SPDIF Reamp gtr level

  • I have reamped the Kemper successfully a few times using S/PDIF. I set the output to ‘gtr/master mono’ and use the master mono track for reference and the feed the gtr track back into the KPA and set it’s input to S/PDIF

    And output to ‘Master stereo’ and track that in my DAW.

    All pretty standard I imagine.


    I have always wondered if the level of the ‘gtr’ recording really is exactly the same when it hits the KPA’s input in digital form. It should be or the tweaks I do while reamping are not responding as they will when I’m playing the guitar.


    I now spent some time checking this and it’s not the same. If reamp the gtr track and output it as Master Mono I can see visually that the WAV is smaller in the DAW.


    This indicates that the gtr (with fader at 0db) track is less loud when played back into the KPA then when I was playing it live.


    As this is all in the digital domain with the S/PDIF output locked at 0db I don’t understand why this is.


    I immediately thought of the Reamp sense and that does influence the size of the wav but I read in the manual that it should be the negative value of Clean sense. Clean sense is set at 3,4 to reamp at -3,4. I have to set reamp to +4 for the WAV to look the same height but this can’t be the solution..


    Any suggestions?

    thanks!

    Get a sound,
    Feel the groove,
    Make something happen.

  • Hi... pretty quiet here on that topic which surprises me a bit...

    All pretty standard I imagine.

    Yep, I'd say so. That's the way I do it as well.


    Nevertheless my experience is that with proper set up the tracks are indeed exactly on the same level. In my case without any tweaking of reamp sense etc. - so I am with you wondering what goes wrong on your side. The only thing I could imagine (given that all level controls on the way are properly set to 0) is a plugin which comes in your way on the track or any master bus which goes back into the Kemper. Any plugin for Dithering or Mix Bus compression or similar.

    And output to ‘Master stereo’ and track that in my DAW.

    Did you try to leave it as it is and just go with the mono input as well?


    By the way: Which DAW and which Interface are you using?

  • Thank you for your insights. Good to hear that it should work like I thought, hopefully I'll get there too.

    The only thing I could imagine (given that all level controls on the way are properly set to 0) is a plugin which comes in your way on the track or any master bus which goes back into the Kemper. Any plugin for Dithering or Mix Bus compression or similar.

    Just checked everything again and, no, there's nothing. It's a blank template and all faders are set to absolute 0 (with command-click).

    No plugins in the tracks or master.

    Did you try to leave it as it is and just go with the mono input as well?

    In this test I did set it to Master mono as it's difficult to compare a summed mono track with a stereo track. While comparing the two master mono tracks I see a visual difference. If I turn up 'reamp sense' to +4 the WAV has about the same level but you can clearly see that it's different due to the gain not being the same. According to the manual my reamp sense should be at -3.4 to offset the +3.4 'clean sense' parameter.

    By the way: Which DAW and which Interface are you using?

    I'm using Studio One 4 Professional with an M-Audio Firewire Solo interface and Digital coax cables for the SPDIF connection. Samplerate is 48 kHz, SPDIF volume is not linked and set at 0.0dB.


    Below you can see on top the Master mono as it was recorded together with the pass-through 'GIT' track and below as it is recorded when the 'GIT' track is passed through the KPA again.


    Get a sound,
    Feel the groove,
    Make something happen.

    Edited once, last by MuktiG ().

  • This sounds like the Pan law stole you 3 or 4,5 dB just because that's how desks and DAWs work.

    Samplitude/Sequoia to my knowledge are the only DAWs that basically have no pan law unless you configure them to have one.

    With S1/Cubendo/Protools simply pan hard left before you send the guitar DI signal back to the KPA and see what happens.

    You are right!

    I just researched the Pan law for Studio One and it's 3 db. If I hard pan left the level stays the same. Thank you!

    Get a sound,
    Feel the groove,
    Make something happen.