So I’ve recently invested in a re-amp box and it has been changing my life! One thing that can really bum me out when working with a band on a tight budget is lack of time, and this is because as most people now know, the money just isn’t there for record making nowadays and so studio-time suffers as a result.
This can mean that if you run into any issues whilst tracking, it could result in less time being spent on decision making for guitar/bass tones, amps, eq whilst tracking, which can lead to major frustration later in the mixing stage if there are gaps in the tonal balance between instruments/parts.
So a recent phenomenon to solve this common dilemma is re-amping! Which basically involves taking the clean DI signal from guitar and bass tracks on Pro Tools, firing it back out of the computer into a ReAmp box, back into the amp and ready for recording once more!
This may seem somewhat backwards to most people, but in situations where time is a premium it can be a real lifesaver! It simply allows you to focus solely on the playing of the parts - getting everything down the way you want it, worrying about stuff like mic placement/polarity/tone and all the other stuff later, when the band have gone home/gone for lunch/etc.!
This helped me loads with a record I'm tracking for a client who's budget just wouldn't stretch to cover guitar and bass tracking. They mentioned that they had a simple interface and Garage Band at home, so I simply gave them a few pointers on basic gain staging/levels etc. and let them handle the DI recording themselves. After this they emailed me the files and I spent a total of two hours re-amping the whole record! Allowing us enough time left to track vocals in the studio properly.
There are a ton of other uses that I haven't mentioned of course, not to mention they also allow you to use guitar effects pedals as outboard gear, which I cannot wait to try.
I definitely recommend picking up a re-amp box if you haven't got one! I grabbed the Palmer Amplification "Daccapo" as it was great value for money and it has an output control on the box, which apparently the Radial ReAmp box lacks! Super handy little dude.
