Reamping box background noise

[ashcat_lt]

Hope it helps.

I didn't say anything about sims til your boy there tried to troll me. In fact, I was pleasantly surprsised that he actually offered helpful insight rather than busting out with his "why not just play through a real amp to begin with" schtick. I very well could have asked a similar question, but also decided that it wouldn't actually help you get the results that you're after.

 

[Greg_L]

Hope it helps.

I didn't say anything about sims til your boy there tried to troll me. In fact, I was pleasantly surprsised that he actually offered helpful insight rather than busting out with his "why not just play through a real amp to begin with" schtick. I very well could have asked a similar question, but also decided that it wouldn't actually help you get the results that you're after.

There was no trolling, you fraud.

 

[Laimon]

I did not have the time to try the buffering in the end, and now it's a bit late over here to crank up a guitar amp ;-)
Regarding why I don't just play through the amp, that's a perfectly valuable question. But it's the point of reamping, right? Forward thinking: it might be that later I want to try a new tone altogether, I don't want then to repeat all takes. Simple as that.
Concerning amp sims vs real amps, instead: I've tried a number of amp sims plugins and devices (Axe FX, Kemper), and I still don't feel them quite there. The Kemper is deadly close, I admit it. But still I could never match the dynamics, the smoothness and warmth of tube amps. At least, that's my ears' opinion

 

[Greg_L]

I did not have the time to try the buffering in the end, and now it's a bit late over here to crank up a guitar amp ;-)
Regarding why I don't just play through the amp, that's a perfectly valuable question. But it's the point of reamping, right? Forward thinking: it might be that later I want to try a new tone altogether, I don't want then to repeat all takes. Simple as that.
Concerning amp sims vs real amps, instead: I've tried a number of amp sims plugins and devices (Axe FX, Kemper), and I still don't feel them quite there. The Kemper is deadly close, I admit it. But still I could never match the dynamics, the smoothness and warmth of tube amps. At least, that's my ears' opinion

ashcat is just trying to be cute. Pay him no mind.

 

[ecc83]

The whole question of what you need to re-amp has been solved in the January issue of Sound on Sound.
Therein is a review of the Orchid Electronics "Amp Interface" and it gets a glowing report by none less than the technical editor.

The box is £56 inc VAT and P&P in UK and whilst I MIGHT be able to gather the bits together to make such a unit for about 60quid, I certainly could not build one and get a drinkypoo out of it! Leave alone post it for free!

If you need/want to re-amp...job done.

Dave.

 

[ashcat_lt]

There was no trolling, you fraud.

Really? Do you have any substantive objection to the information I posted? I thought it pretty well agreed with what you were saying, but I'd be interested to hear where you think my logic might be flawed. But, no. You just take a cheap shot. Thanks, Greg, we appreciate your contribution.

 

[ashcat_lt]

The whole question of what you need to re-amp has been solved in the January issue of Sound on Sound.
Therein is a review of the Orchid Electronics "Amp Interface" and it gets a glowing report by none less than the technical editor.

The box is £56 inc VAT and P&P in UK and whilst I MIGHT be able to gather the bits together to make such a unit for about 60quid, I certainly could not build one and get a drinkypoo out of it! Leave alone post it for free!

If you need/want to re-amp...job done.

Dave.

Ummm... That's just another reamp box.

 

[Greg_L]

Really? Do you have any substantive objection to the information I posted? I thought it pretty well agreed with what you were saying, but I'd be interested to hear where you think my logic might be flawed. But, no. You just take a cheap shot. Thanks, Greg, we appreciate your contribution.

It's not a cheap shot. I just laugh at your blatant and rampant hypocrisy and/or silliness.

 

[Greg_L]

BTW, I did contribute. I said lift the ground, he did, and it worked. Greg wins again.

 

[Laimon]

Come on guys, let's not fight, remember what this thread is about: ME!

Kidding aside, I experimented a little bit more, and I did try something that, curiosly enough, I had skipped before: send the sound card out straight to the amp input. Sure, it does make the expected noise, but it doesn't drop a dB, which is what I needed to ascertain. On the other hand, plugging then the reamp box, there is the significant loss of gain again. The Radial has a level "knob" (well, it's more of a screw, really), and even putting it to the maximum it does sound loud (probably even more than the original signal) but lacking lots of gain. I tried two different balanced cable from the sound card to the reamp box with no difference, hence I am left to think that it is indeed the Radial that's causing the drop.
To sum up: what the fuck?

