Members jds22 Posted December 28, 2010 Members Share Posted December 28, 2010 I'm thinking about getting some hardware so I can record guitar to my PC. I'm looking for cheap and easy. I'd also like to be able to jam along with tunes and be able to hear myself thru my PC speakers if that is an option. Any ideas on what to look for? How about the Line 6 stuff? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Prages Posted December 28, 2010 Members Share Posted December 28, 2010 Depends on how in depth you want to get. If you're just looking to get some guitar tracks onto a backing track, those Line 6 jobbers should do fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jds22 Posted December 28, 2010 Author Members Share Posted December 28, 2010 Depends on how in depth you want to get. If you're just looking to get some guitar tracks onto a backing track, those Line 6 jobbers should do fine. Yeah, about that deep. I like to record along with backing tracks just for fun and to hear how well I can pull it off. Can I hear myself in real time thru my PC speakers or do I have to use the line out on the device? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members undergod12 Posted December 28, 2010 Members Share Posted December 28, 2010 In order to give yourself some future-proofing, Id recommend a minimum of a 2 in - 2 out interface with dual XLR inputs. That way you can pull off recording acoustic guitar and vocals at the same time or stereo acoustic guitar tracks. If you need a mic to get started, I just picked up this Electro-Voice PL84 that Sam Ash is blowing out for $40. It sounds incredible on my voice and, with the grill removed, will probably work well on acoustic and cabs. You'll need an interface with phantom power to make it work though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Prages Posted December 28, 2010 Members Share Posted December 28, 2010 Yeah, about that deep. I like to record along with backing tracks just for fun and to hear how well I can pull it off. Can I hear myself in real time thru my PC speakers or do I have to use the line out on the device? I've never used one of the Line 6 interfaces, but you should be able to hear yourself real time through computer speakers. They'll usually have a 'mix' knob or something that lets you mix a pre-recorded track with the track you're recording in real time so you can hear what you're recording. An interface would be pretty useless if you couldn't do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chrisjnyc Posted December 28, 2010 Members Share Posted December 28, 2010 Pick up a M-Audio Mobile Pre... It's got USB2 input2 out. You get one for about $70-80 used. Or $110 new. Also, check out Audacity. It's the free version of pro tools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wagdog Posted December 28, 2010 Members Share Posted December 28, 2010 I'm having great luck recording guitar w/the fender mustang 1. As far as hearing the guitar at the same time through the PC speakers though, that isn't happening. What I am hearing is the guitar through the mustang speaker, going into the pc via usb. Then I play back what I just recorded through the PC speakers and overdub again through the USB. Having the mustang going through the USB and out the PC speakers, I'm getting a bit of latency. It might be that I have a slow PC though (which I do). What I was thinking of doing was taking the headphone output of the PC into a mixer, and the headphone output of the mustang into the same mixer, mixing that into some headphones and recording like that. I'm thinking that would solve the latency issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesguitar65 Posted December 28, 2010 Members Share Posted December 28, 2010 Forget the line6 interface. You get better results and not as limiting with M-Audio fast track interface. You will need a couple of mics, at least one Shure SM57. You get a free pro tools program with the M-audio interface, a program commonly used and compatible with many interfaces, unlike what line6 uses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jds22 Posted December 28, 2010 Author Members Share Posted December 28, 2010 Forget the line6 interface. You get better results and not as limiting with M-Audio fast track interface. You will need a couple of mics, at least one Shure SM57. You get a free pro tools program with the M-audio interface, a program commonly used and compatible with many interfaces, unlike what line6 uses.Like thisWhy would I need I mic? Can't I just plug straight into the box?Also what about some type of amp emulation software? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members undergod12 Posted December 28, 2010 Members Share Posted December 28, 2010 Yeah, about that deep. I like to record along with backing tracks just for fun and to hear how well I can pull it off. Can I hear myself in real time thru my PC speakers or do I have to use the line out on the device? You'll want to plug your computer speakers into the output of the interface. The interface will run at lower latencies (less delay) than the built in drivers for your computer. You may notice general music playback sounds better too. If you find yourself getting serious about it, you'll want to ditch the computer speakers ASAP. I saw that a couple of places were blowing out pairs of M-Audio BX5's for around $150/pair in November. If you can find a pair for that price, get them - you'll never go back to computer monitors again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesguitar65 Posted December 28, 2010 Members Share Posted December 28, 2010 Like this Why would I need I mic? Can't I just plug straight into the box? Also what about some type of amp emulation software? Sometimes micing your amp with a good mic sounds better than the amp models from the software. Many guitar players choose to mic their amps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members undergod12 Posted December 28, 2010 Members Share Posted December 28, 2010 Also what about some type of amp emulation software? There is a ton of freeware that you can host in a DAW like Reaper (which has an unlimited, fully functional trial period). When I'm not using Guitar Rig, I've had excellent results using various free preamp modules such as those by Acme Bar Gig, coupled with cab impulse responses (lots of free ones to download here) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jds22 Posted December 28, 2010 Author Members Share Posted December 28, 2010 Sometimes micing your amp with a good mic sounds better than the amp models from the software. Many guitar players choose to mic their amps.Agreed but my amp is in the basement and my PC is upstairs. Although I guess I could use a mic and dime the amp since I won't be sitting right in front of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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