Guitar Amp Reamping: The Complete Guide

Reamping an amp is one of the most commonly used techniques when recording electric guitar.

Whether you are a guitarist recording in a home studio or a sound engineer in a studio, reamping is indeed an important tool that saves time, limits mistakes, and allows for a more creative approach to amp recording.

However, it is essential to understand what it is and how to apply it correctly.

So today, I offer you a complete guide providing all the necessary information on the subject.

Here is the outline of the article:

1. The concept of guitar amp reamping
2. How to do reamping?
3. Which reamping box should you buy?
4. The Reamping FAQ

The concept of guitar amp reamping

There is the before reamping and the after reamping.

The before reamping…

The before reamping is the time when, as a guitarist wanting to do a studio recording, you had to play in loops while waiting for the sound engineer to find the best microphone and the best position for the mic in front of your amp.

Indeed, it was a rather time-consuming process.

But the worst part was that if the recording was not perfect, the possibilities for correction were limited: sure, there were EQs and all the equipment that goes with it, but it was impossible to correct the recording at the source since it was already recorded.

It was impossible (and logically so) to change the microphone position, the microphone itself, or even the type of amp used.

So it was better not to make mistakes during the recording… 🙂

But this is where the reamping technique comes in, which has particularly democratized since the 2000s, even though it has its roots in much older experiments from the 1930s (such as concrete music).

… and the after reamping

So what is reamping?

For me, it is primarily a completely different recording concept from the one I just outlined in the previous paragraph.

Reamping involves recording the raw signal of the guitar on your PC (before it enters the amp) and then reusing it whenever you want to redo the recording.

In other words, you can send the recorded signal of your guitar back into an amp, whatever it may be, which you will then mic up.

Of course, there are many advantages to doing your electric guitar recordings this way.

First of all, it is a safety net: if your amp recording is not perfect, you can redo it at any time — even a month later if you want — without having to re-record the performance.

Moreover, it is mainly an opportunity to focus on the quality of the guitarist’s performance (perhaps yourself) rather than the sound. After the fact, once the recording is done, you can take the time to refine or experiment with:

• the choice of microphones;
• the position of the microphones;
• the settings of the guitar amp;
• the model of the amp;
• the effect pedals placed before the amp;
• etc.

Today, for any guitar recording, especially if you are a guitarist recording at home with amps (and not with amp simulations), having the equipment to do reamping seems almost essential to me — and in any case, it is a particularly useful long-term investment.

How to do reamping?

Beyond the concept explained just above, reamping is a real professional recording technique that, while easy to set up, requires a few connections that need to be understood.

More specifically, the reamping procedure can be divided into two steps:

1. recording the raw signal;
2. sending this signal into an amp once the recording is finished.

We will now look in detail at how to carry out these two steps, or rather, how to “reamp an amp”.

Step 1: Record the raw signal of your guitar

Before you can send any signal into an amp for reamping, you must of course have already recorded said signal.

To do this, the usual method is the use of a DI or direct box, which we will connect between the guitar and a microphone preamp.

As you can see in the diagram above, the DI has the dual effect of converting the signal level (instrument level -> microphone level) as well as its impedance (high impedance -> low impedance).

If the concept of impedance doesn’t resonate with you, this article from Reverb.com should give you some insights to understand. But ultimately, understanding what impedance is not essential for grasping reamping: just understand that there is a conversion of this electrical parameter.

In short, a simple DI allows for the necessary conversion before hitting your preamp.

That said, often in home studios, we find ourselves with slightly simpler setups than the one presented in the previous diagram since instead of using a dedicated direct box, we will plug the guitar directly into the DI input (sometimes called instrument input or Hi-Z, for “high impedance”) of the interface.

The diagram below represents this situation:

In principle, nothing changes: your raw signal is indeed recorded.

► For more information on this step, visit my article dedicated to direct boxes.

Reamping the audio signal

Now that you have recorded your guitar, you will need to send the audio signal back to the amplifier of your choice.

Problem: amplifiers expect a signal similar to that of a guitar, in terms of level (100 to 800 millivolts on average) and impedance (high impedance, therefore).

You will need something to convert the signal coming out of your interface, which is at line level and has a low impedance.

This is where the reamping box comes into play, which will serve precisely for that.

To use it, simply connect it between a line out from your interface/sound card and your amplifier, as shown in the following diagram:

All you have to do is place your microphone(s) in front of the amplifier, click “Play” on your DAW, and start recording your… reamped signal!

