How do I record guitar?

Question

I want to make a guitar album - mixed with other tracks,
I don't mind if I record onto PC or onto recording hardware.

Can anyone tell me what hardware/software I need to record guitar and then mix it with other tracks to burn onto CD so it sounds professional?

Ok I do go to guitar shops but I would like to remove their 'commission motive' please. They keep wanting to sell sell sell.

I just want to play play play - not pay pay pay!

Answer 1

I use a program called cakewalk, you would probably need a small mixer too, so you can use a mic or line in for your guitar.
hope that helps.

Oh also good soundcard would help, at least 24bit

Answer 2

If you play electric, check out Line6's Guitarport. It comes with recording software as well as modeling for guitar sounds.

Keep in mind that if you want a truly professional sounding product you should get help from a professional. There's a lot of "do it yourself" gear on the market right now which have low end mic pres and analog-digital converters, so no matter how much work you put into it will never have a real professional sound. A good engineer/mixer will make a huge difference between a home demo that someone might listen to once or twice, and a professional product that you can market and sell.

You can even check with your local University - there's a lot of professional training programs with high-end equipment (and students with a lot of training, but just need experience working with musicians).

Answer 3

You can actually record stuff yourself and get good results, although I would have somebody professional mix it for you. You are too close to the music to be effective at this, and your ears will be "tired."

There are even some free programs that can help do this. I use a combination of Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/) and Quartz Studio Free (http://www.digitalsoundplanet.com )

Learning how to use them effectively, though has taken years of practise. I did not get good results at first - you really have to be prepared to read a lot about it, do a lot of experimenting, and then asking questions when you have trouble getting the results you want.

One thing I did that I think helped - I got a portastudio type of device. These - and you can find them at music stores - are hardware recorders that record onto Flash memory cards. They are a little easier to learn to use then software, and are probably the least frustrating entry point into the world of home recording.

Answer 4

Just get a 1/4 to 1/8 jack cable, plug the 1/4 jack to the guitar and the 1/8 to the mic input on your computer. Then just run something like audacity or mixcraft to get distortion

Answer 5

go to guitar center for ideas and the best way to accomplish this.