Recording Electric Guitar

bigmantone · Post by **bigmantone** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 9:30 pm

Hi All,

Just a few questions on the above.....

Whats the best way to conenct my strat to ableton live? Ableton do an interface is it any good?

Also.....what are the guitar effects like ? Should I sell my Boss GT3 to pay for Ableton or keep it ? Are the boss effects better ?

cheers

mikemc · Post by **mikemc** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 9:47 pm

That is an interesting question. If your only way to get Ableton Live is to sell the effects, it's more like you are moving towards being a laptop-based performer that plays guitar as opposed to a guitarist who uses a laptop, if you get what I mean.

The question might be, do you want to move that way? If so, then I'd say yes, because you can do much more as a musical producer with Live than loop and apply effects to guitar (even though that's a lot right there), and you can also get your guitar to do things with VSTs that it could not do with your pedal effects. You also need an iface to the computer, are you planning on getting Live bundled?

The pedal effects are something you get used to, if you are thinking of Ableton Live as a ultra-advanced guitar effects rack, I'm thinking it can serve as that, but you will need to change your style of using effects and handling the equipment, and you'll likely end up wanting/getting a MIDI pedal controller.

Meef Chaloin · Post by **Meef Chaloin** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 9:59 pm

this is a subject ive just posted on another forum, i'll copy the text & tell you what im trying to do, sounds similar:

"Basically I’m trying to get a live set together using Ableton Live, , keyboard, didge, my guitar and the Behringer foot controller. Im going to be looping recording the guitar in Live so I need to plug the guitar in directly really (I don’t want to go the miking way). So what Im thinking is… to get a preamp for the guitar to go through before it goes in to the computer (Ive seen some pretty cheap ones, are they any good? Like the behringer one?)
I’m also thinking of getting an A/B box to split the signal from my amp to the computer but then im also thinking about just trying it from the output of the amp (speaker out or line out, I cant remember) but I don’t know who this would sound.

Anyone have any experience or ideas on this?

also, with the preamps - should you use something like Amplitude after? or is that what the preamp will do?"

id like to use my amp cos its looking sorry for itself in the corner but it could be more practical not to use it.

Jesse · Post by **Jesse** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 10:09 pm

I have a setup like this, using control aid (mac) with Live controlled by an FCB1010 and using a Line 6 Pod XT, doing live looping stuff. I've also got a Yamaha G-50 & Reason to loop keyboard parts, bass using my guitar.

I would shy away from the plug-in guitar stuff -- unless you have a wicked fast computer and an RME audio interface the latency is often unmanageable. Check out the new Line 6 Toneport -- cheap, sounds great and has fast drivers.

Best,
Jesse

mikemc · Post by **mikemc** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 10:53 pm

Meef Chaloin wrote:So what Im thinking is… to get a preamp for the guitar to go through before it goes in to the computer (Ive seen some pretty cheap ones, are they any good? Like the behringer one?)
I’m also thinking of getting an A/B box to split the signal from my amp to the computer but then im also thinking about just trying it from the output of the amp (speaker out or line out, I cant remember) but I don’t know who this would sound.

Anyone have any experience or ideas on this?

It kind of depends on your approach to integrating guitar. In general, a small mixer would help you, I use one. The thing with guitar is that the amp can be an integral part of the sound you like, so sure, it's hard to part with it.

Johnisfaster · Post by **Johnisfaster** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 3:29 am

I'm not sure if this has been established properly yet in the conversation but he really doesn't want to plug directly into the laptop using the audio jack built into it. that will give you way too much noise as they are not very high quality. you'll need to get a usb or firewire interface.

but if that was already understood then excuse me for saying it again

mosca · Post by **mosca** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 10:59 am

i got a guitar port really cheap - great effects and its ASIO so great latency.

I switch between that and my audiophile FW

great wee box the guitar port - check it out if you can

mosca

Meef Chaloin · Post by **Meef Chaloin** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 11:31 am

so you plug the port straight in to the computer?
Would the cheapy preamps do the same, the behringer one for example?

MrYellow · Post by **MrYellow** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 11:49 am

If you can only get Live by selling something then forget it because you're
going to need a lot more then just Live to make it practical.

You'll need a good sound card with very low latency, which can cost AU$800-3000

A mixer or a soundcard with built-in pre-amps.

A MIDI foot pedal.

Some VST effects such as Amplitude for amp simulation, or an amp and/or
silent speaker box and/or a microphone.

Then you might well want a MIDI guitar system or whatever........

Playing guitar through an amp is a LOT cheaper then playing it through Live.
Buying a guitar, a decent amp and some picks isn't very complex or
expensive.

But....

You can't do anywhere near as much.

-Ben

Meef Chaloin · Post by **Meef Chaloin** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 12:11 pm

MrYellow wrote: You'll need a good sound card with very low latency, which can cost AU$800-3000

A mixer or a soundcard with built-in pre-amps.

Some VST effects such as Amplitude for amp simulation, or an amp and/or
silent speaker box and/or a microphone.

Buying a guitar, a decent amp and some picks isn't very complex or
expensive.

I'm just using a DMX6fire & find it to be low enough latency to play through & that's not very expensive.
Also you can pick up preamp pedals for £20 (how good they are is what im trying to find out).

If you go this route you would just need fx in Live (reverb, delay etc) as you would already have it simulated when you record it.

d-plate · Post by **d-plate** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 2:44 pm

I use an MBox 1 with Live, I record semi-acoustic and electric guitar through it, no problems, really low latency. Pre-amps are OK I guess, by Focusrite - but of course not the same quality you'd find in their highend stuff

mikemc · Post by **mikemc** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 3:11 pm

Also you can pick up preamp pedals for £20 (how good they are is what im trying to find out).

I run my guitar through effects, then into a mixer, then into Live, the laptop into sound system as well as guitar into sound system (enabling laptop bypass) through add'l effects.

I am a one-human project, play guitar and do vocals along with Live sets, running both through a mixer.

I have not used a preamp pedal, I've used a Prosonus Tube Pre in conjunction with guitar, sounds ok. But...

For *recording*, not live performance, mic'ed guitar is almost always a better sound, yes it's more work, more variables in the chain to consider, and you can get more noise. Running direct can sound thin, a preamp can help that-- the mechanical aspect of the vibrations in the air interacting with the guitar adds a lot *if* you are going for a traditional electric guitar sound, so if you run direct be in the room with the montitor speakers turned up. If you are using the guitar as a source of notes that you will post process, running through the effects you like then direct in is fine.

If you are running through Live then out to speakers, you can get a pretty good *sound* for live performance. Lol, to actually *play* you definitely need a low latency iface and a powerful box. If you are not familiar with the effects of latency in processing, the latency needs to be very low-- it will drive you crazy, not good crazy but bad/will make you sad crazy: you will play wonderful sounding notes that come out some number of milliseconds moment after you intended them.

pacoz · Post by **pacoz** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 6:31 am

Check out the Line 6 Toneport UX2. Just got mine a couple of weeks ago and I am very happy with it. The latency is almost non-existent and the modeling effects are superb.