Being a guitar enthusiast, you would want to keep a record of your music. If you want to use a pc for recording then you would want to know how to record guitar on.
You will have to learn and follow the procedure of how to record guitar on pc.
First of all, the process of recording would defer according to the type of guitar you have whether it is acoustic or electric.
You will have to probably go through multiple trials and errors to get the perfect tones and music for your guitar.
There are multiple basic sounds and music that you can practice with for beginners and once you feel satisfied with those, move on to experiment with higher-level sounds and also try to make your music.
In how to record guitar on pc first let us look at how to record electric guitar:
First of all, you will need some basic things that will help you with recording your guitar:
- A digital audio workstation is a type of software that is designed to let you record and edit audio. There are many different DAWs available in the market, from expensive to cheap. If you are going to use a DAW for the long term then investing in a good quality DAW would be a smart choice or else a basic cheap one is also fine to get you started.
- An audio interface is also a must-have when you have to record as it allows you to plug your studio microphones into your pc. This is helpful to let your pc know where your microphone is plugged in, and you have to let your interface settings have both input and output.
Other basic things that you will need are cables and stands, headphones, and of course your guitar. other optional equipment that you can consider to improve your recording are a guitar amplifier, microphones, and an amp simulator.
As you are new to recording you don’t need to buy these things before you are proficient in learning how to record guitar on pc.
How to record guitar on pc?
Now let us take a look at how to record electric guitar:
There are two ways to record, and you can choose the one that suits you the best.
- Recording with an AMP
If you have an Amp then recording your Amp is simple. You will need a mic for this and a stand to place it. After you are done placing it, you can plug the mic and audio interface using an XLR cable
To get the tones of the guitar according to your satisfaction, you should first try moving your mic in different directions, experiment with how different directions give different tones, and go with the one that you are most satisfied to play.
- Recording without AMP
You can use an interface to record your guitar without an amp by directly plugging your guitar into the interface with the help of a ¼” cable.
Here, you would need amp simulators that will imitate the sound of the guitar amp and help you record the guitar.
You don’t need to worry about these digital amps not sounding real or good, with practice, they sound as good as the real amplifiers. They are also cheap, eliminate the need for a microphone, and also have a great variety of tones available for you.
- How to record acoustic guitar?
It’s recommended to record acoustic guitar with the help of a condenser mic to get the best sound and tone quality captured.
You can have two options for positioning your mic for recording. One is to have the mic directly in front of the soundhole to get low or middle frequencies or have it point at the 12th or 13th fret to have higher frequencies.
After deciding the position of the mic, you can choose how close should the mic be to your guitar after experimenting with various positions.
After this, all you need is to practice and experiment with sounds and tones and you are ready to record. Now you only need your DAW to create an audio channel. Have your channel input settings right which, is the input of your plugged-in guitar should correspond with the channel settings.
Lastly, adjust your volume settings to an ideal of -20 to -12 dB to get the highest quality sound possible.
And you are good to go for your first guitar recording.
FAQs
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Can you record guitar on pc?
Yes, you can record your guitar on pc. The process is also quite simple and easy to follow. You will need some basic things like DAW, AMP or amp sim, interface, etc.
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Can you plug a guitar into the computer directly?You will need an interface to connect your guitar with your computer. You cannot directly plug in our guitar with the computer.
Hi, I am William. I am a music enthusiast. I play the guitar and ukulele. I like to try out all instruments and review them, to help others make an informed decision. You must choose the right instrument to get that sweet sound you desire. When I am not on my instruments I will be found reading or cooking.
