What do I need to record my music from guitar and amp to the computer?

Question

I want to record my own live music on to the computer and the mic Jack is obviously too small for my mic please advise me what i need all help appreciated.

Answer 1

There are several ways of recording your guitar directly onto the hard drive of your computer. If you play an electric guitar, then the simplest way is to connect the headphone/line out from your amp to the line in of your soundcard. All you need to do this is a Computer Guitar Cable which has a standard jack on one end, and a mini-jack on the other. You can try out how this sounds by using the built-in Windows sound recorder software (it's in the Start Menu->Accessories->Entertainment->Sound Recorder).

You can also experiment by plugging your electric guitar directly into the mic-in socket on your sound card. This will work but it may not give the high quality performance needed for a more professional sound. In general, electric guitars need a high impedance input, but although most computer soundcard's mic inputs have a high impedance, it is not as high as a normal guitar input. This lower impedance can result in quality problems.

To help you find your way around generally if the sockets on your sound card are colour coded then the microphone will be pink, the standard single channel line-out or headphone will be green, and line-in will be blue.

Griffin iMic If you have a generic sound card, then you may find that the recording quality is not too good. Ordinary sound cards are better at sound output than recording and will often produce noisy low-quality recordsings. You may also find that many laptops and macs do not have any line-in socket at all. If this is the case then a small cost but high quality option is to purchase a Griffin iMic , which works through your USB port and offers superior quality recording as it bypasses your generic soundcard's audio input. Note the Griffin iMic is not actually a microphone - it is an external sound card which has a line-in and mic-in socket and connects to your USB port, thus eliminating the need to use your generic computer soundcard's line and mic-in sockets and inferior recording abilities. You can also hook up your computer speakers to the output for an improved listening experience.
USB Audio Interfaces For Recording Guitar

M-Audio JamLab For the guitarist with a slightly bigger budget seeking a higher quality solution, there are a tremendous range of USB devices which have been specifically designed from the ground up to with your recording needs in mind. All of these eliminate the need to use your existing sound card for recording and provide a dedicated external solution with all the hardware and software you need to record your guitar. The entry-level USB device from M-Audio designed especially for the guitarist is the JamLab . JamLab turns your PC or Mac into a personal guitar system without the need for any other hardware except your favorite guitar. The compact M-Audio JamLab interface connects easily to your computer via a simple USB connection, and features a 1/4" input for your guitar and 1/8" headphone output. Plus it ships with a really good software package (GT Express) to get you going.

M-Audio Fast Track Hundreds of LapTop, Mac and PC workstation users have find that the M-Audio Fast-Track USB is the easiest way to record your guitar with professional results. Just connect MAudio Fast Track USB to the USB port of your computer and you're ready to rock. Fast Track USB has an input for instruments like guitar, bass and keyboards, plus a microphone input for recording vocals or other acoustic sounds. The included GT Player Express software gives you killer effects and virtual stomp boxes so you don't need any other gear to sound great. This device bypasses your built-in sound card to give a great result, you can listen to it through Headphones or powered speakers (monitors) , and you can also use it as your default audio output device so that it gives your whole audio set-up on your computer a complete upgrade. The perfect partner for the Fast Track is the Samson Q7 microphone , a robust and high quality mic if you want to record vocals too.

M-Audio Black Box Reloaded However, the real killer solution for rock guitarists is M-Audio's Black Box . What can we say? This was a fabulous product when it cost £200, but with the massive price drop to well under a £100, and with the firmware upgrade to incorporate so many more amp models, beats and effects it just isn't surprising this device is just flying out of the door. AND it has also got a dynamic mic input with pre-amp, so can be teamed up with the Samson Q7 microphone for vocals. What is more, you can use this fabulous device as a standalone unit, attached to your mic stand so it is a perfect gigging tool as well as the perfect solution for recording guitar and backings onto your PC, Mac, or Laptop.

Tascam US-122L MIDI/Audio Interface you know that you will want to combine MIDI tracks with your guitar recordings at some point, then there are also several high quality USB devices that combine both Audio and MIDI inputs and outputs and are perfect for the recording guitarist who wants a complete home studio solution on their PC or Mac. Newly arrived are the Tascam US-122L and Tascam US-144 USB devices. Because they are Tascam you know the audio quality is going to be pristine, and they install like a dream. Then there is also the Fast Track Pro , which has all the mobile recording flexibility of the M-Audio Fast-Track USB , plus even more professional features. You get 2 front-panel mic/line inputs complete with phantom power for condenser microphones, inserts for outboard effects balanced and unbalanced analog outputs, S/PDIF digital I/O, MIDI I/O, and more, so really is a great investment and offers so much recording punch for the money.
Firewire Solutions To Record A Guitar

M-Audio Firewire 410 If you want to experience the benefits of a Firewire Solution then the obvious starting point is the M-Audio Firewire Solo which is designed from the ground up as an easy-to-use, high-quality interface for songwriters to record guitar, vocal and more on the computer. The perfect partner for this would be the M-Audio Nova Condensor Mic , or again the trusty Samson Q7 dynamic mic . Or, if you have a bigger budget, then the M-Audio FireWire 410 is a FireWire-compatible audio/MIDI interface that has it all—power, flexibility, compact size and low price for such an all-round mobile recording solution. MAudio FireWire 410’s 4-in/10-out configuration complete with preamps is perfect for personal recording, routing discrete outputs to a mixer, or directly driving a surround sound system.
Using a Microphone to Record Your Guitar

M-Audio Nova Microphone Another option is to use a microphone to record the output of your amp (in the case of electric guitarists), or your acoustic guitar.

More information about recording using a microphone can be found in our sister article on connecting a microphone to your computer .
Upgrading Your PCI Sound Card

M-Audio Audiophile 2496 It may be that rather than using an external device you might choose to upgrade your sound card. Professional sound cards offer a considerable improvement over the recording capabilities of generic sound cards, and are also have the necessary drivers to reduce latency and help you get the most out of your music software. Plus they also have MIDI in/out as well. Either the M-Audio Audiophile 24/96 or the EMU-0404 offer pro-quality recording and playback. To record your guitar you will need to use in conjuction with a dedicated standalone pre-amp. A preamp is a device that amplifies the signal from your guitar to make it strong enough to be usable by the computer. The M-Audio Audio Buddy is a fabulous budget pre-amp which will do the job nicely and has the additional benefit of a 2 mic inputs (including phantom power switch if required) for the guitar player-singers among you.
Listening to the results

Studio Pro 4 Speakers With all the above guitar recording solutions you can monitor your results using headphones , but sooner or later it is likely you will want to play your masterpieces to your friends and family. Again, dedicated speakers will greatly enhance your music making experience, and there are speakers at a range of price points which will work well whichever route you opt for.
Guitar Recording Software

Once you are getting a satisfactory recording from your guitar, then our top selling Guitar Tracks Pro recording software is great for recording and then adding backing tracks. Alternatively you may well find you can create pro results using any of our sequencing software packages especially if you wish to incorporate MIDI tracks too.

Answer 2

Plug your guitar and microphone into your amp then buy a cheap mic with a mini jack connector and plug that into your sound card. Download the free audacity software from audacity install and run. Click file. .new select sampling rate ..etc. . Place the mic in front of the speaker cabinet , press record and start singing and playing. when you have finished your song press stop , do some editing , remove silences add reverb etc, when you re happy with it Save as .wav or Mp3.

Answer 3

Line out Aux cable should do the trick. Aux cables are easy to come by and you should be able to get an adapter for the amp in your local music shop.

Answer 4

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Good Bye