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Mod your computer to plug your guitar right into it

guitarjackpc.jpgIf you want to record music, the four track is out. Now, you need to record on your computer, digitally. But to do that, you need a way to plug your guitar into your computer. There are a bunch of connectors that let you plug your guitar into a USB port, but they're expensive. Why not just build a guitar/mic port right into the front of your computer?

Over at Instructables, they have step-by-step instructions on doing just that, which should make your home recording sessions a bit easier. It'll take a little elbow grease (and a soldering iron), but hey, nobody said being a musician would be easy.

Via Instructables

 
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(4) Comments

Anonymous:
just plug it to the mic in the comp alot easier and no hiss...More »


Comments

By Anonymous at 6:08 AM ON 09/30/08

Or you could control the computer with your guitar

By MJK at 9:04 AM ON 09/30/08

This looks nice and cheap. I know what I will be doing this weekend.

By TomXP411 at 11:56 AM ON 09/30/08

This isn't a good idea. Sure, it's cheap, but an electric guitar doesn't put out a strong enough signal to drive the line-level input on your motherboard's aux-in jack.

By the time you get 4 or 5 tracks laid down, you're going to have so much background noise, hiss, hum, and static in your recordings that you might as well be using a cassette tape.

A far better alternative is to order an inexpensive 2-channel mixer from an on-line music store. You should be able to find one for $40 or less. This will have a decent pre-amp, and you'll have much more control over the signal.

An acoustic-electric with a built in pre-amp will work a little better, but you don't need a jack on the front of the computer for that.. just grab a 1/8" to 1/4" mono patch cable. It HAS to be mono, or it won't make the battery connection on your guitar's pre-amp.

By Anonymous at 3:41 PM ON 03/01/09

just plug it to the mic in the comp
alot easier and no hiss


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