A Culmination of Research (and a question)

[imjq87]

Recently I've begun to seriously consider recording my riffs and whatnot from my electric guitar and bass to my computer. I keep seeing people who record onto their computers via microphone, but I don't necessarily want to do that. (Although, it's starting to seem that's what I'm going to have to settle for.)

I've been researching this idea of home recording, and have inadvertently stumbled upon a plethora of information I had no idea existed. Audio/speaker jargon that only confused me more. Basically I just want what everyone else probably wants: decent quality, moderately low prices, and overall comprehension of what I'm doing.

I discovered GuitarPort ($100), as well as GuitarPort w/ Riff Tracker ($190), but GuitarPort seems to be able to record your own music accidentally, and the other one is just too expensive for my budget, just so I can record some ideas. Plus, if I did end up buying either one, it would be solely for the purpose of recording my own material, thus wasting most of the program's purpose. It's more aimed at people who want to critique their skills or "play along with the pros."

I am aware of multi-track recorders, but I'd rather not mess with cassettes, and (yet again) the recorders with CD drives are even more expensive than GuitarPort.

I am also aware of the free program Audacity, and already checked it out, realizing it is the yin to my unknowable yang of home recording.

My main goal in all this is to have an adapter similar to (if not exactly like) GuitarPort's.....guitar port, except without the expensive software that comes with it. I don't need all that shit, I just want to be able to record directly to my computer, then use Audacity to mess with it. That's all.

So I guess my question would be, does such an adapter exist?

 

[scrubs]

Well, this is a complicated question that comes up frequently on this board. There are basically 2 schools of thought:

1. Recording direct -- Basically, plugging your guitar into some sort of amplification device, which is then connected to your recorder/soundcard/computer. There are a couple of problems with this. Namely, the guitar generally sounds best through a speaker, especially when you're dealing with distortion. If you were to just run a line out from your amplifier and/or pedals to the soundcard, it would most likely sound like ass. That's why devices like the Guitar Port, Tone Port, Pod, V-Amp, Sans-Amp, J-station, etc. exist; They are designed to "simulate" the sound of an amplifier and speaker cabinet, through hardware and/or software. They often contain models of several famous amplifiers so you can approximate those tones(probably close enough for just laying down demos in your spare bedroom...although some major artists sometimes record with these devices, too).

2. Miking an amp -- Getting a microphone (like the shure sm57) and placing it in front of your amp. The mic will run into a preamplifier, which can connect to your soundcard. This is generally the preferred method for recording guitars, particularly if you have a good sounding amplifier. IMO, there is something about the movement of the speaker cone and the microphone diaphragm in response to the sound that is difficult to replicate with an amp modeler/simulator. However, this method is generally more expensive from an equipment standpoint and certainly more noisy.

So, in summary, I would not recommend just plugging your guitar directly into the computer. If you want a variety of tones and superior sound quality is not paramount, get one of the modelers (the guitar port seems like a decent choice at that price and you can use the software amp models to further shape your tone). If you have a nice amp setup, get a mic and use that.

 

[imjq87]

From what you said, and from what I discovered after I read the reply, I think what I'm going to do is buy a microphone and a preamp, and see how that works out. I own a Crate GT1200H/G412SL Half Stack, which is certainly worthy.

I might spring for the mic you mentioned, which'll be like $90, but I'm hopeful it'll be worth it. Also, I found the "Behringer Eurorack UB502 5-Channel Compact Mixer" which, according to musiciansfriend(.com), seems perfect for my needs, and it's only $30. So, other than making sure I have the proper sound card and cables and shit, I think I'm all set. Thanks for the advice.

Oh, and Futurama kicks ass.

 

[Creamyapples1]

I couldn't agree more with the route you've chosen. Mic'n an amp is where it's at. Although, I gotta tell ya, Behringer, while it will serve its purpose, you should look into other options. If you are hell bent on a board, try the smaller Yamaha, Soundcraft, Mackie, something. I don't see any talk of an interface though. If you go with the Mic and Preamp route, you're going to have to pipe that signal into your PC somehow. If it's a desktop PC look into the M-Audio PCI Cards @ Musiciansfriend.com They won't break the bank and they sound damn nice too boot.