Hiss

[Snippet]

Hey,

When i try and record onto my pc a 'hiss' noise sounds in the recordings. This hiss happens when i plug my m amp into the mic input but the sound i make is barely audible. When i plug it into the line in there is no hiss but the sound i make is extremely distorted.

Is this my soundcards fault and should i get a new one or is it something else, if so please help!

 

[danny.guitar]

I wouldn't hook the amp directly into your sound card. If it has a Line Out then maybe.

First of all, the mic jack on your sound card has a preamp. It amplifies the signal going in. You don't want to amplify the signal from an amplifier.

The Line In jack doesn't use a preamp, and it accepts a line-level signal, which (I believe) the Line Out jack of an amp will output. I still wouldn't feel right about doing that though. You can damage your amp and/or your sound card. Maybe someone with more electrical knowledge can answer that.

Not to mention recording an amp like that will most likely sound like shit.

I would rather use a cheap PC microphone on the amp.

Whatever you decide to do, don't let your signal clip; don't let it get anywhere near the red zone. Try to keep it about -18db average on the meters in your software. If it goes to the red then you're clipping and that's when you hear distortion.