All my health is failin on me, I'm goin down slow
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12bar.de - the free Blues guitar tutorial All my health is failin on me, I'm goin down slow |
Nowadays most computers have a soundcard with a microphone and a line-in port. To connect your axe with your computer, you need a cable with a 1/8 " (3.5 mm) male mini-plug on one side and the standard 1/4 " (6.3 mm) plug for your axe on the other side, or alternatively your standard guitar cable with a 1/4 " to 1/8 " adaptor (a few cents, that's all).
For an acoustic guitar without pickup as well as for your vocals you need a microphone.
Now simply connect your guitar to the line-in port of your computer. The following software setup depends on your operating system, I'll describe it for Windows 2000, XP or Vista. Linux users usually know what to do. I don't know much about a Mac.
If you open the sound control, for example via a right mouse click on the taskbar icon of the soundcard, you can enable line-in for both play and record. Now turn the guitar volume knob open and you'll hear your guitar through your PC as if it is a clean transistor amp. For the first time you can use the build-in Windows audio recorder to record your first song. I can't provide screen shots because they would be in german...
With a single coil pickup you may hear some noise generated by the computer and monitor, so don't put your axe too near to it, or use a humbucker (or switch to pos. 2 or 4 of the pickup switch).
Warning: don't leave your guitar alone without turning the volume knob to zero or switching off the speakers. A loop feedback can build up and destroy sound card or speaker! Why? Pure physics - the sound from the speaker can cause the string to vibrate, this goes amplified back to the speaker causing the string to vibrate even more, which again is amplified... and so on.
The Windows audio recorder is not really feature loaden, but there are many free alternatives, for example:
Find more at the Software page!
I recommend the first two programs, both are freeware and can do more than I want. You can record a rhythm track and play some lead afterwards, then simply put them together.
There are also a lot of commercial software solutions available, just look for Adobe Audition (formerly Cooledit), Cakewalk, Cubase or PowerTracks. Some high-end sound cards are build for this purpose, with special software packed by.
Using amps and pre-amps
If you have a good amp, preamp or pedal you can also connect it to the line-in of your computer. Quite simple.
Get rhythm
If you miss the drums or need a steady rhythm to improve your timing you may use a computer drum machine instead of a metronome. Not that they can replace a real drummer, especially a Blues drummer, but it's better than nothing. There are some freeware rhythm programs available, most of them are more suited for rap, acid, hip hop, techno and other styles I can't even write correctly. But with the right shuffle pattern they work even with the Blues. Some suggestions:
You can also use the backing tracks generator.
This is a short, Windows based step-by-step guide on how to use your computer as an amplifier, adding effects and record while playing. We use Kristal, a free audio software, and a set of free VST plugins (VST: Virtual Studio Technology, a proprietary industry standard for audio effects plugins, developed by Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH). If you want to try more, look at http://http://www.kvraudio.com/. Audacity also has a VST extension (look for "VST-bridge"), but supports only a few applications and no graphic interfaces.
At first, download:
and install ASIO4ALL and Kristal Audio Engine. If your soundcard has a driver which already supports ASIO then don't install ASIO4ALL, use the driver that comes with your card. Then unzip the plugins into the plugins-folder of Kristal (or the general VST folder on your harddrive). You can keep the subdirectories. Connect your guitar to the line-in of your sound card (not the mic in!) like described above.
Now:
Known problems and solutions (Win XP, should work with other versions, too)
Some general tips:
Most problems are related to latency (delay) and crackles. Latency itself is unavailable, because the signal from your guitar must be processed serial:
The most critical part regarding the latency is the buffer setting - number and size. The default Windows MME driver has latency of about 750 milliseconds and can't be adjusted, so you have a big delay. Using the ASIO driver enables you to adjust the buffer size and number of samples. Open "ASIO4ALL off-line settings", switch to advanced and try different settings for "ASIO buffer size" and "Latency Compensation". 512 samples at 44.1 kHz result in 512/44100 * s-1 = 11,6 ms. Be sure to highlight the application before adjusting the sliders! In most cases the default values work without problems. If you get crackles or the audio becomes distorted, the buffer size is too small. Sometimes other applications in the background can cause strange signals if they are using the audio device, too.
If you have problems with an AC97 soundcard (like most on-board cards), try switching the "Always Resample @44.1k" and the "Force WDM driver to 16bit" controls. For more troubleshooting, read the ASIO FAQ.
Some free VST plugins and hosts
If you want to record using your amp and pedals or a Line6 Toneport model (see below) you can also use Audacity. With Audacity you can play a backing track and record at the same time. Simply open the backing track, move the cursor to the point you want to start and hit record. A new track will start. If you press shift+play, you can also loop a selected region, great for practise before recording. Be sure to adjust the preferences (ctrl-p) to your needs and to include the LAME MP3 encoder.
The Line 6 TonePort family is great for simple and advanced home recording, especially when your sound card isn't the best or you have an older PC. It's a USB sound card with software amp and works nearly latency-free for only a few bucks. It also works as a usual sound card.
With TonePort you also get free online access to hundreds of amp settings, just one click from Clapton's Crossroads to Peter Green's Albatross.
Even more:
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