Please help me sort out my reamping effort...

Hello,

I have recently been experimenting with reamping, using an Egnater TOL-50 as my amp. I successfully recorded my DI track in Cubase, but my problem appears to be that during the reamping process my amp isn’t receiving enough signal to get a satisfactory rhythm tone. it just sounds very “spongy” and lacks any punch. My current setup functions, just not as it should.

Here’s what I’m using:

Cubase 6.5
Radial PRO DI
Radial X-Amp
Focusrite Saffire USB

I had to do one work-around to get it working, and that was using a cable that had TRS on one end and XLR on the other. I chose TRS because the Saffire manual says that TRS is the way to get a balanced line-level signal. I have a feeling that the culprit may be the cable. Could I use a “tip-sleeve to XLR” cable instead? My interpretation of the X-Amp manual was that the input required a “balanced” signal.

One thing that I notice is that I can set the DI’d track’s volume to “6”, as well as max the output of the X-Amp and I STILL can’t get it to clip.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


Dave

Which model Focusrite Saffire USB?

What level did you record the di? Set your meters to input level to see (right click the meter in the mixer window). Maybe the di is at a low level?

You can turn the input gain of the di channel in cubase up to get a hotter level out.

If the converter puts out balanced, use trs. It is what the reamper needs anyway.


There are so many variables. Post your routing out of cubase to the reamper.

Okay, here’s what I did:

  1. Created a “dry” track in Cubase. Plugged guitar into the PRO DI and ran an XLR from the PRO DI’s output to input “1” on my Saffire. I adjusted levels and recorded a test track with a fat waveform.

  2. I then took the “TRS to XLR” cable and connected the Saffire’s output 1 to the X-Amp’s input.

  3. I then created two tracks for the microphone and slave-out of the Egnater. I then recorded these two tracks.

  4. While there IS distorted sound on the final two Egnater tracks, it just sounds very spongy and has NO punch whatsoever.

Should be very simple!

First, you don’t really need the DI box as your interface has an instrument DI built in! but either way that does not sound like your problem.

I use a Radial passive re-amp box and have no problem getting a very good signal to the amp.

When you say you set the “DI’s track volume to 6” what are you doing? 6 what?

Set up a mono output bus on, say output 1 of your interface (are you monitoring via headphones?) you could always use outputs 3 and 4 for your monitor speakers.

Route your (Mono channel?) DI track to the mono output you just created, keep all the faders at unity. Plug your TRS/XLR into output 1 of the interface and into the input of the re-amp box, set the Re-amp box output to 50% to begin with and plug a guitar/instrument lead from the output 1 of the Re-amp box to the input you use of your amp. (forget about mic’ing up anything just now) you should be getting a signal (noise out of guitar amp) check if the overload light is coming on on the re-amp box and if it is, reduce the level from Cubase by dropping the output fader until it doesn’t light.

Now, plug your guitar into the guitar amp and set a sound directly, once you have done that then re plug the Re_amp box back in and using the re-amp box level control reproduce the same level from the DI’d track from the sequencer.

You should now have the sound that you set initially with the guitar plugged directly into the amp.

Everything after that, is about mic’ing the amp properly to get a good recorded sound.

thanks for the help!!

I had it set up as you suggested. Output 1 was wired to the input of the X-Amp, with 3 and 4 being used for monitoring.

I have recorded my DI track on track 1, and routed it to “mono out” which is set up as “output 1” in VST Connections. Then I set up my reamped track, with “mono in” as the input, with the output routed to my monitors (3 and 4).

When reamping, my MCU PRO’s master slider has no effect on output volume. I can max the DI track to what shows as “6.02” on the channel strip, PLUS max out the output on the X-Amp and I still don’t get any clipping.

I’m sorry if I seem dense. I suffered a stroke last year and this stuff is really making my head spin.

Hmm… If you are giving the re-amp box full whack from Cubase via the interface and have the re-amp up full it should be screaming!!!

You have routed the DI channel properly?

Otherwise I can only think your first thought is correct, the TRS to XLR cable! can you test it or try another one?

I guess what I should’ve asked from the beginning was if was actually necessary to have a balanced signal going into the X-Amp? At the moment I don’t have any other cables that are 1/4" to XLR, but I wonder if using a “tip-sleeve” cable would work? The Saffire manual claims that using tip-sleeve would result in an unbalanced signal…

Yes it should work fine with an unbal cable. try it and see, you wont do any damage.

I really appreciate your help. I’ve used Cubase for a number of years, but I’ve never tackled anything this complex before. My next step will be trying a different 1/4 to XLR cable…gotta start with the simple things. One good thing about this dilemna is that it’s taught me a LOT about Cubase audio routing, particularly the “VST Connections” part.

Dave