ShortScale.org

I have a guitar, a laptop and an amp. Apart from a good mic and deaf neighbours what other minimum equipment do I need to have to properly record the guitar. Do I need any DI boxes? What kind of software can you recommend? Tone in the fingers? To pour beer on it and move to Buffalo?

You'll need some sort of audio interface (probably a USB one if you've got a fairly standard PC laptop) to connect the mic (or guitar if you're DIing) to your laptop. There are loads of these available with varying numbers of inputs/mic pre amps. I've got a Focusrite 8i6 which I've been really happy with but there are newer models available now.

You'll also need some sort of DAW software. A lot of interfaces come bundled with cut down versions of the big DAWs (mine came with Ableton lite) but I ended up going for Reaper. You can download a free fully featured demo version. After about a month it starts prompting you for payment (and it is really cheap compared to the other major DAWs) but you can continue using it for free if you wanted.

I tend to use a mixture of recording my amps using a mic and using those cheapo Joyo/Harley Benton amp sim pedals (the Tech21 clones). They're really cheap and sound great. I've also got Amplitube on my laptop but tbh I've never used it that much. I'm sure others will be able to give you some advice on the software amp sim side of things.

Thank you Bearboy. That's very informative. I'm gonna check the local stores for affordable USB-interface

I've used several different interfaces over the years. Right now I use this: http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/jam

It's cheap as hell and sounds great. This particular product is only for Apple computers, but I'm sure you can find something in a similar price range for PC.

Garage band any good for recording/videos?

I finally have all the hardware to do some gear demos but am at a bit of a loss recording the audio/video and stitching it together.

I use sonoma guitar jack for iphone. It's sorta expensive but works perfectly. I use a four track app on my phone and the cheapest shure mic. I record to my iphone using it basically as storage and when i get to work i pull the audio off and use audacity if i'm at work or pro tools in the studio to work on the raw audio. For bass i go without a mic and plug into a D.I. I really like the sansamp paradriver. I go bass into that into iphone. I don't use any modeling app's though. I just the iphone to store the audio. I'm getting much better at it and i can help you get set up if you like. If you want to go straight usb into your computer then i like the focusrite preamp/D.I.'s. They come with good plug ins.

I've used a better reportophone microphone (1/8" jack) straight into the laptop. You need to tweak the main computer settings and the ones in the recording program.

finboy wrote:Garage band any good for recording/videos?

I finally have all the hardware to do some gear demos but am at a bit of a loss recording the audio/video and stitching it together.

Never done it myself. I make gear demos by just recording video with my phone. Seems to work OK.

brandonwinmill wrote:I use sonoma guitar jack for iphone. It's sorta expensive but works perfectly. I use a four track app on my phone and the cheapest shure mic. I record to my iphone using it basically as storage and when i get to work i pull the audio off and use audacity if i'm at work or pro tools in the studio to work on the raw audio. For bass i go without a mic and plug into a D.I. I really like the sansamp paradriver. I go bass into that into iphone. I don't use any modeling app's though. I just the iphone to store the audio. I'm getting much better at it and i can help you get set up if you like. If you want to go straight usb into your computer then i like the focusrite preamp/D.I.'s. They come with good plug ins.

Thanks man, right now I'm just figuring out what I need to start gradually buying stuff and software. I also use android phone. Both Focusrite and Apogee Jam look like good solutions, but are pricey and not easy to find in my place, though it seems that there are tons of solutions at the price range of around $100 from other manufacturers. I'm thinking of using my amp micing it and sending the signal to DI box and then to a laptop for the guitar and to plug bass directly to the DI. Now I'm trying to understand what DAW for windows is going to work for a noob like me

Audacity? Although it can get a bit complicated in the settings.

Reaper is prolly a good option. Never used it but have seen great reviews.

I know there's a lot of Apple hate around here, but recording on the iPhone a great option. It's so simple and straightforward--reminds me of cutting demos on a Tascam 414. If you ever get a chance to swap your Android for an iPhone (even an old one), it's not a bad idea. However, I would only recommend recording and maybe doing a basic mix on a mobile device. I still do most of the mixing on my laptop.

singlepup wrote:Reaper is prolly a good option. Never used it but have seen great reviews.

I know there's a lot of Apple hate around here, but recording on the iPhone a great option. It's so simple and straightforward--reminds me of cutting demos on a Tascam 414. If you ever get a chance to swap your Android for an iPhone (even an old one), it's not a bad idea. However, I would only recommend recording and maybe doing a basic mix on a mobile device. I still do most of the mixing on my laptop.

Thank you Singlepup, yes it seems that a lot of people like Reaper. The other day I saw the old Iphone (3G?) was selling, but I think I'm gonna buy usb audio interface that will serve some future needs better

i use audacity all day at work.. only use pro tools at the fancy studios and i'm not there much. I have tons of good plugins for audacity.. the same ones as pro tools actually. When you hear my cover i'm doing for weiland comp you can get an idea what you can do with basically an amp/guitar/iphone and audacity. I did the whole thing with 1 mic. Vocals and guitar same cheap mic and a broken old iphone as a 4 track. It's better than you might imagine, hopefully.

sunshiner wrote:

singlepup wrote:Reaper is prolly a good option. Never used it but have seen great reviews.

I know there's a lot of Apple hate around here, but recording on the iPhone a great option. It's so simple and straightforward--reminds me of cutting demos on a Tascam 414. If you ever get a chance to swap your Android for an iPhone (even an old one), it's not a bad idea. However, I would only recommend recording and maybe doing a basic mix on a mobile device. I still do most of the mixing on my laptop.

Thank you Singlepup, yes it seems that a lot of people like Reaper. The other day I saw the old Iphone (3G?) was selling, but I think I'm gonna buy usb audio interface that will serve some future needs better

No problem. I think an iPhone 3G is definitely too old. Hopefully you can find a good USB solution. Try to find a USB 3 device, assuming your PC supports USB 3. It's incredibly fast and stable.