Reamping with Riffworks and PODxt

[epauley]

But, wouldn't it be nice to record a layer of dry guitar and let it loop over and over while you tweak knobs and settings on the amp? POD reamping will let you do that in RiffWorks, and that is a great way to get your hands and mind free to focus on the tone and get your presets down.

This is a good idea! At last, a way to take advantage of reamping via the POD and RiffWorks.

[ThrobbyRobby]

There's no routing in RiffWorks (that I know of anyway!) that you could use to send just one layer to the PODxt.

Could you mute all layers but the one you want and turn off the ID?

[gatorjj]

Sure you could, though I'd be hard pressed to call that routing . It would play the track through the PODxt amp, but not record the result. I suppose you could also loop a cable around from one of the output jacks to the input and record the mono result on a new layer.

[ThrobbyRobby]

Sounds like a workaround to me. Not the best. Gator, thanks for writing the mixing overview, it really improved the sound quality of my recordings (unfortunately not the music). It's the best info I've read on the subject and I really appreciate your help.

[jisg]

gator -

Now I don't get it...

I definitely recorded a dry track and recorded processed subsequent layers that reflected the setting on my XTL. As I said in my first post the sound sucked (which I thought could be remedied by boosting the audio send level in GB while "re-amping" (if you will).

I could listen to my drummer by muting the dry guitar in the first layer
and
kept that drummer from "re-amping" by removing the x in the backups tab when I did Send Re-Amp Playbackrouting in the POD.

So maybe the bad volume is because as you say, gator:

RiffWorks is just not designed to accommodate hardware reamping,

and from your more experienced multi tracking background it's not routing...but something happened.
I got a clean layer and 2 layers each, reflecting the tweaks I made with the XTL.

If it wasn't possible I would have expected NO sound from any layer.

I'm not arguing with you but I am just wondering what you think I made happen by following the Re-amping instructions in the GearBox instructions.

[gatorjj]

Jisg you'll have to help me out since I don't have a POD hooked up and haven't read the instructions either

It appears then you can set RiffWorks to record, set the input to RiffWorks in the POD control panel to the processed sound? Very cool! I'm surprised the sound sucked, but that might be because the input signal to the POD is now at a different level. I bet you could change the volume on the dry layer in RW to better suit things.

RiffWorks is an unwitting participant in all this, it's just playing what you tell it to and recording what the POD gives it, like it does the rest of the time.

I don't see a problem getting the dry signal recorded into RiffWorks, that makes perfect sense. From what I can tell, you did the "looparound" inside the POD, with no need for a cable. You got 2 new layers of processed sound, did you let it loop twice on record?

I think what most folks are looking for is a capability to go back and re-adjust the amps later in the mix, and unless I'm missing something this is just recording a new layer with the processing on it. While a very cool capability, my personal opinion (your mileage may vary!) is it's more trouble than it's worth for actual recording.

[gatorjj]

Gator, thanks for writing the mixing overview, it really improved the sound quality of my recordings (unfortunately not the music). It's the best info I've read on the subject and I really appreciate your help.

Thanks man!

[jisg]

gator -
edit--- start over

[jisg]

gator -

this is the easiest way to tell you what I did - just copy page 2.1 from the GearBox_Help.pdf

