# Getting the guitar "into" my laptop



## ThePass (Aug 10, 2007)

Really a stupid question, but hey I gotta ask.......I'm just getting into recording now that I have a new laptop......question is, what kinda cable do I use to plug my axe into my laptop? I'm assuming a male 1/4" jack from guitar to a real tiny male jack into my 'mic in' plug on the side of my pc?


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## Andy (Sep 23, 2007)

Yeah, you can do that, but it sounds like garbage, and if you apply an amp simulation to it, it'll amplify all the noise from the cheesy A/D converters. An external USB or FireWire soundcard and a good mic will produce 100x better results. Something like an M-Audio Fast Track, a Shure SM57 and Audio Technica AT2020 will get you set up for electric and acoustic, plus vocals and pretty much anything short of drums (although the AT as an overhead and the 57 on kick will get you great vintage-style drum sounds).


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

hey there...all you need is a guitar patch cord...and this...

http://www.korg.com/Product.aspx?pd=290

it comes with a usb cable...and is ready to record to your laptop immediately...


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## EchoWD40 (Mar 16, 2007)

Andy said:


> Yeah, you can do that, but it sounds like garbage, and if you apply an amp simulation to it, it'll amplify all the noise from the cheesy A/D converters. An external USB or FireWire soundcard and a good mic will produce 100x better results. Something like an M-Audio Fast Track, a Shure SM57 and Audio Technica AT2020 will get you set up for electric and acoustic, plus vocals and pretty much anything short of drums (although the AT as an overhead and the 57 on kick will get you great vintage-style drum sounds).


Stay away from the Fast Track... utterly useless.


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## ThePass (Aug 10, 2007)

Right on guys, thanks!


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## Kenmac (Jan 24, 2007)

I don't know how much you're willing to spend but another option is the Stealthplug. It plugs directly into your USB port. Here's the website: http://ikmultimedia.com/stealthplug/features/


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## seanmj (May 9, 2009)

Just to see what's out there... you might take a trip to Saved By Technology (Yonge/College area) and get them to tell you what's available... within your price range.

If you're only recording a couple of tracks at a time... there are a lot of options out there. Once you find a unit you're interested... compare prices online (used and new) to get the best deal.

If you're into something a bit higher quality... check out the Apogee Duet.

http://www.long-mcquade.com/products/509/

Sean Meredith-Jones
http://www.seanmeredithjones.com


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

TDeneka said:


> Stay away from the Fast Track... utterly useless.


No opinion on the Fast Track, but I use an M-Audio Firewire 410 and it's a kick-ass interface. 

+1 to the SM57 and AT2020 recommendation.

Also, Apex microphones are really good bang-for-buck mics.

Using a 1/4"-1/8" adapter and plugging directly into your computer will work just fine, and will tide you over until you need something a little higher quality, but really, it depends on what you want to do. If you're just fiddling around and don't care about the quality, then go get yourself a $4 adapter and Bob's your uncle.


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## wkriski (Nov 18, 2008)

*Recording your guitar*

I use the Line6 PodXT (for amp models/effects) and use 1/4'' cables into my m-audio audiophile external soundcard (that connects to laptop via usb). You could also mic your amp or acoustic guitar.

Then use a program like Reaper or Cubase, etc to start recording your guitar and adding other tracks (drums, bass, etc).


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

Looking into the same thing. Has anyone tried the Line6 USB soundcards? They look cool because you get the amp models built in AND a basic recording card.

Any preference for the lower end M-Audio stuff vs Line6? Drivers, support, and compatibility are always key.

TG


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

i use a line 6 ux1...it is always up-to-date via the line 6 monkey app...you get free amp farm sims too...zero latency...an awesome unit...


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

jimihendrix said:


> i use a line 6 ux1...it is always up-to-date via the line 6 monkey app...you get free amp farm sims too...zero latency...an awesome unit...


This is the one I am looking at. So no problems or glitches? Is it noisey?


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## Tanqueray (Jun 16, 2008)

traynor_garnet said:


> This is the one I am looking at. So no problems or glitches? Is it noisey?


I have a UX-2 and it is great. The Pod Farm program that is bundled with it is a cool program. It allows you to set up 1 or 2 amp chains and has every sound you would need built in and more amp models are available on the Line 6 site.


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## as_styles (Oct 12, 2009)

*my in...*

I use :

http://www.presonus.com/products/Detail.aspx?ProductId=7

and

http://www.ikmultimedia.com/amplitube/features/

with Logic 9.


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## 200 Motels (Jan 11, 2009)

jimihendrix said:


> i use a line 6 ux1...it is always up-to-date via the line 6 monkey app...you get free amp farm sims too...zero latency...an awesome unit...


I coulda picked one of these up for $75 but I missed out. I didn't realize what a great deal it was at the time. Now I'll likely get a new retail one from L&M.

What's some good Windows recording software to use with this?


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

200 Motels said:


> I coulda picked one of these up for $75 but I missed out. I didn't realize what a great deal it was at the time. Now I'll likely get a new retail one from L&M.
> 
> What's some good Windows recording software to use with this?


Really, after having used Sonar and Pro Tools a fair bit, and having seen Cubase at work a couple times, it seems like they all pretty much do the same thing in a pretty similar way.

The deal-breaker is the ability to use things like .REX files natively, or VST compatibility. All this means you kind of have to think down the road a bit. If you're not likely to need many drums loops, then REX files are useless to you. Most plug-ins now can be installed as VSTs or whatever the heck the Pro Tools version is called (RST? I forget), so that's not as big an issue.

In all honesty, after I last reinstalled, I couldn't find my Sonar disk for a while, so I used Audacity for a few months. It was probably 80% as good. It had everything I needed and nothing I didn't, so I didn't spend time tweaking knobs that I shouldn't have when I should have been recording instead. Plus Audacity is free too, so you can use it to record .wav files for now while you research into what program you want to choose down the road and then just import your work.

FWIW - I like Sonar best.


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## 200 Motels (Jan 11, 2009)

SONAR Home Studio's interface looks quite nice. 

Looks like the UX1 comes with recording software. Ableton Live and Riffworks. Anyone here use this software?


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