Re-Amping Project in Sound & Recording Magazine, Germany

[Rossi]

Yet another shameless self promo :green:

As some of you may know, I'm a freelance writer by trade, my main outlet being Sound & Recording Magazine. The current issue (03/2008) has a 6-page article on re-amping and how to build your own re-amping box. It's a fairly simple design using easily obtainable low cost parts. The whole box including all components and a sturdy enclosure is about 40 Euros. Nonetheless it works surprisingly well.

It is a different design than the well known Jensen schemo or the one that New York Dave posted here. Also, I've thrown in a couple of guitar controls. The box is all passive and very easy to build, makes a pretty good beginners' project.

Here's what it looks like when it's finished:

Language Warning: Despite the name, the magazine is in German
If you can't get the magazine from a local dealer, you can order a copy via the mag's website: www.soundandrecording.de

End of commercial break.:grin:

 

[Michael Krusch]

Shamless recommendation:
If you buy the magazin and build the box you money is very well invested. :thumb:

 

[clintrubber]

Let's do a groupbuy on knobs that say 'balls' on top :wink:

Will be buying the mag anyway, but for now I'm curious to the difference in resulting sound w.r.t. the other ways
(as Rossi mentioned) to do it.

BTW, if this box hasn't it already, adding an inductive component might be interesting to try, like the AMZ-site wrote about
( http://www.muzique.com/lab/pickups.htm )
In essence a DI'd signal incorporates the peak already, but if one peaking action works, then a bit more might be even better :wink:

Bye,

Peter

 

[Rossi]

[quote author="clintrubber"]Let's do a groupbuy on knobs that say 'balls' on top :wink:
[/quote]

Exellent idea! :grin: If some manufacturer offered them, I'm sure they'd be in hot demand. The balls knob is acutally the impedance pot. Since this is a box likely to be used by guitarists (it's pretty cool for other stuff, too), I figured "balls" is a more ample description for what's going on. Plus you don't have to explain what impedance is. I mean, everybody knows what balls is/are. :green:

As I said, it's a pretty simple design, the main component being a small Neutrik transformer. I use a pad to reduce those mighty line levels to something the little tranny can handle. Impedance is manipulated on the primary, which may give a more PU-like impedance curve than a pot on the secondary, thus improving the interaction with the amp input. Also, when you turn up the "balls" pot, the (virtual) guitar output becomes hotter, and there is a slight treble roll-off. I'm not saying you can turn a Strat into a Les Paul, but you can transform it into something hotter & fatter: Bigger scrotum.

I've also added tone and vol controls (you can make those switchable), so you can do the same stuff that you could do on an actual guitar, for instance varying distortion with the vol pot.

As I said, it's no rocket science. Remember this is not usually a DIY magazine apart from the stuff I throw in once in a while. My main goal was an easy project: Parts had to be easily obtainable, and building the box should be very doable for beginners. Still, it's a very usable box.

@ Michael, thanks for the kind words! :sam:

 

[Butterylicious]

I'm in for 100 balls knobs.

 

[Ptownkid]

one knob and two balls is enough for me thank you very much

 

[tony dB]

looks interesting!
Have you checked the legal consequences on using the expression Rea m ping?

 

[Rossi]

[quote author="tony dB"]Have you checked the legal consequences on using the expression Rea m ping?[/quote]

Who's that - Chris Rea's Chinese twin? :green:

 

[tony dB]

mr Satriani's producer patended the word and design... no one understand how he got away with a design what already existed, but from what I understand, radial pays him money to use the word...

 

[Rossi]

Never heard of that, but I just did a search, and Wikipedia says this:

"The Reamp Company acknowledges that words such as “reamping” have become generic/colloquial audio expressions, but asserts that the word Reamp remains their legally registered trademark."

Well, luckily my box says "re-amping" (or re amping for lack of a hyphen on my ancient Dymo labeler.

But seriously, I don't know how anyone could get a patent on something so simple. I doubt you could get a patent on stuff like that in Germany. Konrad Zuse didn't get a patent on what was arguably the first computer, because the patent office didn't think it was innovative enough...

Anyway, I just had a look at the US patent, and the internals of my little box look different.

 

[gyraf]

Yes, the US patent system is very different from the European, when it comes to proof of originality.. :?

Jakob E.

 

[clintrubber]

Your shameless self promo fine by me, but next time don't wait this long before posting :wink:
While I wasn't expecting to still find it this late in the month, I did found one, the last one.

Haven't read the complete article yet, just some quick browsing. Was initially surprised by the imp-pot hookup but after the first ehhh :shock: it made sense :wink:

BTW, had expected to see a RM700 in the pics, but I figure it's a ribbon-mic (BD) nevertheless, right ?

Cheers,

Peter

 

[clintrubber]

[quote author="Rossi"]As I said, it's no rocket science. Remember this is not usually a DIY magazine apart from the stuff I throw in once in a while. My main goal was an easy project: Parts had to be easily obtainable, and building the box should be very doable for beginners. Still, it's a very usable box.[/quote]
Sure, I well understand that for the mag it has to be possible for lesser skilled people (no arrogance intended) to make one.

But in general it's always nice to think about a version that takes it a bit further for those inclined so.
Although I wouldn't directly know here what could be added... XLR-input possibly, but that's about it for now.
Same for the 2-BJT PRR-ribbon-booster circuit from a previous article actually.

Cheers,

Peter

 

[Rossi]

[quote author="clintrubber"]Your shameless self promo fine by me, but next time don't wait this long before posting :wink:
While I wasn't expecting to still find it this late in the month, I did found one, the last one.[/quote]

Sorry about that, but I figured it would take some time before the mag hits the foreign newsstands, plus I was working at the Frankfurt Musikmesse and had to write a 6-page report right after the show, while everybody else was recuperating.

