Well, Interface arrived.

tekbow

Further Success!

I've now got the Silent Reamping Function working (out of necessity. My speaker cab is away for refurb).

I was able to record a dry DI guitar track, replay it thru the amp, match the input sensitivity of the guitar to the Reload, and record/monitor that to a second track processed via speaker/cab IR's.

So I now know my Reload and ID44 are working as they should

Time to bury my face in those reaper and recording level tutorials.

Freebird

tekbow said:

Further Success!

I've now got the Silent Reamping Function working (out of necessity. My speaker cab is away for refurb).

I was able to record a dry DI guitar track, replay it thru the amp, match the input sensitivity of the guitar to the Reload, and record/monitor that to a second track processed via speaker/cab IR's.

So I now know my Reload and ID44 are working as they should

Time to bury my face in those reaper and recording level tutorials.

What? You're reamping already!  

I use one of these for my setup, as I always capture a dry take when recording. I use it for reamping, and also for sound design when dialing in amps and fx. It's handy for HW & SW synths too, if you want to send them through your fx gear.

http://orchid-electronics.co.uk/Amp_Interface.htm

When it comes to recording and sound engineering there is always something new to learn, so you never get bored. 

Fretwired

tekbow said:

Further Success!

I've now got the Silent Reamping Function working (out of necessity. My speaker cab is away for refurb).

I was able to record a dry DI guitar track, replay it thru the amp, match the input sensitivity of the guitar to the Reload, and record/monitor that to a second track processed via speaker/cab IR's.

So I now know my Reload and ID44 are working as they should

Time to bury my face in those reaper and recording level tutorials.

Glad it all worked out for you.

tekbow

Freebird said:

tekbow said:

Further Success!

I've now got the Silent Reamping Function working (out of necessity. My speaker cab is away for refurb).

I was able to record a dry DI guitar track, replay it thru the amp, match the input sensitivity of the guitar to the Reload, and record/monitor that to a second track processed via speaker/cab IR's.

So I now know my Reload and ID44 are working as they should

Time to bury my face in those reaper and recording level tutorials.

What? You're reamping already!  

I use one of these for my setup, as I always capture a dry take when recording. I use it for reamping, and also for sound design when dialing in amps and fx. It's handy for HW & SW synths too, if you want to send them through your fx gear.

http://orchid-electronics.co.uk/Amp_Interface.htm

When it comes to recording and sound engineering there is always something new to learn, so you never get bored. 

Not in any competent capacity, I assure you. It was a struggle, but I managed to set it up from scratch twice. It was more a test of functionality. If something was wrong with either unit, I'd not have known.

On the third attempt I wasn't able to monitor the IR processed re-amped signal anymore, but I'm pretty sure it was something to do with a faded or the monitoring settings.

Tomorrow I'll figure it out then set up and save templates for re-amping and standard recording in Reaper and the Audient console app.

I'd actually seem that orchid box. At one point I was considering trying to do all this with separates, they've been recommended by a few people.

Freebird

tekbow said:

I'd actually seem that orchid box. At one point I was considering trying to do all this with separates, they've been recommended by a few people.

It just converts a line level signal to Hi-Z, and it has gain, polarity and earth lift options. It's a very handy little box though, if you are working with a computer based audio system.

My recoding chain is Guitar > FX8 (4CM) > Kemper (SPDIF) > Audio Interface (USB) > Computer > VST (optional) > Orchid Amp Interface > FX8 > Kemper, etc..

You may have noticed that I can combine effects from the FX8 and Kemper, with VST's  inside the computer, which makes for a very versatile system. There is also a two-way digital connection between the computer and the Kemper if I want to want to skip the FX8, e.g. I can send Helix Native effects pre & post the Kemper via SPDIF.

Now you may be thinking that my system is very digital, but I have been experimenting with Nebula and Acqua plugins to add some analogue (Neve, API & SSL) flavours to my audio signals. Things like pre amps, line in, EQ, Group Bus and Master Bus circuits, along with some tape and valve saturation. My methods may be a bit unorthodox, but it's the closest I can get to playing around with gear that would have cost hundreds of thousands of pounds a few years back.

