Reamping Guitar: 7 Easy Steps to Reamp With or Without a Reamp Box 2026

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Reamping guitar means recording a clean, direct (DI) signal, then playing that recording back out through a real amp or pedals and recording the result. You’ll need a DI box or interface instrument input to record, plus a reamp box to convert the line-level output back to guitar level and impedance. Then you can change the tone after the performance. You can also reamp into an amp sim with a cab IR instead of a real speaker.

Reamping guitar separates the performance from the tone. You can nail the take now and choose the amp, pedals and mic later, which is why it’s a staple of pro studios and a powerful upgrade to any home recording studio setup.

This guide explains reamping guitar step by step, how to do it with or without a dedicated reamp box, and what gear works best. It builds on our guide to recording electric guitar at home, and it’s the same technique used to capture amps for the Neural Amp Modeler.

Reamping Guitar Gear: Quick Picks

Pick	Who it’s for	Skip it if
Radial ProRMP	Best passive reamp box for home studios	You need to drive long cable runs to pedals	Check price on Amazon
Radial X-Amp	Best active reamp box	You only need the basics	Check price on Amazon
ART Dual RDB	Budget passive alternative	You want an active reamper with extra tone controls	Check price on Amazon
Radial JDI	Best DI box for recording the clean track	You only use your interface’s instrument input	Check price on Amazon
Behringer ULTRA-DI DI100	Cheapest DI with a thru output	You want premium build quality	Check price on Amazon

Why Try Reamping Guitar Tracks?

• Change your mind later. Try a different amp, mic or pedal without asking the player to perform again.
• Record quietly, amplify later. Track at night with headphones and an amp sim, then reamp through a real amp during the day.
• Fix tone problems. If the original amp sound was too fizzy or too dark, reamp the DI with better settings.
• Blend tones. Send the same DI to two amps and blend them for a huge sound.
• Capture amps. Reamping is how NAM and other capture systems send their test signals through real gear.
• Treat other instruments. Reamp drums, synths or vocals through a guitar amp or pedals for creative textures.

The reamping guitar technique isn’t just for guitarists, either. Bass players reamp too. A clean bass DI sent through a tube bass amp or a drive pedal can add grit that blends beautifully with the original DI, which is a standard rock bass sound. Our guide on how to record bass at home covers that blend in detail.

How Reamping Guitar Works

To understand reamping guitar, start with levels. A guitar puts out a high-impedance, unbalanced, instrument-level signal. An interface output sends a low-impedance, balanced, line-level signal, which is much hotter. Plugging the interface output straight into an amp can overdrive its input, raise noise and change the tone, because amps and pedals react to the impedance of what’s plugged into them.

A reamp box solves this by converting the line output back to guitar level and impedance, often with a transformer that isolates grounds to prevent hum. Radial describes this on its ProRMP product page.

Step-by-Step: Reamping Guitar at Home

1. Record the DI. Plug your guitar into a DI box or your interface’s instrument input and record a clean track. Monitor through an amp sim so you can play with feel, but record only the dry DI. Aim for peaks around −12 dBFS.
3. Connect the reamp chain. Interface output (balanced TRS or XLR) → reamp box input → reamp box output → pedals or amp input.
4. Mic or capture the amp. Put a mic such as a Shure SM57 on the speaker, or use a load box’s line out, and connect it to another interface input.
6. Route the DI track to the output the reamp box is connected to. Don’t route it to the main mix, or you’ll hear it in your monitors.
7. Set levels. Play the DI and adjust the reamp box’s level control until the amp reacts like it does with the guitar plugged straight in. A/B by ear against playing live.
9. Record the reamped track on a new track, with the DI playing out of the reamp output.
10. Align the tracks. The reamped track will be a few milliseconds late because of the round trip. Nudge it back, or use your DAW’s latency compensation or external-hardware plugin. See recording latency explained.

All About Re-amping Using a Radial Reamp Box in the Studio

Reamping Without a Reamp Box

Reamping without a reamp box is possible, and many people get usable results. Just know the trade-offs:

Method	How	Pros	Cons
Interface output, turned down	Run a TS cable from a line output to the amp, with the output level very low	Free	Hum, impedance mismatch and a different feel
Interface with a dedicated reamp output	Some interfaces include an instrument-level reamp output	Proper levels, no extra box	Only on certain interfaces
DI box used backwards	Feed a passive DI’s XLR output with line level and take the 1/4 in. input to the amp	Uses gear you may own	Unreliable levels; not designed for it
Amp sim or capture plugins	Load an amp sim or NAM capture on the DI instead	Silent, free, instant	Not a real amp

If you go without a reamp box, start with the output level all the way down, and turn the amp’s volume down too, before you press play. A sudden line-level blast can be very loud and can stress speakers. Lift grounds safely by using the amp and interface on the same power strip, never by removing a ground pin. Reamping a loud tube amp at home? A load box or tube amp attenuator keeps the volume under control.

Reamp Box: Passive vs Active

	Passive reamp box	Active reamp box
Power	None	Needs power
Typical features	Level, ground lift	Level, ground lift, polarity, multiple outputs
Long cables and pedalboards	Fine for short runs	Better at driving long runs and pedals
Price	Lower	Higher
Example	Radial ProRMP	Radial X-Amp

For reamping guitar in most home studios, a passive reamp box is all you need. Choose an active one, like the Radial X-Amp, if you’ll drive long cables, large pedalboards or two amps at once.

Best Reamp and DI Boxes for Reamping Guitar

1. Radial ProRMP – Best passive reamp box for home studios

The ProRMP is a passive reamp box. It takes a balanced line signal from your interface and converts it to an unbalanced, high-impedance, guitar-level signal for your amp. It has a level control and a ground lift to kill hum, and it needs no power.

• Type: Passive
• Input: XLR/TRS balanced line
• Output: 1/4 in. instrument level
• Extras: Level control, ground lift

Pros: No power needed; Affordable; Built like a tank. Cons: Single output.

Radial ProRMP: