What Is Reamping?

Reamping is the process of taking a clean recorded instrument signal — usually a direct (DI) guitar or bass track — and sending it back out of your interface, through a real amplifier and speaker, and recording the result again. It lets you record a clean performance once and shape the amp tone later, with full freedom to retry settings without re-playing.

Quick answer

Reamping means: record a clean DI of your guitar, then later play that DI track out of your DAW, convert it back to an instrument-level signal with a reamp box, run it into an amp, mic the amp, and record the new amplified sound. You get a perfect performance plus unlimited tone tweaking after the fact.

Why reamp?

• Commit to the performance, not the tone. Capture the take you love, then chase the amp sound separately.
• Try unlimited amp and mic options without asking the player to perform again.
• Fix tone problems in mixing. If the recorded amp tone does not fit the mix, reamp the clean DI through a better setting.
• Use amps you did not have at tracking time — rent, borrow or revisit later.

This is why many engineers always record a clean DI alongside any amped guitar. It is the same clean-capture idea behind recording guitar without an amp.

How reamping works step by step

1. Record a clean DI. Plug your guitar into your interface’s instrument input (or a DI box) and record the dry signal to a track.
2. Send the DI back out. Route that track to a spare output on your interface.
3. Convert with a reamp box. The line-level output from your interface is too hot and the wrong impedance for an amp input, so a reamp box converts it back to an instrument-level, high-impedance signal.
4. Feed the amp. Plug the reamp box output into your amplifier as if it were your guitar.
5. Mic and record. Place a mic on the speaker and record the amplified sound to a new track, exactly as in recording electric guitar.
6. Repeat as needed. Change amp, settings or mic and run the DI again until it sits right.

Gear you need to reamp

• A clean DI recording of the instrument.
• An audio interface with a spare output. See how to set up an audio interface.
• A reamp box. A passive device that matches level and impedance. The Radial X-Amp (active) and Radial ProRMP (passive) are common examples; some interfaces include a dedicated reamp output.
• An amp, a mic and a treated space. Acoustic basics matter for the mic’d part — see acoustic treatment for home studios.

A reamp box is essentially the reverse of a DI box: a DI box turns an instrument signal into a balanced line signal, while a reamp box turns a line signal back into an instrument-level one the amp expects. Skipping it and plugging a line output straight into an amp usually gives a harsh, mismatched tone.

Reamping without an amp

You can also “reamp” entirely in software by sending the clean DI through amp-simulation plugins, with no physical amp or reamp box required. This is the most accessible route for home producers: record the DI, then audition amp sims until you find the tone. The recorded clean track is the only essential ingredient.

Reamping in your mix

Because reamping happens after tracking, treat it as part of your mixing decisions. Match the reamped tone to the arrangement, manage levels with good gain staging, and blend the result using the fundamentals in EQ and compression. Explore more in our recording techniques hub.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a reamp box to reamp?

For reamping through a real amplifier, yes — a reamp box matches the line-level output of your interface to the instrument-level, high-impedance input an amp expects. If you reamp entirely with amp-sim plugins inside your DAW, you do not need one.

What is the difference between a DI box and a reamp box?

They work in opposite directions. A DI box converts a high-impedance instrument signal into a balanced line signal for recording. A reamp box converts a line-level signal from your interface back into an instrument-level signal so it can drive an amp.

Is reamping with plugins as good as using a real amp?

Modern amp-sim plugins are excellent and convenient, and many releases use them. A real amp in a good room can still offer feel and air that some players prefer. Recording a clean DI keeps both doors open, which is the whole point of reamping.