[quote author="clintrubber"]BTW, had expected to see a RM700 in the pics, but I figure it's a ribbon-mic (BD) nevertheless, right ?
[/quote]

I don't have the mag around, but I think I used a M160 for the photo.

 

[Rossi]

[quote author="clintrubber"]
Sure, I well understand that for the mag it has to be possible for lesser skilled people (no arrogance intended) to make one.

But in general it's always nice to think about a version that takes it a bit further for those inclined so.
Although I wouldn't directly know here what could be added... XLR-input possibly, but that's about it for now.
Same for the 2-BJT PRR-ribbon-booster circuit from a previous article actually.
[/quote]

Well, there's always room for improvement, but I usually take the readers as far as I can go within the boundaries of available space and the technological understanding I can presuppose. Actually, in the case of (re-)winding your own ribbon transformer, I guess I went a little further than most readers could be expected to follow.

On the other hand, I trust the more skilled readers to do their own thinking and improve upon the stuff I suggest. Plus, you have to keep in mind that a DIY project has to make sense on an economical level. You can always use a bigger, better, and more expensive transformer, but at some point you might as well buy a commercial product such as Radial's. Moreover, the more complicated a design gets the more time I will have to spend on helping people to troubleshoot their stuff.

Still, the box as described is a cool project and a very useful tool, once it's finished. Same goes for the ribbon booster, although I can't take credit for the design. I use both PRR's booster and the current project in exactly the form they are described in the respective articles.

Regarding an XLR input, most recording interfaces simply don't have XLR outputs (except maybe for AES/EBU). And of course for an XLR mounting hole you need a big fat stepped or conical drill that would have doubled the total cost of the box. :roll:

 

[clintrubber]

[quote author="Rossi"][quote author="clintrubber"]Your shameless self promo fine by me, but next time don't wait this long before posting :wink:
While I wasn't expecting to still find it this late in the month, I did found one, the last one.[/quote]

Sorry about that, but I figured it would take some time before the mag hits the foreign newsstands, plus I was working at the Frankfurt Musikmesse and had to write a 6-page report right after the show, while everybody else was recuperating.[/quote]
Please don't apologize, as you know it's just that magazines are usually gone fairly quickly - if it isn't for all of them being sold then it'll be because the new issue is already present (like for instance an April issue appearing on 60% of the preceeding month)

[quote author="clintrubber"]BTW, had expected to see a RM700 in the pics, but I figure it's a ribbon-mic (BD) nevertheless, right ?

I don't have the mag around, but I think I used a M160 for the photo.[/quote]
Looks like one. But it's only a good thing that you didn't exactly remember, it'll mean you have more than a few possibilities around :wink:

 

[Rossi]

[quote author="clintrubber"]...if it isn't for all of them being sold then it'll be because the new issue is already present (like for instance an April issue appearing on 60% of the preceeding month)
[/quote]

Not Sound & Recording; the April issue is bound to appear on April 4th. People kept complaining about the mag appearing in the preceding month, so when Keyboards Magazine was divided into Keyboards [i.e keyboards only] and Sound & Recording, the publishers responded to that. We now call each month by its true name. :grin:

[quote author="Rossi"]I don't have the mag around, but I think I used a M160 for the photo.[/quote]
[quote author="clintrubber"]Looks like one. But it's only a good thing that you didn't exactly remember, it'll mean you have more than a few possibilities around :wink:[/quote]

I do. :green: Among notorious guitar mics I also have a nice Sennheiser MD409 for instance plus the inevitable SM57, a Beyer M201 and various other dynamics as well as an AKG C414EB. But what I end up using is usually either the Beyer M160 or (more often) the cheapo t.bone RM700. The Beyer gets more exposure as it looks more convincing on pictures. Not only because it is more expensive (and people do judge you by what you can afford!) but also because it more obviously points to the source.

 

[clintrubber]

[quote author="Rossi"][quote author="clintrubber"]...if it isn't for all of them being sold then it'll be because the new issue is already present (like for instance an April issue appearing on 60% of the preceeding month)
[/quote]

Not Sound & Recording; the April issue is bound to appear on April 4th. People kept complaining about the mag appearing in the preceding month, so when Keyboards Magazine was divided into Keyboards [i.e keyboards only] and Sound & Recording, the publishers responded to that. We now call each month by its true name. :grin: [/quote]
Nice initiative, more mags should follow ! And the early pulling from the shelves might indeed have been with KM a while (some two years ?) ago.
Can imagine that there's a certain flow in magazine-land though, dictating the calendar.

[quote author="Rossi"]But what I end up using is usually either the Beyer M160 or (more often) the cheapo t.bone RM700.[/quote]
Nice collection !
FWIW, I only fairly recently saw that the shape of the RM700 seems to date back to the Neumann M7.

[quote author="Rossi"]The Beyer gets more exposure as it looks more convincing on pictures. Not only because it is more expensive (and people do judge you by what you can afford!) but also because it more obviously points to the source.[/quote]
Could understand that, various people will recognize the mic and relate the value of the article to it :wink: :roll:

Bye,

Peter

 

[lofi]

i speak no German, and less french ... my school considered latin a fine language to learn, me myself and i told the school they were talking out of their arse, they sat down and i never made sense of what they said afterwards

that means that if this isnt available in very very very simple english, i aint gonna understand it.

Iain

 

[clintrubber]

[quote author="lofi"]that means that if this isnt available in very very very simple english, i aint gonna understand it.

Iain[/quote]
Some apologies for stating the obvious, but a few not unimportant languages skip words, so are universal

Circuit-schematics being one of them...