Analog recording and reamping question.

Tsunamijuan

Tsunamijuan

Inspired
So I am getting ready to do a bunch of recording soon. I am setting up for re-amping. But i have a few questions about gain staging. Currently the setup that is being used is analog Though I do have the ability to word clock everything. But not sure if that will help much or change what we are doing. A&H Studio Mixer -> Alesis HD24.

1. For the dry tracks how should I be setting the gain/preamps. Logically It seems I would want to avoid pre-amp coloring if at all possible. However it seems that my dry tracks are extremely low volume wise. Even with output 2 Dimed.

2. Latency when re-amping. I know that its likely that the latency of re-amping is going to put my tracks out of sync somewhat. From what I have read it seems like this is easily fixed in the pure digital realm. However I haven't heard much said about the analog realm.

If you have some other wisdom you want to point me towards to it would be most appreciated. Thanks for the time, and sorry if i got the posting category wrong.
 
Dry tracks will of course be "extremely low volume", it's the same as plugging your guitar straight into the deck. No gain stages, so nothing to bring that signal up. This is what you want, though - otherwise, when you reamp, you'll have massive issues as you wouldn't be sending a guitar signal in, you'd be sending a gain-staged guitar signal in. No bueno.

I'm not entirely sure I follow - latency from what point? If you mean via processing from the Axe, I believe the latency is low enough that it won't be noticeable.

Also, you're pretty far from working in an analog realm with the gear you've mentioned :p
 
selta said:
Dry tracks will of course be "extremely low volume", it's the same as plugging your guitar straight into the deck. No gain stages, so nothing to bring that signal up. This is what you want, though - otherwise, when you reamp, you'll have massive issues as you wouldn't be sending a guitar signal in, you'd be sending a gain-staged guitar signal in. No bueno.

I'm not entirely sure I follow - latency from what point? If you mean via processing from the Axe, I believe the latency is low enough that it won't be noticeable.

Also, you're pretty far from working in an analog realm with the gear you've mentioned :p
Click to expand...

Okay thought that flat for gain was probably the way to go.

Its technically a mix of analog and digital. Since I can dump the tracks to a computer rather than have to splice tape. However we are generally punching in and out of either the original track or doing it on a parallel track to be mixed in later during post. However all the I/O to the board and Adat are analog. Rather than using some form of digital bus. Though the though of getting an AES to lightpipe converter might be a good idea.

I should probably take the time to measure the latency with a scope, might save me some headaches down the road.
 
if you're dumping tracks to a computer why not record with the Axe's USB?
whilst you're recording the dry guitars to the computer, connect the Axe to the mixing desk via 1/4" jack cables..
so… you're recording direct to the PC, but monitoring the wet signal via the desk… 0 latency
 
clarky said:
if you're dumping tracks to a computer why not record with the Axe's USB?
whilst you're recording the dry guitars to the computer, connect the Axe to the mixing desk via 1/4" jack cables..
so… you're recording direct to the PC, but monitoring the wet signal via the desk… 0 latency
Click to expand...
yeah i feel like doofus now. Totally forgot about the fact that I will most likely be doing this at home and not at the studio. I got hung up on the listening latency that I get cause of one of my decoders I use on my laptop. (500ms generally). But Since i am not gonna be punching in at the same time that doesn't matter.

Sometimes its the obvious answers that get by me the most thx for the slap :D
 
haaaa… yes..

my setup is this:
Axe <--USB--> Mac
Axe <--Jack Cable--> Mixer
Mixer [which has built in AI] <--Firewire--> Mac
The monitor speakers are connected to the Mixer

In the Mac I have an Aggregate Interface combining both the Axe and the Mixer

For all audio from the Mac:
Mac sends the Audio to the mixer via Firewire on channels 15/16
The Axe output 1 L/R are cabled to the Mixer on channels 13/14

for practice / playing for fun
I hear the audio [Logic, iTunes etc] on channels 15/16
I hear the Axe on channels 13/14

Recording the Dry guitar
Logic plays back to mixer channels 15/16
I hear the Axe on mixers channels 13/14 [so there is 0 latency]
Logic records the dry guitar via the USB
This is Aggregate Interface channel 19 [inputs 1 thru 16 are the mixer Firewire channels, 17 thru 20 are the Axe USB outs 1 thru 4 which are added on at the end - so Logic's input 19 = Axe's output 3 <the dry guitar>]

Reamping
Logic plays back the dry guitar via output 3 [outputs 1/2 go the mixer via Firewire which appears on channel 15/16 by default], output 3 /4 are the Axe USB ins 1/2 which are added on at the end - so Logic's output 3 = Axe's input 1 <the dry guitar for reamping>]
The Axe works it's magic on the dry signal and sends it to it's output 1/2.
Output 1/2 on the Axe is mirrored for both the jack outs and the USB outs.
Logic records the wet signal on channels 17/18 [which equates to Axe USB outs 1/2]
during reamping, I still hear the Axe through the mixer on channels 13/14 via the jack cables.
this is particularly useful, because if I 'solo' channels 13/14 on the mixer and hit 'play' in Logic, I can check my performance nice and easily.
I also 'solo' the Axe this way for sorting out the automation on the dry track.
It's better to automate the dry track than the wet one [automate the dry track's fader in Logic to clean out any unwanted noise where the guitar is not 'sounding' because although the dry track may seem nice and clean, but once you bury it under a mountain of gain or compression, all the background dross appears..].
 
I don't use USB because I record at 96k and it's totally fine. I can increase the the level of the DI external to AF2. You don't need to go USB for reamp.
 
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