how to record an electric guitar with an amplifier
Hi, my name is Gian Faye and I'm from the Philippines.
I put up this presentation for the course
Introduction to Music Production by Loudon Stearns
(Berklee College of Music) courtesy of Coursera.org.
*use SPACEBAR or CLICK the arrows on the right* Happy Learning! :)
What you need:
An electric bass/guitar
A microphone
An audio interface
An amplifier (bass amp for bass guitar)
preferably with a line out plug
1/4" TS cables (atleast 3)
A DI box (direct box)
XLR cables (atleast 2)
If you are ready, LET'S GO DOWN!
SETUP 1:
In this setup, you only need the guitar, two 1/4" TS cables,
an amplifier, a microphone and your audio interface.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Plug in your guitar to your amp using a TS cable.
Plug in your mic to your interface using a TS cable.
Place the mic in front of your amp. That's it!
TAKE NOTE! The downside of this setup is that the microphone could pickup not only the sound from your amp, but also unwanted sound from your environment. This setup is also prone to feedback.
SETUP 2:
IN THIS SETUP, YOU ONLY NEED THE GUITAR, TWO 1/4" TS CABLES,
AN
AMPLIFIEr with a line out plug
,
AND YOUR
AUDIO INTERFACE
.
Instructions:
Plug in your guitar to your amp using a TS cable.
Look for the LINE OUT plug on your amp
(usually at the back) and plug it to your
audio interface using a TS cable.
TAKE NOTE! Before plugging in/out your cables through the process, make sure that the gain is tuned down to prevent unwanted noise that could damage your equipment.
SETUP 3:
IN THIS SETUP, YOU NEED THE GUITAR, TWO 1/4" TS CABLES, ONE XLR CABLE,
AN AMPLIFIER, a di box, AND YOUR AUDIO INTERFACE .
Instructions:
Plug in your guitar to your DI box on the INPUT plug with a TS cable. Now with your XLR cable, connect your DI box to your audio interface. Using another TS cable, connect your DI box to your amplifier.
TAKE NOTE! This is the most preferred setup. If your amplifier doesn't have any line out, you can always use a DI box. You both get a clean recording and a clean monitor for you to listen to while playing your guitar.
SETUP 4:
IN THIS SETUP, YOU NEED THE GUITAR, TWO 1/4" TS CABLES, TWO XLR CABLES,
AN AMPLIFIER, A DI BOX, A MICROPHONE, AND YOUR AUDIO INTERFACE .
Instructions:
Plug in your guitar to your DI box using a TS cable.
Connect your DI box to your amp with a TS cable.
Now, connect your interface to your DI box using an XLR cable. Then, connect your interface to your microphone using another XLR cable. Place your mic in front of your amp.
TAKE NOTE! This setup could be considered the safest as you both be able to record through your DI box and through the mic.
Recording your electric bass/guitar with an amplifier has quite an advantage versus not using an amplifier. Having a monitor you could listen to while playing is a very important factor in your performance. If you prefer, you could also use your headphones. You need a 1⁄4" 2-conductor connector to convert your 3.5 mm jack to serve as a TS cable.
Hope you learned something helpful!
If you have any suggestions, additional insights, and cool ideas that could improve this presentation, please let me know! Thank you and have a nice day.