Tuesday, October 1, 2013

If you plug a guitar into an audio interface where does the sound come from?

guitar interface
 on Welcome to the Exploring Guitar web site
guitar interface image



Steve Padi


I really don't get it, you plug the guitar cable into the interface to record, but you need to plug it into the amp to play. Is there some kind of virtual amp that makes the sound or something?? If there is, how do people have such amazing tones in recordings? I doubt some digital amp would sound any good. Is this how professional guitar players record? By plugging there guitar into an interface without using an amp?


Answer
There are a few ways you can do it.

One is by using software on the computer to give you the sound you want. Programs such as Amp Farm and AmpliTube can replicate the sound of pretty much any guitar amp that has ever been built. It lacks some of the "feel" of playing through a real amp, but only a professional musician or sound engineer will be able to tell the difference.


Another way is to use the "line out" feature found in most decent amplifiers. What that does is send the signal from the guitar to the pre-amp, and then it bypasses the power amp section and sends the signal to an outside power source. You can send it into a computer for recording, or if you are playing live you can send the signal straight to the PA, bypassing your amp's own power section and speakers. Doing that lets you capture the tone of your amp without any outside interference. The only downside is you will need some sort of speaker emulator program to replicate how your amp sounds in the room with you. This is because the type of speakers you run your amp through have a lot more effect on the amp's sound than most people realize.

A 3rd way, which is a more recent development and isn't found on very many amps yet, is to run a USB cable straight from your amp to the computer, bypassing an audio interface altogether. This feature is mostly found on digital modeling amps such as the Fender Mustang or Line 6 Spider. In that case, you are essentially doing the same thing as using amp duplication software, but having it built into an amp gives you physical knobs to tweak your settings with, which a lot of musicians prefer.

And most professional guitarists still do it the old fashioned way. They plug into their favorite amp and put a microphone in front of it in a studio.

Audio interfaces are more intended for people who want to record their music, but don't have the luxury of access to a recording studio (which is very expensive if you are renting time). They are also useful for a guitarist who wants to record a part he wrote before he forgets it, so he plugs into a laptop and records it right then and there.



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