Sep 16 2008
Connect your guitar to your PC
There are a lot of new USB powered devices for connecting electric instruments such as guitars, bass guitars or pianos to your computer. But these devices are often quite pricey. If you don’t want to spend too much on connecting your guitar to your PC you can use unbalanced inputs the same way you connect to your guitar amplifyer.
Direct connection: For this you will need a mini to 1/4 inch cable. It is a cable with a large jack(guitar patchcord) on one end and a small jack(headphone cable) on the other. If you don’t have a cable like this, get an adaptor. You can find a 1/4 inch to mini or vise versa at most electronic stores for about $3.
For a direct guitar to computer connection, you will want the 1/4 inch end plugged in to your guitar, and the mini end plugged into the line-in on your soundcard or onboard audio device. Usually the line-in in a blue outlet next to the pink for microphone and green for speakers. If your soundcard or audio device is not colour coded consult the manual that came with the hardware to identify which connection to use.
Once your guitar is connected, open your volume control/sound mixer and ensure that the line-in is not muted. You should now be able to hear yourself playing through your computer speakers. This is a live input, but when line-in is selected as your ’source’ you will be able to record what you are playing for playback.
Tip: You can optionally use pedals and effects units to enhance your signal by connecting a normal 1/4 guitar patchcord from your guitar to your effects box, then using the 1/4 to mini cable to go from your box to your PC. You can even throw your guitar amp into the mix using the amps’ line-out, headphone or recording-out jacks
