Recording guitar on pc

[pontifex]

What is the easiest and cheapest way to record guitar onto a PC directly (not using a microphone which may pick up other sounds)?

 

[Gooberlx2]

http://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-3-5mm-Stereo-6-35mm-Adaptor/dp/B003R70OA4/

Might sound like ass though, I dunno.

 

[Crusty]

http://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-3-5mm-Stereo-6-35mm-Adaptor/dp/B003R70OA4/

Might sound like ass though, I dunno.

Yes it will.

Need more info from OP really, what gear do you already have?

 

[dr150]

Don't go so cheap--you'll regret it. Save up for proper quality.

Get an iRig or Focusrite.

 

[Imp]

Way in over my head here... but people use Garage Band for music. Apple has a help page on how to connect a guitar to Garage Band.

 

[DigDog]

you will need an input box, such as this
http://www.gear4music.com/Recording-and-Computers/M-Audio-M-Track-USB-Audio-Interface/14EH
and a recording software. probably reaper. http://www.reaper.fm/

 

[Platypus]

Get yourself a decent USB audio interface, they usually come with lite versions of recording software. What kind of guitar? What OS on your computer? What's the most you want to spend?

 

[Red Squirrel]

You'll probably want a preamp, so you can record at a lower level and not pickup as much noise at the sound card level. Though you could try plugging in directly to see what you get.

 

[gorcorps]

Something like this :
Line 6 POD Studio GX https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001EHWD0I/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_tFhlxbSZM3BRQ

The software it uses gives you a lot of options to get the sound you want.

 

[DigDog]

except, not the line6 pod - that thing is garbage.
he did say "something like this".

as for the preamp, they are called DI boxes, but the Audio Interface takes care of preamping too.

 

[gorcorps]

except, not the line6 pod - that thing is garbage.
he did say "something like this".

as for the preamp, they are called DI boxes, but the Audio Interface takes care of preamping too.

What's the better option? I'm generally curious as I've used Line 6 products in the past and have been generally happy, though they usually have something fail a number of years down the road.

 

[pontifex]

I actually have 0 gear at the moment, well except a Peavey amp from the early 2000s. I tried to learn guitar back then but got frustrated and sold the guitar.

Thought about trying it again and going with a cheap guitar from monoprice. Although i have been messing around with magix music maker and i like "space music" like stuff you might hear on Hearts of Space, so i thought maybe if i dont really know how to play i can still make some interesting sounds of my own.

 

[TechBoyJK]

What's your budget?

There's quite a few basic 2 channel (stereo) usb audio interfaces that will sound great.

For less than $100, I'd recommend the Presonus AudioBox

Otherwise, get a FocusRite.

 

[DigDog]

What's the better option? I'm generally curious as I've used Line 6 products in the past and have been generally happy, though they usually have something fail a number of years down the road.

ok, to be 100% honest, i have second-hand info from technicians who cite line 6 as the most common and worst sounding guitar gear. but as they are professionals, i trust them .. however i have never used one myself. i have used other all-in-one preamps / digital effects boxes and have always been disappointed.

now, for recording, you really just need the I/O box, which generally preamps as well. you might want to add your own preamp as they "make the sound better", but i prefer to work with a line level and add effects from my DAW.
generally, the industry standard for input boxes is the M-Audio 2x2. it's cheap ($100) and completely noise and lag free.

for effects, i would recommend a minimum of a specific pedal for each. even the much maligned BOSS are actually pretty decent.

now, digi pedals such as the Zoom, or Line 6, generally sound ..ok .. if you keep the volume low; if you turn it up, you'll see that they mangle the sound. If you are exiting to headphones, you'll probably not hear it, but plug it into a marshall and you'll see what i mean. And they disappear in the mix.

honestly, i recommend anyone who wants to play guitar, to just get a job, and buy a fender cabinet. $1200 one. it will last you for your entire life, and the Twin Reverb are super-versatile. Both the preamp and the equalizer can be set to any setting and they will always throw out a good sound, and they change dramatically. Essentially you have at least 4 totally distinct tones to work with, and then you can use the DAW to fine-touch it.

 

[Spydermag68]

OP, if you are wanting to learn how to play a guitar. Then I suggest trying Rocksmith 2014. I have been using it for the past 18 months and can play 2 songs and several other riffs. This with only playing about 45 minutes a night.

 

[Humpy]

For cheap and easy a Pod, one of the equivalent Boss floor units, or a small practice amp with built in effects, are a perfect choice for starting out. Plug in a guitar, fiddle with some knobs, and start playing. Hook it up to a computer when the occasional inspiration hits.

