Reamping Issues!!!! Setting input impedance for recording dry track

leon1991

Member
Hi everybody,
I need to record some guitar tracks and also i would record the dry track from the axe fx for reamping.
I know there is the input impedance parameter that can affect the sound of the dry signal, so I had done a simple test:
I recorded the dry signal direct into the instrument input of my Babyface RME and i compare it to the sound of the dry signal recorded from the AXE FX.
The manual of the Axe FX say that the default settings of the parameter should be set to 1M(auto), the problem is that with the parameter set at 1M the dry signal from the AXE FX sounds extremely different from those recorded straight to the RME. The sound of the dry signal from the RME seems to be equal to those from the AXE FX when the input impedance parameter is set to 70K or 32K, the question are two:
Is better to record the DI from the AXE FX or straight into the Babyface instrument input?
There is someone who can tell me which settings of the input impedance parameter would be the best for my purpose?

Thanks a lot, sorry for bad english!!!
 
What is the level of your re-amping signal? The level may be inappropriate, as well as the impedance if using a regular line output.

I'm not sure if this applies to your situation or not, but I use a 're-amping' box before sending the signal into the Axe. Signal path looks like this:

RME FF800 (output 6) -> RADIAL X-AMP Box -> Axe-FX front input.

This works transparently for me.

Take a look at their products:

Radial Reamping
 
Maybe the RME instrument input impedance is also 70K or 32K. Is the impedance specified? In what way do the signals differ? More or less low end? Amplitude?
 
What is the level of your re-amping signal? The level may be inappropriate, as well as the impedance if using a regular line output.

I'm not sure if this applies to your situation or not, but I use a 're-amping' box before sending the signal into the Axe. Signal path looks like this:

RME FF800 (output 6) -> RADIAL X-AMP Box -> Axe-FX front input.

This works transparently for me.

Thanks for the reply,
Maybe i didn't explain that the test hasn't been done with the reamping process(I know that i need to use a reamping box), but in this case i play the guitar straight to the RME instrument input and I recorded that, after i play the guitar through the AXE FX II and recorded the DI signal from the USB into logic. The result are explained above.
 
Maybe the RME instrument input impedance is also 70K or 32K. Is the impedance specified? In what way do the signals differ? More or less low end? Amplitude?

The input impedance of the RME Instrument input is 470K. The signal differ in both way, with the impedance input of the AXE FX set at 1M(the maximum value) the signal is more fat, it has more low end, less high and it has more amplitude. As you decrease the input impedance value, the DI signal become more tiny, it became brighter, it has less low end and much high end, the amplitude decrease.

Anyone faced this problem? what would be the best solution?
 
I'm not sure what you're looking for here - I think you have answered your own question...


  1. You know that the impedance going into the Axe is 1Mohm (albeit adjustable)
  2. You know that the impedance going into the RME is 470K ohms (less than half)
  3. You state that higher (1M) impedance gets you a fuller, higher amplitude signal
  4. You state that lower (470K) impedance gets you a tinny sound with less amplitude

Unfortunately you cannot set the Axe to 470K to see if it sounds the same as a the RME.

This almost seems like the old story/joke:

Patient - "Dr. - it hurts when I twist my fingers"
Dr. - "Well then, don't twist your fingers"

Guitar Player - "My signal sounds tinny when recording/DI'ing through the RME"
Audio engineer - "Then don't DI through the RME (use the Axe instead)"

Solution 1: Simplest solution appears to be to use the Axe to record your DI signal digitally (i.e. via USB).
- ADVANTAGES: No extra hardware required; you can record without taking up extra channels on your RME
- LIMITATIONS: You must record at 48Khz


Solution 2: Another possible solution - get a real DI box that's made for guitar (I use a Radial JDV) and let it manage the impedance the guitar sees. The Radial's also have an adjustment called 'drag' that lets you adjust the load on your guitar's pickups.
- ADVANTAGES: Record at any sampling rate/bit depth you want
- LIMITATIONS: Costs more than the first solution; Takes additional I/O channel(s)

Good luck!
:eagerness:
 
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I'm not sure what you're looking for here - I think you have answered your own question...

