How dou you record your e-guitar playing? I use the mic. in of my SB-Live!, (the line-in seems to be dead) connected to the head-phone out of my guitar combo. Alas, I can''t get it sound good, it always sounds dirty somehow. Yes, of course I have distortion on :-) (I use a Boss MT-2, and a cheap crap combo amp, but it sounds all right directly from the amp) but it seems the sound gets distorted by the mic-in a second time, although I use very low output level with my amp. My input monitor says, the signal is not too high, but it sounds like crap, no matter what I do. I suppose the impedancies don''t match, but I can''t really improve the sound quality by playing around with filters of my recording software. What would you suggest I should do? Would the line-in work better? Then I''d have to buy a new sound card... Thanks in advance.

in general, if you''re going to record directly to some sort of source, you should go through some sort of direct box. i don''t know your particular set-up, but the headphone out is to the microphone in is NOT the way to go. You might get a better sound simply sticking a cheap computer microphone, or a good stereo microphone for a minidisc player in front of your amplifier. if the amp sounds good, then it might sound good through a cheap microphone.

your line in might be expecting a stereo signal which is why it''s not working correctly. what kind of outputs does your amplifier have? If the headphone is the only output, get a decent stereo mic for $150 and go straight into your card. i''ll give some more advice tomorrow, i''m tired and i''m going to bed.

devinmaxwell

Don''t go from the headphone out of your amp, you''re better off plugging the guitar straight into the soundcard. Just be careful with your levels.

Though I''d lay down $10 on a cheap mic if I were you (well, if I were you I''d lay down $50 on a quality mic, but a good guitar tone doesn''t seem to be your priority).

i have an SB Live!, but i also have a Line6 AX2 amp.. so i go
from my line out to line in.. it works just dandy.
but for your situation i''d recommend swinging by mars music or
something and picking up a halfway decent instrument mic for around 20-30 bucks.. computer mic''s are definately NOT the way to go. they cant normally handle a wide decible range, and arent'' worth the effort.


-eldee
;another space monkey;
[ Forced Evolution Studios ]

Do NOT let Dr. Mario touch your genitals. He is not a real doctor!

When I record guitar, I use the line-in. It seems to work very nicely. My line-in uses stereo input. I use a mono-stereo converter with 2 mono inputs and 1 stereo output to convert the mono electric guitar signal into a stereo signal for the line-in (could even plug 2 guitars into 1 jack this way). I also use an overdrive pedal which provides distortion and also amplifies the signal (without it, my line-in signal is rather weak).

Thats how I do it. Not sure if its the "right" way but it works for me.

BlueGrass

I own a Line6 POD 2.0. But I hate it so much! sounds like craaaaaaaap that''s why I bought a 5150II. Anyway, to record direct, buy a Rocktron chamelon. Of course, it cost more than 100$. Of you can use a digitech Genesis3. Or use a good mic, but you''ll need to edit your sounds. I suggest you to use waves plugins and bbe sonic maximizer plugin. You can also mix midi with wav sounds. I always do that.

The only setup that ever sounded right to me is guitar -> effects -> amp -> microphone -> mic-in on sound-card. If I connect the effects direct to the PC, even with amp modelling turned on, it always sounds muffled or something.

[ MSVC Fixes | STL | SDL | Game AI | Sockets | C++ Faq Lite | Boost | Asking Questions | Organising code files | My stuff ]

Well, thanks for your replies, so far.
The mono-stereo thing is not the problem,
I tried stereo-input, too. The line in is dead...
(does strange klicking sometimes when moving its
volume control, without an audio source connected.
nothing like that with any other inputs)

The idea to put a mic in front of the amp is not
that bad. Alas, my neighbours would get crazy,
I live in a small flat...
I use head phones for playing most time.

EDIT:
I tried this: volume very low, creative plastic computer
mic very close to the speaker, to not making my neighbours
go crazy...
well, doesn't sound brilliant, and because of the
low volume I have extra noises...
but it seems to be the way to go, sounds indeed better
than direct connection.
I'll go and get a better microphone.

Thanks, dudes.




[edited by - UnshavenBastard on October 24, 2002 5:25:37 PM]

You may be experiencing some impedence mismatch (i think thats what its called.) To give you an example of such a thing, most people can''t connect the PC Speaker to a soundcard, even though it''s possible, the power running through the lines isn''t quite enough. In your case, you might be overdoing it, I.E. supplying to much power and hitting the soundcard''s automatic micboost clip reduction stuff. Use the Line-In and record from there if possible, and also try reducing the overall volume level leaving the amp. You can always normalize the volume once it reaches the PC.

-> Will Bubel
-> Machine wash cold, tumble dry.

A different question:

Would it really be worth the money to buy a compressor,
and put it before the distortion?
I''ve heard many saying they do this, but I''d like to know
if the sound gets really any better.
I use a Flying-V with two humbucker pickups,
directly connected to the distortion, no pre amp
or something.