 

[miroslav]

The Radial has a level "knob" (well, it's more of a screw, really), and even putting it to the maximum it does sound loud (probably even more than the original signal) but lacking lots of gain. I tried two different balanced cable from the sound card to the reamp box with no difference, hence I am left to think that it is indeed the Radial that's causing the drop.
To sum up: what the fuck?

You make no mention of the actual sound card and how it's set.
My converters allow for either +4 or -10 Input and Output...and I think most converters would.
So....what is yours set to?

Like Jay/Fairview said...it's not just about using balanced or unbalanced cables.

 

[ashcat_lt]

Come on guys, let's not fight, remember what this thread is about: ME!

Kidding aside, I experimented a little bit more, and I did try something that, curiosly enough, I had skipped before: send the sound card out straight to the amp input. Sure, it does make the expected noise, but it doesn't drop a dB, which is what I needed to ascertain. On the other hand, plugging then the reamp box, there is the significant loss of gain again. The Radial has a level "knob" (well, it's more of a screw, really), and even putting it to the maximum it does sound loud (probably even more than the original signal) but lacking lots of gain. I tried two different balanced cable from the sound card to the reamp box with no difference, hence I am left to think that it is indeed the Radial that's causing the drop.
To sum up: what the fuck?

It's louder than original signal, but lacking in gain? By gain you mean distortion? Or...? If you can better define the symptoms it'll be easier to diagnose the problem. If you could find a way to post a clip...

I assume when you say "expected noise" you're talking about that ground loop that Greg found again? The first thing to try when you have ground loop hum is to plug both devices into wall power as close as possible to one another - the same power strip. It doesn't always help, but it's free and usually easy to try.

Many people prefer transformer isolation for this sort of thing, and it usually works. You have reported that it helps with the noise in your case. It also seems to be causing some tonal change that you're not digging, though, and that's not particularly surprising.

Lifting the shield connection on the cable might help. This is a permanent change to an otherwise good cable that won't really be any good for anything else afterward, but it's pretty common practice. Most studios have at least some stock of ground isolated cables around.

What you must not do is lift the safety ground from the wall power of either device!

 

[Laimon]

My sound card it's an E-MU 1212m PCIe. Both ins and outs are set to -10dB.
What I think speaks for itself here, is that while going straight from sound card out to amp I get a "strong" signal, in the sense that drives the amp to the same level my guitar would. We can infer from that that the sound card itself is returning a signal consistent with what it recorded. In contrast, it becomes apparent that the lack of gain has to be ascribed to the reamp box (I am deliberately not taking the balanced cables into account, I tried with two and they delivered the same result).

 

[Greg_L]

Maybe your reamp box is defective? It's not supposed to cut signal like that unless you tweak it to do so. If you like the results going straight from soundcard to amp, then do that.

 

[miroslav]

My sound card it's an E-MU 1212m PCIe. Both ins and outs are set to -10dB.

Ahhhh....can you set them to +4....?....at least at the Output going to the reamp box.
I think that will solve your low-level problem....and use the balanced cables too.

 

[Laimon]

Maybe your reamp box is defective? It's not supposed to cut signal like that unless you tweak it to do so. If you like the results going straight from soundcard to amp, then do that.

Well, it is a possibility. I can get another one (precisely another one) from a friend, so I could really tell whether this one is defective.

I can also try with setting the reamping output to +4dB, I'll let you guys know how that goes.

 

[miroslav]

I can also try with setting the reamping output to +4dB, I'll let you guys know how that goes.

Yes....set the converter channel output to +4...and then turn down the level on the reamp until you see how much you have....then dial it in as needed.

 

[Farview]

The reamp assumes you are sending it a +4 signal, that's why it's not working as it should. It is seeing a signal that is 11db less than what it should.

 

[Laimon]

The reamp assumes you are sending it a +4 signal, that's why it's not working as it should. It is seeing a signal that is 11db less than what it should.

Argh, that's eye opening (I'm not being sarcastic, it really is!!)
Tomorrow I'll try it!

 

[miroslav]

I guess it was so basic....that I was surprised no one before me asked you what output level you were using on the converter.

Yeah...if you have two output level options on anything.... and the -10 feels kinda low....mmmmm.....try the +4 next time, before you start troubleshooting the whole rig.