Freebird

tekbow said:

https://i.imgur.com/7QudMyU.jpg

What make of amp is that?

tekbow

Freebird said:

tekbow said:

https://i.imgur.com/7QudMyU.jpg

What make of amp is that?

It's a headshell-less Soldano SLO-100. The Cab is away getting modified and re-tolexed, sent the headshell with it to match it tolex-wise. It'll look like this only purple (with deliberately garish racing stripe on the cab).

Also just rearranged my desk so I have one monitor for the DAW and one for the mixer console, rather than just duplicating the laptop screen like it used to.

Read up on the gain staging stuff, I've got a healthy -10db for peaks (?) reading in the Audient Mixer App, but by the time this arrives in the DAW, it's down to -30db.

Now I've went thru and adjusted the Two Notes WOS plugin (only plugin) so it matches the -30db in and out (although it was reading about -12db in and out), then I bring the overall output to the headphones up with the DAW master (about -10db peaks), which reads really hot in the Audient Mixer App, so I bring it back down again.

I've also had to pad the Load box out on the Torpedo Reload and the ID44 to be able to get -10db at all.

I mean it all sounds ok so...

Freebird

It's quite interesting how there are now so many ways to achieve similar outcomes. Before you needed a console, microphones and pre amps, outboard gear, tape recorders, and a team of people in white lab coats. Now we are mostly one-person setups, with minimal equipment and a triail & error experimental approach.

I'd like to know how everybody else does their thing, but we tend to be isolated in our endeavours, and just grab bits and pieces of information wherever we can find it. I stumbled upon the concept of tracking audio at 0VU = -18dDFS by accident, and I've stuck with it ever since. I find it much easier to get where I want to go using consistent levels, and it sounds better to my ears compared to how I used to do things, which was recording at random levels a little on the hot side.

tekbow

Well, I've changed it up a bit, I went for -12db peaks/-18db average in the DAW regardless of what the meters in the Audient console say.

Weird thing is that there's a little realtime number at the bottom of each meter in the Audient Mixer which I suspect is an average value, and it now seems to match the values in Reaper more or less.

Had to pad the Load box DI at the Reload and the ID44 to get it down there though. Amp Master is on 5, because the whole point is getting some power tube compression going.

Fiddled with the WOS plugin ins and outs to get -18 to -15db, so everything seems clean now with no clipping.

I also started to figure out what the faders in the Audient console to WRT to monitoring. Most of the faders in Reaper are at 0.

Saved all those setups.

There seems to be some noise floor issues when re-amping with the slave out into the delay that aren't present when just plugged directly into the amp with the guitar rather than via the Reload.

I think I'm ready to start playing with amp EQ'ing and cab/speaker IR's a little more extensively now. I Also see why actual monitors would be handier than headphones.

The Reaper Manual is my current bedtime reading.

tekbow

Annndd... first test recording..

There's a weird faint flangey effect coming from somewhere, but I'm now happy.

https://soundcloud.com/user-711995847/recording-test/s-dFPP6

Freebird

Making your first recording is always a great feeling 

BTW I use the VU meter pictured above as I find them easier to work with, and I can move them around my tracks to check individual readings.

https://klanghelm.com/contents/products/VUMT/VUMT.php

tekbow

Freebird said:

Making your first recording is always a great feeling 

BTW I use the VU meter pictured above as I find them easier to work with, and I can move them around my tracks to check individual readings.

https://klanghelm.com/contents/products/VUMT/VUMT.php

I'll take a look at that as well, thanks.

Reaper was a good recommendation, the basic mechanics are easy to pick up from fiddling. Now I want to get deeper into the functionality.

Learning how to use a compressor properly is on the list too. Never been totally sure of what they do. I have a comp pedal that a friend gave to me and help me set up. Sounds great, but I'm not altogether sure why.

Freebird