agree to that statement but it made me think. Are there any known microphone line splitters, and/or clean pre-amps that you could use in a sort of analogy to guitar re-amping, allowing you to change just the mic pre-amp in a mix situation? For instance, let’s say that you after a test recording session decides to go with a mic and pre-amp set-up for a certain vocalist, but later when mixing mr producer regrets this decision and would like flip to a less colourful preamp… See what I’m looking for?
Any advice out there on this sort of mic "re-preamping" technique most welcomed, Thanks

[danbronson]

I'm not really sure what you mean. Are you just asking about a Y splitter so that you could plug your mic into two different preamps and a/b them?

You could get a passive splitter, which will cause some signal loss, or an active splitter, which will maintain signal strength but color the signal slightly since it is amplifying it. I'd go active personally.

[BLUElightCory]

I think you are confusing this with "RE-amping."

A re-amping device allows you to take a pre-recorded track (usually a naked DI track that was split off and recorded separately during the original guitar/bass performance) and run it back though a different signal chain at a later time if need be. The re-amping device changes the impedance and level of the recorded DI-track BACK to its original high-impedance, instrument level state, which the guitar amp/pedal/whatever is used to seeing from the guitar.

So, for example, if you recorded a guitar part with a crappy Peavey practice amp and later borrowed a Bogner, you could run DI of the original performance back into the Bogner, re-mic it, and record the original performance again with a much better guitar tone.

More details here:
Re-amp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Unfortunately, this sort of thing does NOT work with vocals. Although you COULD technically run a vocal part back through another signal chain, you'd simply be adding the characteristics of the new chain to the original recording, and you'd run a very good chance of degrading the sound quality of your recording.

[danbronson]

On that note, I've been meaning to try reamping drums into a guitar amp, distortion optional. I gotta get a reamp box soon!

[HenriKay]

Hi Cory, thanks for your input. Yes, me stupid. Of course I meant "re-amping", so I edited the thread.

[Jack Ruston]

So what you're saying is...can you record a mic level signal to a DAW and then send it back out to a preamp at a later stage to impose the sound of that pre onto the recording.

Well the answer is not really...because the signal would be so low that the noise floor would be unacceptable when you then re-micamp'd it.

What you CAN do is to record a signal with a very neutral pre, and then use a Line to mic converter to change the line level signal back down to mic level, adjust to a suitable impedance and then run through the mic pre back to line level. Try that.

J

[joeq]

Originally Posted by Jack Ruston

What you CAN do is to record a signal with a very neutral pre, and then use a Line to mic converter to change the line level signal back down to mic level, adjust to a suitable impedance and then run through the mic pre back to line level. Try that.

the DW Fearn Line Pad is made for this




BTW the Fearn is a great preamp for re-preamping.

Also good for pre-reamping.

[HenriKay]

Originally Posted by joeq

the DW Fearn Line Pad is made for this


BTW the Fearn is a great preamp for re-preamping.

Also good for pre-reamping.

Kool, that box looks very useful. Do you think it will work with any (decently) "clean" preamp?

[84K]

we have the fearn pre amp and it is a great distortion tool for vocals. I like it for that task more than anything else, which is funny considering how much it costs.

[joeq]

Originally Posted by HenriKay

Kool, that box looks very useful. Do you think it will work with any (decently) "clean" preamp?

I have used it with the Fearn, but also with a Pendulum, and a couple of cheap channel strips as well.

I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't work on any preamp- clean or not clean.

The principle of re-preamping is just getting that line level back down to mic level so you can run it around into the front of the box again. That is just electronics. The color of the first preamp and the color of the 2nd preamp is just "taste".

(Though obviously repreamping a dirty pre through a clean one will not "subtract" color. As a practical matter, for maximum flexibility, you should probably stick to using the clean preamp first, and saving the colored preamp for the "re". )

Anyway, cleanness is in the ear of the beholder. (The belistener?)

[AnthonyRochester]

re-preamping? What is the world coming to? Maybe this is a joke thread. Can't you just decide on a preamp and record it?

[joeq]

Originally Posted by beebay007

re-preamping? What is the world coming to? Maybe this is a joke thread. Can't you just decide on a preamp and record it?

a lot of times I am mixing stuff that I did not record.

often a track needs a little "something" from an analog insert and while I have some nice tube EQs and comps, sometimes that's too much something.

Often I run through the EQs on bypass, but re-preamping has a similar result- a bit more subtle.

I would compare it to using a saturation plug-in. (I mostly use the tube preamps) A little "something".

[Jack Ruston]

You could do double Neve...Get a pair of 1073's mic into one, output to Line-Mic converter, into the second to the AD.



J

[AnthonyRochester]

i dunno, I think its a bit dumb. I don't have any neve preamps though..

[BLUElightCory]

Originally Posted by beebay007

i dunno, I think its a bit dumb. I don't have any neve preamps though..

That's what I thought until I ended up mixing a record through a pair of Chandler Germanium preamps. Sometimes it just works.

[HenriKay]

Thank you very much for your input, guys! Excellent advice I must say. I'm surprised this is not part of a common everyday workflow.. This is flexibility.

[bokip]

Hi guys, just wondering if this makes sense and/or is something people are already doing.

-I have an API A2D dual preamp/a2d that I've been using for vocals. I love the character when it's driven a bit.

-I mix and create most my sounds ITB... synths, drum samples, guitar amp sim, etc.

Is there a benefit to running other tracks through the preamp?

I love the character the API puts on my vocals when it's driven a little bit. Would it make sense to run other tracks in my mix back through the API LINE-IN to give them all a bit of this character? Would this somewhat "simulate" having used the API to record all the tracks in the first place, like a big-budget studio that probably has loads of these preamps?


Thanks!@

[top]Ferro

[EliasGwinn]

My advice to anyone considering this: TRY IT!!

It works just fine, and can be great for adding some girth to a track.

Here's why I do it: Testing a wall of mic-pre's is a quick way to get the artist impatient, restless, uninspired, and generally fatigued. So I don't waste time sampling pres - I just record everything through my Benchmark mic-pre's (very transparent), because I know I can't go wrong. In the mix phase, when the artist isn't staring at the microphone, I have time and room to move (sonically speaking).

In this track, I took the vocal track and put it into the mic-input of a Neve 1073, including EQ, during mix-down. I didn't use any line-to-mic converter; I just reduced the output level in the analog domain. You can use a line-to-mic impedance transformer, which may give you a different color because of distortion from the transformer and the different loading at the pre. As always, try it both ways and see what you like better.

Have fun!
-e