Amp head to line level

[newsense]

I have one of these which works quite well:

GI100 | DI Boxes | Signal Processors | Behringer | Categories | MUSIC Group

It goes between the head and the speaker to give you a line out level - but still needs to be connected to the speaker, or else you damage your head. Costs around $40 in the UK. I'm sure there are more expensive versions which may give a more faithful reproduction of your amp tone, but for clean tones, it is pretty good.

[John A.]

This is probably a noob question so please bear with.

I'm thinking of taking an amp head on a trade. It's a DV Mark Maragold, which will sound good, I think. But one way I'd like to use it is for recording, but I'd rather not always have to mic a cab. I see there is no line level out of any kind. Is there a simple way to drop the signal so I can go from the amp to a sound card?

H&K Red box (Red Box 5 - Hughes & Kettner) might work for you, but I think you'd still have a cabinet connected to the amp in order to load it properly.

John

[furtom]

Thanks!

The situation is this: I don't have a cabinet. At the moment, I don't yet have the amp. I'm considering taking it on a trade.

I'd like to make the trade and use it in my studio with a minimum of fuss and cost. Perhaps, this is not possible. This is why I'm trying to research before I make the trade.

If I really love this amp, I'll get a cab. But right now my amplification needs are being met.

I'm trying to expand my options on a budget. If this can't work, I'll just wait for a better trade to come along.

I like what I hear about this amp, so it seems a good trade, but it won't do me much good just sitting around.

For the price of $300, there are plenty of options that don't involve a power soak!

It would be a pity to let this amp go, but I'm thinking I may have to. Just not what I need at the moment. Oh well...

[MaxTwang]

It's the same price, but the following seems to do something similar, though probably not as guitaristicly:

MASS 100w Attenuator

MiniMASS 50w Attenuator

This will save you some $$ and should handle the 40 watt Maragold. Like the one you linked to, the Mini Mass will function as a dummy load (you won't need a speaker attached to your amp). Weber's Mass attenuators are unique in that they use a 'speaker motor' for the load instead of resistors, your amp will react like there's a speaker attached, because there is.

These devices will give you the sound of an amp, but not a speaker cabinet, so you'll probably need speaker emulation (a parametric EQ plugin might work for you too). For speaker emulation you'll need a convolution plug-in and Impulse Responses or IRs. A really outstanding option is Two Note's Wall of Sound III, there's a 30-day free trial with 2 cabs. Wall Of Sound III is free to use with Two Note's 'Virtual Speaker Cabinets' which cost less than $10 each. Wall Of Sound only works with Two Note's proprietary Virtual Cabinets, and not standard IR's.


------ this might get confusing and is probably more than you want to know, but it might help understand the technology -----

Now, what's an Impulse Response? It is literally the response to an impulse - or for our purposes the contribution a speaker makes to a guitar's sound.

The impulse can be a sine wave, starter pistol, or other known sound.

IR's are captured by recording the sound of an impulse played through a speaker. The impulse is subtracted from the recording leaving only the recording of the speaker's contribution or Impulse Response. This process is called "deconvolution".

We use IR's to "convolve" our guitar/amp signal with an Impulse Response to get the sound of our guitar/amp though a specific cabinet.

You will also see "convolution reverbs" as IR's which are a great way to capture the natural reverb of a room or other space. Record a sine wave in the Sistine Chapel, deconvolve the sine wave from the recording leaving the Impulse Response (or sound of the Sistine Chapel's reverb), then through convolution apply that IR to your recording and you have the sound of your guitar as played in the Sistine Chapel !!!

Note: Since IR's are captured with a mic we never get the true sound of a speaker or space, but the sound of that speaker/space though a specific mic & mic preamp.

[furtom]

Extremity good stuff. Thank you Max!

Suppose I were to go from the attenuator into an emulator pedal or reverb pedal. Would that work?

I'm trying to get a sound I like into the sound card, rather that process it on the computer. Otherwise, we have to add "new computer" to the list of things to buy...

Recording is OK. I can apply whatever effects in the DAW. But, I haven't figured out how to get my sound card to share applications. If I'm using BiaB, for example, it takes exclusive control of the device. I can't use it and the software emulator I already have. Kind of useless. :-(

I'm good at technical things, usually. But audio presents unique challenges.

[MaxTwang]

Yes, you can take the Line Out from a Weber Mass into an emulator or reverb pedal. The Lodigy Epsi is an interesting convolution pedal (does cabinet or reverb) or any of the speaker simulator pedals mentioned above would work.

Sounds like you're on Windows. Have you see this

[furtom]

Max, you are a fountain of knowledge.

I will try the asio server. That can solve a lot of problems.

I'm not sure what I'll do about the amp. The basic problem here is my greed. It's a good y trade, an upgrade, really, so I was excited to make it happen. The fact of the matter is, I don't need this amp. Sometimes, the best deal isn't the best deal, you know. We'll see.

Anyway, I learned a lot in this thread, which is awesome. Thank you and everyone else who took the time.

[furtom]

Quick question. Let's forget about the amp. If you wanted to warm up your tone, a little reverb, etc., what could you use between your guitar and sound card that was under $100?

BTW, I tried the asio app. It worked exactly as it did in the video with BiaB. Unfortunately, Guitar Rig couldn't detect it. :-(.

[MaxTwang]

Would BIAB's DAW plug-in mode be a work-around for you? You can drag your BIAB tracks to your DAW and then run Guitar Rig in your DAW while playing back the BIAB tracks.

[furtom]

I do that sometimes. It's exactly what you say: a workaround. That's fine if I'm working extensively with a single thing. But if I'm just practicing/noodling, it becomes a bit of a pain.

Most of the time, I just tell myself to be satisfied with the sound and get on with it! But you know how it is...