Author Topic: using your pc as a practice amp?  (Read 256 times)

Offline pugg666

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using your pc as a practice amp?
« on: December 26, 2005, 12:38:52 PM »
well after a 10 year break I finally got the chance to get back into playing.brother in law gave me his old guitar, an Ibanez EX series, nothing special but it sounds good and the neck isn't warped.

would it be as simple as buying an 1/8th inch adapter for the patch cord and plugging it into the mic jack on my sound card? would any software be needed, keep in mind I don't want to record what I'm playing (don't need any evidence of how much I suck :D ) I just want to use it as amp.

sound card is an sb live 5.1

Offline Cougar68

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using your pc as a practice amp?
« Reply #1 on: December 26, 2005, 01:22:19 PM »
You can do it w/out any software, but it's not going to sound that great.  For the money you'd invest in software and preamps to get it right, you can pick up a decent amp.  Check a pawn shop, they'll usually have an 8" practice amp for under a hundred.

Offline x0847Marine

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Re: using your pc as a practice amp?
« Reply #2 on: December 26, 2005, 01:33:57 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by pugg666
well after a 10 year break I finally got the chance to get back into playing.brother in law gave me his old guitar, an Ibanez EX series, nothing special but it sounds good and the neck isn't warped.

would it be as simple as buying an 1/8th inch adapter for the patch cord and plugging it into the mic jack on my sound card? would any software be needed, keep in mind I don't want to record what I'm playing (don't need any evidence of how much I suck :D ) I just want to use it as amp.

sound card is an sb live 5.1


I've set up Delta1010's that people use as amps running Nuendo, and the plug ins respond in real time... but an SBLive, eh.. maybe.

ed:
This dood has an SBlive page:
http://www.soundtrackers.de/awe_without_frames.html

ck out the AMP for Windows 2.5 freeware
« Last Edit: December 26, 2005, 01:50:13 PM by x0847Marine »

Offline Skilless

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using your pc as a practice amp?
« Reply #3 on: December 26, 2005, 02:10:06 PM »

Offline capt. apathy

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using your pc as a practice amp?
« Reply #4 on: December 26, 2005, 04:46:03 PM »
my hearing isn't good enough to give a reliable comment on the quality.  but my brother plugged his into the SB audit and it sounded fine to me.  

he said the card also had pre-sets to simulate different effect pedals.

Offline Masherbrum

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using your pc as a practice amp?
« Reply #5 on: December 26, 2005, 05:12:32 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by capt. apathy
my hearing isn't good enough to give a reliable comment on the quality.  but my brother plugged his into the SB audit and it sounded fine to me.  

he said the card also had pre-sets to simulate different effect pedals.


Take David Gilmour for example.  Most everyone knows he uses Hi-Watt Guitar amps exclusively.  Plug in an American Series Strat into it, it still doesn't have that "sound".   Now put the Albemic F2-B BASS Preamp he has ahead of the Hi-Watt and VIOLA!.    

Hell, the following makes me laugh.  In Zeppelin's heydey, most people don't realize that Jimmy Page's amps were in false cases.   The "Marshall Head" on stage had it's innards removed and was merely a novelty.  Everyone "wanted his sound" that he deliberately foiled folks EVEN roadies.  When they did the remastering on their DVD.  The Mixing Editor needed to know what amps he was using at the various performances, Jimmy said "You want to know what I was using to tell everyone don't you?!"  Jimmy didn;t realize that some of the films footage had some audio blemishes that could have been "easily fixed".  But he still wouldn't tell, even after 23 years.

Come on, you should be able to hear the difference in quality.  No computer can effectively "replicate" pedals.  They come close, but it is easy for me to differentiate.  I sat behind a drum kit for 14 years.  

Karaya
« Last Edit: December 26, 2005, 05:18:34 PM by Masherbrum »
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