Best way to play through Computer

[Deadstar1312]

Hey, Ive just started studying at NTU (will be here for a year on an exchange from the Uk) and I am keen to get back into my guitar as soon as possible. I bought a nice guitar the other day (electric) but I am not sure the best way to play it. I stay in halls so share a room and am not sure whether I can paly through my computer. I was thinking about buying a connection device such as a line 6 Tone Port or M-Audio piece. Do you guys have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Colin

 

[gsonique]

 

[gsonique]

sorry wrong pic

Read here

 

[Guest]

I was gonna suggest the POD 2.0 too. Esp if you're also going to be taking it around for jams too. Good solid tones. Low clearance price because of the newer POD XT. You can use the unit with headphones if I'm not wrong so using it with a pair of good reference headphones will be a much better config than running through the PC. Using a PC dependent unit might give you latency issues. You could always line in the POD to PC speakers or stereos in a pinch.

 

[Deadstar1312]

Ye you think its better to get a cheap amp and use headphones than the pod? Back home i used a Boss Gt-6 into my computers line in to record, I take it I'd be able to do a simialr thing with the POD but the sound card in my laptop is really poor. What you think?

Thanks again,

Colin

 

[gsonique]

smokey ...fits in yer pocket. :wink:

 

[Guest]

Unless you have decent speakers or are gonna use decent headphones with the laptop, I don't think you'll be able get a satisfying tone with just the laptop speakers. The POD 2.0's basically the same thing as the GT-6, just without the footswitches.

As for a cheap amp, urm, specify how cheap. Actually, what kind of budget are you looking at?

 

[sleepykitty]

smokey ...fits in yer pocket. :wink:

where can i get one of these?

 

[trianglebiscuit]

www.smokeyamps.com

 

[ShredCow]

A nice little amp to consider would be the roland microcube.

It sounds good, very good for its size. And it can get quite loud in a room.

Plus, you can use it to record.

Its a neat little practice amp with some nice modelling and efx. Good pricing too.

 

[Deadstar1312]

Where can I get the Microcube from? Ive only been to a few guitar shops

 

[ShredCow]

Swee Lee.

 

[Deadstar1312]

Unless you have decent speakers or are gonna use decent
As for a cheap amp, urm, specify how cheap. Actually, what kind of budget are you looking at?

Well maybe $200 max? I'd like to maybe get someting second hand. The sound card in my laptop really is useless so I'd like to get an external one for recording. Not sure which though?

The microcube looks good, I'll try and give it a go.

Colin

 

[Guest]

At this price range, the amps that get recommended a lot are the Roland Cubes at Swee Lee and the Vox Pathfinders at City Music. Not sure if the Vox is over budget. Don't know if I'm thinking of its end of year sale price or retail. :?

The Roland Cubes, Microcubes and Vox Pathfinders have lineout/headphone outputs. Try them out and see what you think.

 

[Deadstar1312]

Thanks alot I will try. Which Sweelee store is better?

I still think its worth while getting an external sound card. Do you have any experience?

 

[jeremyrozario]

get a zoom g2.1u, its portable, light and can use it for recording, stomping and killing ants

its cheap at $250 before a 20% discount at citymusic, and on the go you can plug in a pair of headphones and play

BUT...its only good for insane amounts of distortion, the pitch shifter and overdrives suck, and the cleans are only decent

 

[taiji]

bras brasah, dude i recommend to get amps, computer sounds can nv win amps sound, unless u get a damm good sound card and speaker which i dont think worth te money, i tried it using comp but now sticking back to amp.

 

[Deadstar1312]

I think I will probably get a small amp to play with, although I'd like to record with the computer so I think an external sound card is still a must (is Simlim the place to go for those??) The amp i'd get would have to have an emulated line out for recording though or something similar. What do you guys think of the spider 2?

Thanks for all your help again guys

Colin

 

[taiji]

If you want to record, just buy a convertor, plug it into line in and you can record, a convrtor cost around $2.50 , no need use emulated line out

Spider 2 is a good buy, i use it at my music school, the distortion is freaking hell good, and @ $275 u can get a 30 watt spider 2

 

[ShredCow]

Microcube has line out recording.

Recording with Microcube