When it comes to recording electric guitar, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Amp sims and real amps each offer their own strengths, and the best choice often depends on your setup, your goals, and how you like to work.
Amp sims are incredibly convenient. You don’t need a loud amp, treated room, or even much extra gear, just plug your guitar into your interface and load up a plugin. They’re ideal for home recording, where space and volume are limited, and they make it easy to explore different tones quickly. With built-in presets, consistent results and the flexibility to tweak your sound after recording, amp sims can help you stay focused on making music.
Recording a real amp, on the other hand, brings something different to the table. There’s an organic feel and depth that comes from the interaction between your guitar, amp, mic, and room. You’ve got more control over the physical side of the sound — and if you’ve already got a tone dialled in from rehearsals or gigs, capturing it directly makes a lot of sense. Just keep in mind the extra setup, gear, and volume demands that come with miking up an amp.
For many guitarists, the best results come from combining both methods. You might use your amps for your core sound, then when it comes to adding overdubs, lead parts, or effected guitars amp sims might offer you more flexibility. Or, you might record a miked amp and a direct signal at the same time, using a DI box to split the signal — one feed to your amp, one to your interface. That gives you the freedom to blend tones or reamp the DI later, sending it through different amps or sims until you find the right fit.
Whether you’re working from a bedroom studio or a pro space, knowing your options means you can choose the right tool for the job — or better yet, use both.
After covering the pros and cons of each method, it’s worth noting you don’t have to pick just one. Combining amp sims and real amps gives you flexibility and creative control — here’s how to do it.
Note
To do this, you need a DI box to split the signal before you record. These can be quite affordable in most cases.
A common approach is to record two signals at the same time: one from a mic on your real amp, and one direct signal (also called a ‘DI’) into your interface. This gives you options later. You can use the mic’d amp sound for warmth and character, and blend it with the DI track processed through an amp sim for extra clarity or punch.
Diagram of guitar > DI box > Amp and interface
Tip
This is a very common practice for bass recording.
Using both a DI and amp for bass captures the clean, punchy low-end from the DI while adding warmth, character, and grit from the amp. This blend gives more tonal control in the mix and ensures a solid, reliable bass sound especially useful if the amp tone isn’t quite cutting through or needs reinforcing.
You can also reamp the DI track later. This means sending it back out to your real amp, trying different mic positions or settings, and recording it again. Or, you can just try different amp sims on the DI'd recording until you find the sound that fits your track.
This setup gives you more flexibility in the mix. Real amps can sound rich and full, but amp sims make it easy to tweak things after recording. Using both means you’re not locked into one sound — perfect for home recording, where experimenting is part of the fun.
Reamping is a powerful technique that lets you revisit and reshape your guitar tone after the performance is recorded.
First, record a dry signal (DI) directly into your interface using a DI box. This captures your clean guitar sound, free from effects or amp character.
Later, send that DI playback out of your interface into a reamp box. This box converts the balanced, low‑impedance line‑level signal into a high‑impedance guitar‑level signal, ideal for feeding into your amp input. The amp then plays the DI signal as if you were playing live, and you mic the amp to capture the tone.
This signal flows from:
DAW > interface > reamp box input > reamp box output > amp input > mic > interface mic input > DAW.
This gives you creative control. Want to tweak your amp settings, try different pedals, or change mic placement? You can—without re‑performing the part. The guide even suggests using your DAW’s I/O tools to align tracks and avoid re‑recording your original DI. That means your performance is locked in, while the sound remains flexible.
Reamping allows you to nail a riff first, then refine the tone at your leisure—perfect for experimentation and fit in your mix.
Do you need a reamp box?
Reamp boxes are quite a specialised tool but if you want to get into reamping, the short answer is yes.
A reamp box converts line‑level, balanced outputs into guitar‑level, high‑impedance signals. It matches signal level and impedance so pedals and amps respond as they would to a real guitar.
Without a reamp box, you can get mismatches, noise, or poor tone—especially with vintage amps or fuzz pedals.
Alternatively, if you have one already, you could use a buffered pedal or passive DI box in reverse as a makeshift reamp box. This is handy for a low-cost setup but may have problems.
Ultimately, you can start without a reamp box—just lower the DAW output and monitor carefully. For better tone, consistency, and reduced noise, a proper reamp box makes a noticeable difference. It’s not essential, but it gives you greater control over amp interaction and sound quality.
For more information, see this video: youtube.com/watch?v=b1O_5gaX4-s