Guitar to Computer

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech,alt.guitar (More info?)

Go to Radio Shack and ask them for an adaptor to adapt your guitar plug
(take it with you if you can) to the input of your soundcard (usually a
1/8 inch audio plug). They will find the right adaptor for you.

--James--

----------------------------------------

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech,alt.guitar (More info?)

On 15-11-04 02:35, in article sumdnci33eyRlQXcRVn-gQ@comcast.com, "James
Nipper" <jnipper@nospam.fdn.com> wrote:

> Go to Radio Shack and ask them for an adaptor to adapt your guitar plug
> (take it with you if you can) to the input of your soundcard (usually a
> 1/8 inch audio plug). They will find the right adaptor for you.

But that would probably not help much, unless you have a built in pre-amp in
your sound card. I do it like this: I've got a tiny Laney 10 watt rehersal
amp. I plug my guitar into that. Then a cord from the amp's headphones
output (big rca plug adapter goes into phones output) to the sound input on
my PowerBook.

mac

--
www.justanotherbluesband.com

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech,alt.guitar (More info?)

"Geoff Wood" <geoff@paf.co.nz-nospam> wrote in message news:<7fVld.1353$3U4.115612@news02.tsnz.net>...
> "James Nipper" <jnipper@nospam.fdn.com> wrote in message
> news:sumdnci33eyRlQXcRVn-gQ@comcast.com...
> >
> >
> > Go to Radio Shack and ask them for an adaptor to adapt your guitar plug
> > (take it with you if you can) to the input of your soundcard (usually a
> > 1/8 inch audio plug). They will find the right adaptor for you.
>
> No they won't becasue it doesn't exist. You guitar needs a preamp with the
> right (very high) input impedence, and gain to put the signal up to 'Line
> In' level suitable for your soundcard input.
>
> Suggest you buy a guitar mag, or cumputer music mag to get acquainted with
> relevant products and techniques.
>
>
> geoff

I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one- A 1/4 inch
(standard guitar plug size) to 1/8 inch (headphone jack size) adaptor
does indeed exist- I've got one. As James suggested, get thee to Radio
Shack, and tell them what you need. Depending on your soundcard, you
may need a preamp, but you should be able to get along without one. Of
course, the best thing to do would be to get a soundcard that's
designed for it (soundblaster audigy 2 platinum or something high
end), which has the 1/4 inch input, but I've done recording with an
adaptor into the line in, and it's worked fine.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech,alt.guitar (More info?)

"Jonathan Wolfson" <jon3825@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:9f75b62.0411150824.dd27ccc@posting.google.com...
> I forgot to mention that I am using an acoustic with pickup, so there
> is sound intrinsicaslly from the guitar, unlike an electric, which
> needs to be amplified. I suppose I'll just buy the .25 -> .125 inch
> adapter so I can plug my acoustic guitar into my sound card.

If it's a piezo pickup rather than magnetic, with no preamp inside the
guitar, it's likely to sound really, really bad. Most sound cards have an
input impedance, on the line input, of about 10 kilohms, or 10k. Piezo
pickups prefer to be loaded by at least 100x that, 1 megohm or more. They
sound thin and distorted into lower impedances.

On the other hand, if there's a preamp built into the guitar (you can tell
because it needs a battery), you may get good results.

Peace,
Paul

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech,alt.guitar (More info?)

"Jonathan Wolfson" <jon3825@gmail.com> wrote

> Can someone tell me how to get the guitar to the computer? Right now I
> have a port that goes from my guitar to the amplifier, but it is a
> thick plug, about one centimeter in diameter! I have no inputs on my
> computer that are that big, only inputs that are the size of headphone
> plugs! I need some device to enable a big plug to enter a little
> socket. Can someone please help me? I want to play guitar onto my
> computer without having to tape record myself.

I've only just found this newsgroup, so pardon me folks for not lurking a
while before jumping in.

Jonatan, I plug my guitar and bass directly into the mic input on my laptop
(running Sonic Foundry's Acid and Sound Forge), works fine, even with
pedals! The only problem is having to keep the volume pot(s) on the guitar
down near zero instead of cranked up to full. This and no amp means you will
be getting a sound that's very different to your usual "live" sound, but if
all you are doing is sketching ideas, working stuff out, or making rough
demos it's great. Don't let techie purists baffle you with science, all you
need is a 1/4 inch to 1/8 inch jack converter that'll cost only pennies
(most of these are stereo but not worry they'll still work). Sure, you won't
get the best results in the world, but it doesn't sound like you need those
yet, seems to me you just want to get up and running.


