How to Connect an Electric Guitar to a Mac
The world of music was changed forever when computers became incorporated into the recording process, advancing the storage of musical information and the editing process by leaps and bounds. In recent years the practice of recording at home has been simplified and improved drastically as well, thanks primarily to home computers and the technologies associated with them.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch sound cable
- USB guitar-to-computer interface
- Audio recording software
Instructions
-
-
1
Purchase a 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch sound cable. This can be found at most computer or electronics stores, or at music stores. This cable will allow you to connect from the 1/8-inch female input to the 1/4-inch input on your sound card, which is the standard input size for commercially-sold computers. This is the most simple, cheap way to connect your guitar to your computer, but it also produces the lowest-quality sound.
-
2
Purchase a USB Guitar-to-computer interface. This is a more expensive, more versatile, better-quality alternative to the sound cable. A great example of this is the M-Audio Fast Track. It has inputs for both a standard 1/8-inch instrument cable and an XLR microphone cable, which enables you to record an acoustic guitar, or even vocals. The Fast Track costs about $120 and can be purchased online, at a computer or electronics store, music store, or the Apple store. There is a wide selection of USB-powered interfaces, including the Line 6 Pod, IK Multimedia StealthPlug, and the Samson G-Track, to name a few.
-
-
3
Purchase or download audio recording software. This will allow you to hear and monitor the sounds coming from your guitar. Additionally, most software of this kind will also enable you to simulate real amplification sounds, so it will sound like you are playing live, through an amplifier. Without this software, your guitar would sound very small, weak and uninspiring. An excellent, free program you can download for this purpose is called Audacity. Newer Apple computers come with a superb program called GarageBand. Other alternatives for purchase are Cakewalk, CuBase, and IK Multimedia Total Worstation bundle.
-
1