PODxt - Audio Signal Routing & Re-Amping
Re-Amping is the fancy schmancy name for recording a dry, unaltered instrument signal to be processed later during mixing - this gives you the greatest flexibility to make later tone tweaks, since you don’t have to commit a particular sound to the track(s). This is of course the way that plug-ins work, so it’s something that all plug-ins, including GearBox Plug-in, provide. If you don’t have plug-ins but do have
PODxt, there’s another kind of re-amping available. PODxt, PODxt Pro* and PODxt Live provide an additional set of driver options for recording where the signal fed to Record Send 1-2 can be set to “processed” or “unprocessed” independently from
what you are hearing as your monitor signal from the PODxt device. Access the PODxt Audio Signal Routing options by clicking the Advanced button in the Line 6 Audio-MIDI Devices control panel...In the PODxt Signal Routing selector you can choose one of four routing modes for the signals that run inside PODxt, and to Record Send 1-2:
Send Processed Guitar - This is the normal mode of operation: PODxt-processed sound is sent to your computer via Record Send 1-2 so it can be recorded in your audio software. PODxt gets its input from the guitar plugged into its INPUT jack, and you can listen to PODxt-processed guitar sound as well as sound coming from your computer via PODxt’s LEFT OUTPUT, RIGHT OUTPUT and PHONES jacks.
Send Clean Guitar - This mode sends unprocessed guitar to your to Record Send 1-2, while you listen to PODxt-processed guitar and software playback coming out of your PODxt. You can use this to record an unprocessed guitar signal in your audio software for later re-amping, while hearing your PODxt-processed guitar signal without latency being added by your recording program. You can then choose USB Signal Routing modes 3 and 4 when you’re ready to playback that track and re-amp it through your PODxt. You may also want to record a copy of your PODxt-processed
sound from the analog outputs of your PODxt when you are making your digital recording of the clean guitar, so you have the processed version for reference when re-amping. This track is also handy for punch-ins, since you can listen to it during punch-ins to hear the processed version of the part of the previously recorded track that you want to keep.
Send Clean Guitar Re-Amp Playback - This mode sends un-processed guitar to your recording software, feeds the signal from your computer into PODxt’s processing, and lets you hear thePODxt-processed computer sound at PODxt’s outputs. You can use this to run an unprocessed guitar track that you recorded using USB Signal Routing mode 2 into your PODxt for re-amping, allowing you to listen to or record the PODxt-processed result via PODxt’s analog outputs. You
can also use this mode during initial recording, so that unprocessed guitar can be recorded to a track, and the output of that track can be sent by the recording program to PODxt at the same time. This lets you punch-in on the track while you’re recording, and hear PODxt processing of the already recorded part of the track as well as the new portion that you’re recording during the punch-in. Your recording software will add some latency to the guitar signal that it is monitoring back through to PODxt. You can generally get the lowest latency by reducing your buffer size in
the recording software, but lower buffer settings will utilize more of your computer’s processing, so you may not be able to run as many tracks or effects in your recording software when you do this. See your recording software’s instructions for details.
Send Re-Amp Playback - This mode is designed to receive unprocessed guitar from your recording program, and send processed guitar back to the recording program for recording. You can use this to run an unprocessed guitar track that you recorded using USB Signal Routing mode 2 into your PODxt for re-amping, so you can digitally record the PODxt-processed signal back to another track in the recording program.

[epauley]

Hi Mark and Green-one (gator), that is indeed the text from the latest GearBox update PDF. And you are 100% correct that you can “reamp” with a POD and RiffWorks. I have done so as mentioned above. but...

(gator)

It appears then you can set RiffWorks to record, set the input to RiffWorks in the POD control panel to the processed sound? Very cool! I'm surprised the sound sucked, but that might be because the input signal to the POD is now at a different level. I bet you could change the volume on the dry layer in RW to better suit things.

Ed: My sound didn’t suck when I turned off ID. Volume setting didn’t seem to matter.

I think what most folks are looking for is a capability to go back and re-adjust the amps later in the mix, and unless I'm missing something this is just recording a new layer with the processing on it. While a very cool capability, my personal opinion (your mileage may vary!) is it's more trouble than it's worth for actual recording.

Ed: Correct! What I can’t figure out is how to record using Riffworks within multiple layers with a riff.

[jisg]

All I was trying to do was mimic the dual amp feature in the X3for the fun of it until I got my hands on an X3L today...now I am wondering what universe I have to be in to have the pdf manual and the tutorial and other info therein jive with what I brought home from GC today.

[gatorjj]

Sounds like it's playtime!

[jisg]

toys, toys, gimme toys!

[bluesydude]

Anxiously awaiting your X3L review.

[jisg]

Simply put, after 24 hours (not all spent playing with it)... if you have the money for the improved sonics and the added features (many that seemed sorely missing from the XTL) - GET ONE especially if you are a Line6 pundit.

the guys over at the Line6 forum are doing a much better job than I can do explaining the improvements and writing reviews and offering sound clips.
this was my proverbial straw Sunday night that had me in GC at 10:00 Monday morning. http://line6.com/support/thread.jspa?threadID=14851&tstart=0 - listen to fester2000's sound click called Pod X3 vs. UX/2 comparison from his link.