Fiona

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech,alt.guitar (More info?)

I had pretty good luck using the 1/4 to 1/8 adaptor, and Revalver. Not
ideal due to the slight lag induced by the PC, but got some great tones out
of it.

http://www.alienconnections.com/downloads.htm#ReValver

"manoutoftime" <adamjsmith75@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:3d82c219.0411150053.5ddebfa4@posting.google.com...
> "Geoff Wood" <geoff@paf.co.nz-nospam> wrote in message
news:<7fVld.1353$3U4.115612@news02.tsnz.net>...
> > "James Nipper" <jnipper@nospam.fdn.com> wrote in message
> > news:sumdnci33eyRlQXcRVn-gQ@comcast.com...
> > >
> > >
> > > Go to Radio Shack and ask them for an adaptor to adapt your guitar
plug
> > > (take it with you if you can) to the input of your soundcard
(usually a
> > > 1/8 inch audio plug). They will find the right adaptor for you.
> >
> > No they won't becasue it doesn't exist. You guitar needs a preamp with
the
> > right (very high) input impedence, and gain to put the signal up to
'Line
> > In' level suitable for your soundcard input.
> >
> > Suggest you buy a guitar mag, or cumputer music mag to get acquainted
with
> > relevant products and techniques.
> >
> >
> > geoff
>
> I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one- A 1/4 inch
> (standard guitar plug size) to 1/8 inch (headphone jack size) adaptor
> does indeed exist- I've got one. As James suggested, get thee to Radio
> Shack, and tell them what you need. Depending on your soundcard, you
> may need a preamp, but you should be able to get along without one. Of
> course, the best thing to do would be to get a soundcard that's
> designed for it (soundblaster audigy 2 platinum or something high
> end), which has the 1/4 inch input, but I've done recording with an
> adaptor into the line in, and it's worked fine.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech,alt.guitar (More info?)

On 15 Nov 2004 00:53:26 -0800, adamjsmith75@yahoo.com (manoutoftime)
wrote:

>I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one- A 1/4 inch
>(standard guitar plug size) to 1/8 inch (headphone jack size) adaptor
>does indeed exist- I've got one. As James suggested, get thee to Radio
>Shack, and tell them what you need. Depending on your soundcard, you
>may need a preamp, but you should be able to get along without one. Of
>course, the best thing to do would be to get a soundcard that's
>designed for it (soundblaster audigy 2 platinum or something high
>end), which has the 1/4 inch input, but I've done recording with an
>adaptor into the line in, and it's worked fine.

You can certainly obtain the physical adaptor. It won't make the
output of a guitar electrically suitable for connection to either Line
In or Mic In of a soundcard though.

Play with Mic In. You may find the result acceptable. If not, get
a suitable preamp or mixer.

Or, as a guitarist, haven't you got a guitar amp? Maybe it has a
Line Out. Or many guitarists prefer to point a microphone at their
guitar amp's speaker.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

On 14 Nov 2004 16:45:49 -0800, jon3825@gmail.com (Jonathan Wolfson)
wrote:

>Hi all,
>
>Can someone tell me how to get the guitar to the computer? Right now I
>have a port that goes from my guitar to the amplifier, but it is a
>thick plug, about one centimeter in diameter! I have no inputs on my
>computer that are that big, only inputs that are the size of headphone
>plugs! I need some device to enable a big plug to enter a little
>socket. Can someone please help me? I want to play guitar onto my
>computer without having to tape record myself.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Jonathan

You need a sound card, mate.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

"james of tucson" <fishbowl@radagast.home.conservatory.com> wrote in message
news:slrncpif8e.2fd.fishbowl@radagast.home.conservatory.com...
> On 2004-11-15, Alun P <alun.priddle@NOSPAMblueyonderDOTcoDOTuk> wrote:
>
>
> I don't want to get into the misinformation/misunderstaning that was
> going on in this thread, but I would like to chime in, I had very good
> results going from the headphone jack on a Korg Pandora to a
> soundblaster AWE-64. If I set out to record an electric guitar today,
> I would be tempted to do exactly the same thing, although I'd also try
> a 57 pointed at my poor neglected Fender tube amp that never gets
> played.
>


Yeah, that way you don't need your fuzz-box !

geoff