I know, probably there are no right answer, it depends on what type of sound you're looking for. but the problem is that i use the input impedance parameter of the AXE FX 2 a lot to create my presets, so I have to record a dry signal that when i'm gonna do the reamping it will have to respond to the input impedance parameter as closest as possible to the original guitar signal.
I think at the impendance input parameter as a filter, obviously as i record the DI filtered by this "parameter" when i will do the reamp the sound wouldn't be the same as that of the direct guitar.
So the basic question is there an input impedance settings that maintain the guitar sound as closest as possible to the original?
 
I think at the impendance input parameter as a filter ...

Yes, it is a part of a filter. The pickups and electronics in the guitar, the guitar cable and the input impedance of the device (Axe or amp or RME) are interacting and the result is a particular sound going into the device.

So the basic question is there an input impedance settings that maintain the guitar sound as closest as possible to the original?

I would keep the impedance at 1M and emulate the filtering at the reamping phase with a parametric EQ or filter block before the amp.
 
I would keep the impedance at 1M and emulate the filtering at the reamping phase with a parametric EQ or filter block before the amp.

Thanks for the reply, i understand what you say but it isn't more practical to send the dry signal into the input of the AXE FX through a reamping box and reuse the Input impedance parameter also in the reamping phase, than to use an EQ or a filter block?!
Of course with an EQ you can be more accurate but i'm not sure that is so simple to emulate a real "input impedance filtering".
The last question: why would you keep the impedance at 1M?? from what I understand is because with this settings the signal is less filtered and so you can filter it later in the reamping phase!!...I'm right??

Thank you very much!!!
 
Thanks for the reply, i understand what you say but it isn't more practical to send the dry signal into the input of the AXE FX through a reamping box and reuse the Input impedance parameter also in the reamping phase, than to use an EQ or a filter block?!
Sure, you can do that if you go in analog. For some reason I was only considering digital/USB reamping.

The last question: why would you keep the impedance at 1M?? from what I understand is because with this settings the signal is less filtered and so you can filter it later in the reamping phase!!...I'm right??

Exactly. Easier to take away something that is there than try to add back something that was taken away.
 
I'm not sure what you're looking for here - I think you have answered your own question...


  1. You know that the impedance going into the Axe is 1Mohm (albeit adjustable)
  2. You know that the impedance going into the RME is 470K ohms (less than half)
  3. You state that higher (1M) impedance gets you a fuller, higher amplitude signal
  4. You state that lower (470K) impedance gets you a tinny sound with less amplitude

Unfortunately you cannot set the Axe to 470K to see if it sounds the same as a the RME.

This almost seems like the old story/joke:

Patient - "Dr. - it hurts when I twist my fingers"
Dr. - "Well then, don't twist your fingers"

Guitar Player - "My signal sounds tinny when recording/DI'ing through the RME"
Audio engineer - "Then don't DI through the RME (use the Axe instead)"

Solution 1: Simplest solution appears to be to use the Axe to record your DI signal digitally (i.e. via USB).
- ADVANTAGES: No extra hardware required; you can record without taking up extra channels on your RME
- LIMITATIONS: You must record at 48Khz


Solution 2: Another possible solution - get a real DI box that's made for guitar (I use a Radial JDV) and let it manage the impedance the guitar sees. The Radial's also have an adjustment called 'drag' that lets you adjust the load on your guitar's pickups.
- ADVANTAGES: Record at any sampling rate/bit depth you want
- LIMITATIONS: Costs more than the first solution; Takes additional I/O channel(s)

Good luck!
:eagerness:

Do any of you know if this would be any good? I can't afford the JDV just now.
https://www.studiospares.com/Microp...LkOfUR0jWFm6najOf85gY-enYfwAkili0gRoCBFbw_wcB

Also is it worth paying more for the active version? There are too many options for my liking, which get pretty expensive. I just want to reamp mainly high gain tracks....
 
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