Which reamping box should you buy?

To do reamping, as we have seen, you need two boxes:

• a direct box;
• a reamping box.

For the first, if you are looking for a good DI, I recommend reading my article on direct boxes which contains all the necessary information.

As for the reamping box, like with DIs, there are a number of options on the market, both good and bad.

And, although one might initially think otherwise, the difference in sound from one model to another is not negligible at all.

Here is proof with this video released by the brand Radial (a brand that is quite reputable in the field) in which the models they sell are compared:

Certainly, all these models are usable, but clearly the tone is not the same.

So, if you want to do reamping at home, in your home studio, or in your studio, I particularly recommend two models that do the job very well.

Palmer DACCAPO

Brand: Palmer
Power Supply: none (passive box)

The DACCAPO from Palmer, which is a German brand, is for me the one with the best quality/price ratio — especially for use in a home studio.

The box is solid, the manufacturing quality is good (apparently the workshops are in Europe), and since the box is completely passive, there is no need for electrical power.

In terms of features, it of course has a “ground lift” to manage ground loop issues, but also:

• a -10 dBV + 4dBu button allowing you to adjust the operation of the DACCAPO according to the output level of your audio interface;
• and a small potentiometer allowing you to adjust the output level with a bit more precision.

For your information, this is the one I use in my home studio.

► Compare the price of the DACCAPO on: Amazon Thomann Woodbrass

Radial Engineering X-AMP

Brand: Radial Engineering
Power Supply: mains, provided with (active box)

If your budget is a bit higher, it may be worth looking at the X-Amp from Radial Engineering (Canada), which is just one of the most used reamping boxes in the world.

The output level is lower than the DACCAPO mentioned just above, but the circuit is different. Thus, in the X-Amp, a buffer is positioned before the transformer, which allows for better control of certain aspects of sound and impedance.

As for the integrated features, we find:

• a potentiometer for adjusting the output level;
• but especially two distinct and isolated outputs (with a phase inversion switch) allowing you to send the signal to two different amplifiers.

A very professional model, in the end.

► Compare the price of the X-Amp on: Amazon Thomann Woodbrass

The Reamping FAQ

Finally, to close this guide, here are some answers to the most common questions you might hear about reamping.

Of course, if you have other questions, feel free to ask me by leaving a comment at the bottom of the page! 😉

Can you do reamping without a reamp box?

Yes, but with limitations.

You can indeed directly connect a line out from your sound card to your amp, but you will need to significantly attenuate the output level to successfully simulate a signal that an electric guitar might emit.

The technique works well, but there are still a few drawbacks:

• There is no impedance matching done between the output of your sound card and the input of the amp, which particularly affects the frequency response — and thus the sound quality;
• You may have (much) more background noise, which will be problematic;
• You will not have access to a “ground lift” in case of grounding issues;
• Gain staging is (a bit) more complicated.

That said, if you don’t have a reamp box, you can try it, it might be enough for you, but personally, I wouldn’t recommend it too much. 🙂

Can you use a DI box in reverse for reamping?

This advice is often seen online: “no need for a reamping box, just take your DI box and put it in reverse.”

If this can work, it is far from being an ideal situation.

Indeed, a DI box or direct box allows you to convert a high-impedance instrument level signal (a guitar signal, typically) into a low-impedance microphone level signal.

To do this, the DI will correct the impedance of the signal while lowering its level.

Here, for reamping, we want to convert a line level signal into an instrument level signal. This means lowering the signal.

The problem is that a DI box used in reverse will increase the signal level, which is the opposite of what we want.

So it is clearly not a good solution, even though in some cases you can still get acceptable results.

Note that while reversing a passive DI may work, this will not be the case for active DIs that use more complex circuits.

Can you also reamp a bass? a synth?

Yes, completely.

The reamping technique is not limited to recording guitars: you can easily send any signal into your amps, such as basses, synths… or anything, really.

For example, you can experiment with a vocal track and a reverb pedal…

How can I improve the quality of my recordings in a reamping context?

Are you reamping but not quite satisfied?

Here are some ideas for elements you can tweak:

• the guitar settings (are the strings new? is the guitar well set up?)
• the quality of the DI box during recording;
• the quality of the preamp into which the DI is plugged;
• the quality of the reamping box;
• the quality of the cables.

In conclusion

There you go, you now know pretty much everything about guitar amp reamping!

To go further, if you haven’t read it yet, I recommend reading my article on DI Boxes, which is of course a closely related topic.