Guitar through Line-in Problem

[m0ngaa]

Hey, recently i have tried running my guitar directly through the line-in of my copmuters soundcard via a 1/4' to 1/8' converter. However i got no sound.
I made sure that line-in was not muted and had both full volume on my guitar and computer.
This is the first time i have tried this, and i know people who have done this and it works; does anyone have any suggestions to why it isn't working?

Thanks alot

[Lelant]

Have you made the sure the line in is turned up on the recording settings not just the playback??

[fuzzyhair]

you might need a preamp. Like an effects pedal.

[m0ngaa]

yeh i checked its turned up on recording.
Yeh i was thinking about a preamp, but on my mates computer it works fine without.

[airborne50caliber]

Guys. Guitar isn't line level. You need something like a DI box.

[irtehmitchell]

i can do this with my computer....it just sounds bad though. your better off just getting a cheap mic and putting up to your amp at a low volume :)

[m0ngaa]

yet but the thing is my amp and guitar is in a diff room to my guitar, my guitar is in my room, and my com is in the office. Any other suggestions?

[IBLIZZ]

Get a really really long cable, plug it into your amp in the (pre amp out) and then plug that into your computer .... thats what i did, and it works fine

[mdrumman]

Well if he gets a DI box like the Red Berhringer one from Musicians friend, he can use the line out and that should work.

[Moseph]

Guys. Guitar isn't line level. You need something like a DI box.

That's true, but probably not the problem here. If anything, since a guitar cable has higher impedence than a line-in input (ie, a "step-down"), the signal would be wildly distorted.

I'd recommend trying a DI box anyway, since you can get a transparent sounding active one for pretty cheap and it's not uncommon that they fix a whole bunch of problems.

Get a really really long cable, plug it into your amp in the (pre amp out) and then plug that into your computer .... thats what i did, and it works fine

Not recommended. Guitar cables are unbalanced connections, meaning that they aren't designed to be used across distances of about 15-20 feet (about 6m). You experience a whole bunch of problems with interference, high frequency loss, and noise/distortion when traversing long distances.

You could do this using a balanced connection, like a mic cable (XLR) or a TRS 1/4" connector. However, it's probably best to get an actual mic and do it that way. If you're going to be recording so far away, there's also the additional problem of the delay from when you play the guitar to when you hear the amp, which normally presents problems to performance. It's best to play as close to the amp as you can, ideally in the same room. You might just want to move the amp/computer so that they're in the same room while you record.

[mdrumman]

hmm. I have a question reguarding DI line outputs. Would running a 1/4" from a mono output from a main mix through the line out then through a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter reduce the distortion of the sound? Last time we tried running with out an I/O and the signal was so distorted, and we dont have the funds rolling in to get Cubase or Protools.

[Moseph]

hmm. I have a question reguarding DI line outputs. Would running a 1/4" from a mono output from a main mix through the line out then through a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter reduce the distortion of the sound? Last time we tried running with out an I/O and the signal was so distorted, and we dont have the funds rolling in to get Cubase or Protools.

You seem to have confused a few concepts.

Impedence and mono/stereo are completely independent. It just so happens that line level cables tend to be stereo and hi-Z (ie, instrument cables) are typically in mono.

Now, mixer outputs are typically line-level and low impedence. With that in mind, any balanced signal (ie, 3 conductors, 1 mono signal) shouldn't experience too many noise problems. You are likely using a guitar cable or something with a low-Z output to get these problems. Go looking for a line level TRS cable (and don't be too concerned about impedence, I doubt you'll find one that's hi-Z). Optionally, if you have XLR outputs, those are definitely balanced.

It sounds like you're running the mixer output into a 1/8" input on a computer soundcard. If that's the case, then you're probably going to need a way to combine the two lines out into a single stereo channel. I can't say for certain how to do this correctly without reading the manual for your gear, so I'd recommend instead getting a single TRS cable and running a headphone jack output into the soundcard. Because you have a 3-conductor cable and 2-channel signal, you're working with unbalanced connections, but if the cable is relatively short you ought to be okay if there are no other noise problems (and there could be).

[mdrumman]

Ok i am new to alot of recording terms, so tell me what a TRS cable is and how do i run my main mix into my eighth inch inout on my laptop.