Hey, I'm new to guitar recording. But I really want to start recording my own tunes. I'm not that great, but I can play good chords and tunes etc, so I was wondering.
Right now I have a $10.00 cable that I bought from Radio-Shack. It converts my guitar plug to a microphone size plug. Then I can plug my guitar or amp into my microphone slot in my Audigy2 soundcard on my computer. But the quality isn't that great on my computer. Especially when I use my amp or distortion.
1.) What kind of hardware can I get that's under $150 that will let me record quality guitar recordings or microphone recordings (if I ever decide to buy one)
2.) What kind of software is good to use to record with? Preferably one with the ability to layer different things. A friend recorded an entire song by himself. Just layered different things he recorded on itself.
3.) Is there some type of virtual-pedal software I can get? Something that will turn my clean guitar sound into something different?
THANKS SO MUCH!!!
Welcome to GN, crewxp
For the hardware and the virtual-pedal software, you could try Guitar Port:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/482232/
For the software to record with:
Welcome to GN.
for answers to your recording questions i suggest you check out ~
https://www.guitarnoise.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=26&sid=1f57cd6e98a8daa122c37b273be1f266
#4491....
A simple solution to make a simple but not bad recording is take use a earphone cable with volume potentiometer ( you can probably find it att radio schack) from the earphone output on your amp and and connect it to microphone input of your soundcard. Use the potentiometer to reduce the input level too the right level. I know it works as I have done it with my simpler Soundblaster Live 24-bit soundcard.
You may need to use some connector size adapters 6.3 mm to 3.5 mm or vice versa to get everything to fit.
If you got the Creative MediaSource Player SW with your Audigy2 card you can use that for Recording, I have done that.
Tanglewood TW28STE (Shadow P7 EQ) acoustic
Yamaha RGX 320FZ electric guitar/Egnater Tweaker 15 amp.
Yamaha RBX 270 bass/Laney DB 150 amp.
http://www.soundclick.com/kalleinsweden
if you don't want digital, i have a tascam portastudio for sale pretty cheap. let me know if you're interested.
You might want to use your line-in instead of mic-in port to prevent extensive clipping. Depending on your amp you might need a speaker sim, in which case you might just as well get yourself a small modeler. The Behringer V-amp2 and Line6 Guitarport would work well and fall easily within your budget. Both http://www.behringer.com and http://www.line6.com have samples of their equipment.
Don't waste your money.
The Audigy 2 soundcard is a great-quality card by itself. Since it sounds like you are not doing any professional recording, do not spend your money on any new hardware. I have an Audigy 2 ZS and after I installed it I had to change some things with how I recorded. Your main problem may be that you have the recording levels for the soundcard too high.
First thing is, plug into the line-in port on the soundcard instead of the mic port.
Second, access the soundcard's volume settings and change the line-in volume to something suitable (you'll have to test it to see what sounds good) and under the recording volume (assuming that you have the same standard software for your soundcard) the recording source should be "Analog Mix" so that it includes line-in and you can lower the recording level as well.
Third, I used to plug directly from the amp's headphone jack into the line-in port on my soundcard. With the right levels, the sound quality was decent, but I found it to be quite better if I instead used a microphone on the amp (mic in front of the amp) and plug the mic into the line-in port on my soundcard.
Also check out this website http://www.amplitube.com/Main.html?MainPage.php for some amp modeling software on your computer. It is like an amp on your computer that includes effects. It's pretty cool.
