If you are obsessed with home recording and have spent a lot
of time and money figuring out the best way to connect microphones and guitars
to the computer over the years, here are
the routes and what worked best.
Platform
We have chosen to go with the Mac platform, just because,
and software "GarageBand" and as their recording capabilities are
somewhat satisfactory.
Straight Line-In w/ Radio Shack Adapter
The first thing tried was to use the built-in line-in on
Mac, which is a 1/8-inch female stereo port. So, a 1/4 inch to 1/8 inch adapter
from Radio Shack is attempted. This was the worst way to interface the guitar
to the computer. The part from Radio Shack didn't fit the instrument cable just
right, it causes undue wear on the Mac's port, and the sound was super tinny.
iMic
The iMic is basically the same as the Radio Shack adapter,
only it’s got a short cable on it and it fit the instrument cable better. What
we get is still a pretty tinny sound.
M-Audio Fastrack USB Audio Interface
The first fruits of success sit with this $99 audio
interface. Essentially it takes your guitar's or microphone's analog signal and
turns it into a digital one. It sends the digital data via USB to your
recording software, and voila!
There was still a problem with buzzing and feedback,
however.
Also borrowing a friend's mixer which would allow one to do
some mixing and balancing, and pretty soon we were making stereo recordings.
It sounded pretty good, but the interference increased. There were too many
connections and cables and opportunities for signal loss and corruption.
Alesis 8-Channel USB Mixer
This is the solution that has worked best for a small
home-grown budget while getting virtual recording studio quality. This mixer
was around $200 but acts as both a regular analog mixer and a USB interface
(both parts of which can be used independently of the other). This mixer/USB
interface removes some of the seams of the rig, allowing for purer sounding,
higher quality recordings. The mixer also features 100 different pre-amp
effects.
So, essentially, the signal goes from the guitar, through a cable to my USB mixer,
through the USB cable straight to the computer. There are very few analog
connections involved.
Behringer iAXE 393
There is one more option that has even less analog
connections. The Behringer iAXE 393 has a USB port right on it, allowing you to
plug it straight into your computer digitally. This is quite an incredible
idea, allowing seamless digital recording. Hopefully, more guitar companies will
jump in and add their own USB versions of their guitars.
In testing the iAXE, although the action is a little high,
the guitar sounds great, pumping data straight into Garageband.
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