If the goal is learning guitar, and sometimes recording, then in general all the other stuff, like recording interfaces, software, preamps, and microphones, will likely just be a distraction.


​

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

I use Line 6 gear for home recording, and it's ok. It's a trade off between ease-of-use and quality of tone. I think it's perfectly useable for a beginner.

To be clear, I'm talking about direct recording to a PC audio interface. The actual live sounds of the Line 6 amps is fairly awful, in my experience.

Having said that, I think the best place to start on guitar is an acoustic. You can quickly learn the "cowboy chords" and cover tons of songs which I think is useful to stave off boredom and frustration. Play the songs you like to hear, and you'll enjoy learning them. Moving later to an electric will be pretty easy, whereas learning on an electric and then trying to pick up acoustic will be somewhat difficult because of the increased finger strength an acoustic typically requires.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

I use a PODxt as the interface between the guitar and the computer and then Audacity to record. Don't cheap out on the interface, it will really only lead to frustration.

 

[pontifex]

What's your budget?

There's quite a few basic 2 channel (stereo) usb audio interfaces that will sound great.

For less than $100, I'd recommend the Presonus AudioBox

Otherwise, get a FocusRite.

i really don't have a budget, so that's why i said cheapest and was thinking about 1 of the cheap monoprice guitars that are around $100.
just something i thought about last night.

 

[TechBoyJK]

The monoprice guitars are very, very well priced for what you get.

You almost certainly need to get it 'setup' before playing it. It's worth the $50 to have a tech get the action and intonation up to snuff because it can really effect the playability.

I think that plus RockSmith/adapter would be a great way to get started.

 

[clamum]

Looks like one of those Focusrite Scarlett Solos can be had for $99 from several places. I've been thinking about getting back into guitar myself and having a way to record wouldn't be too bad.

Also, I second the recommendation to pick up Rocksmith 2014. I've only put a few hours into it, but man what an excellent tool for learning and practicing.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

These are getting really good reviews on gear forums among apartment/bedroom players. Comes with software, too.

http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-THR10-Amplifier-Production-Software/dp/B006QLW5XC

 

[nakedfrog]

i really don't have a budget, so that's why i said cheapest and was thinking about 1 of the cheap monoprice guitars that are around $100.
just something i thought about last night.

If you want cheapest, I'd say get either a Behringer UCG102 or one of the clones on ebay (I imagine the clones are probably made in the same factory anyway...)
Is it great? Probably not.
Cheap? Yes.
Enough to play around with and see if you want to buy something better? I'm inclined to think so.
Official units are $40, clones are like $10.

 

[pontifex]

Watched a bunch of youtube reviews on the monoprice guitars. Seem pretty decent for the price. Just purchased:
Monoprice Route 66 Modern Solid Body Electric Guitar - Black $119.99
(come with case, strings, strap, and truss rod wrench) - case looks shitty and I the reviews seemed to indicate the strings are too, but thats stuff thats easy to get later.

10 ft cable $6.33
12 pack picks $1.99
Guitar stand $6.54

Total came out to 134.85 but today they are having a sale if you spend $100 or more you get $20 off plus free shipping.

So everything for $114.85 shipped.

Hopefully the amp I have still works.

I checked out Rocksmith too and that seems really cool, so I'll probably buy that as well.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

Watched a bunch of youtube reviews on the monoprice guitars. Seem pretty decent for the price. Just purchased:
Monoprice Route 66 Modern Solid Body Electric Guitar - Black $119.99
(come with case, strings, strap, and truss rod wrench) - case looks shitty and I the reviews seemed to indicate the strings are too, but thats stuff thats easy to get later.

10 ft cable $6.33
12 pack picks $1.99
Guitar stand $6.54

Total came out to 134.85 but today they are having a sale if you spend $100 or more you get $20 off plus free shipping.

So everything for $114.85 shipped.

Hopefully the amp I have still works.

I checked out Rocksmith too and that seems really cool, so I'll probably buy that as well.

What do you know about the model of Peavey amp that you have? The Peavey Bandit, for example, is favored pretty highly for a solid state amp. A couple of pedals in front of that thing and you'd have a decent array of tones. Getting them into your PC is another matter, however.

This little unit makes a good amp simulator for going direct to a recording interface:

http://www.amazon.com/Joyo-JF-14-American-Amplifier-Simulation/dp/B007L0CH8K

But it's bare-bones, no cool effects like overdrive/modulation/delay, etc built in. It's what you run your effects pedals INTO before going direct.