Excuse me if this has been asked before - seems like a problem that would happen a lot, but searched around and didn't see an answer, so if I missed something just point me in the right direction and I'll be on my way.
Anyways, I use GarageBand to record my electric guitar. I have the instrument cable plugged in to a 1/4" to 1/8" converter, which plugs directly in to the line-in on my MacBook. At lower gain / lower volume, it's usually alright, but with higher gain, volume, overdrive, etc., I get a lot of static-y noise. Thought it was the guitar or the cable at first, but I get the same noise with just the 1/4" to 1/8" converter plugged in. If I take that out, the noise cuts out after a second.
Is there anyway to reduce / eliminate this kind of noise? I'd like to use more gain / overdrive, but I'm really limited by the amount of noise I get. I've read there are other ways of connecting the guitar to the computer, but would that make a difference? I'm in a small apartment, sitting between the computer and the fridge, so I know it isn't an ideal environment for recording, but I'd really like to get a cleaner signal if at all possible. If anyone has any advice / suggestions, I'd appreciate it.
Thanks for your time.
It could be electrical interference from something in the room (perhaps the fridge's compressor motor?).
Or it could be that the input circuit on your laptop isn't as good as it should be for doing quality recordings. (this is common on computers with audio built-in on the motherboard.
If that's the problem, getting a better audio interface will solve it. Commonly they connect to the computer by USB (the higher end ones use Firewire).
Some examples:
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/M-Audio-Fast-Track-MKII-USB-Audio-Interface?sku=703669
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Behringer-Guitar-Link-UCG102-USB-Interface?sku=241228
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/ESI-UGM96-Guitar-and-Mic-USB-Audio-Adapter?sku=581019
Note: I haven't used any of those specific units, they are just examples that I found.
I wrapped a newspaper ’round my head
So I looked like I was deep
Thanks for the reply and the links. The fridge can't be helping matters, but even with it unplugged the noise doesn't seem to change. I think I'll try getting a proper audio interface and see what that does; even if it doesn't solve everything, it should at least be a step up from what I'm doing now. Thanks again :note1:
