How to Make a Guitar Amp Out of Computer Speakers
If you have recently purchased an electric guitar but don't have the money to buy an amp, there is a more affordable alternative. Using computer speakers and other tools, you can amplify your electric guitar and produce high-quality audio. Playing your electric guitar through your computer also allows you to easily add lots of interesting sound effects to your guitar such as distortion, reverb and tremolo.
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Things You'll Need
- Guitar
- 1/4-inch guitar cable
- USB cable
- 1/8- to 1/4-inch converter
- Audio interface
- Computer speakers
- Recording software
Instructions
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1
Connect the audio interface to your computer using a USB cable. The flatter, thinner side of the USB cable should be plugged into the computer while the thicker end should be plugged into the audio interface. Audio interfaces that connect via USB and 1/4-inch inserts for a guitar cable include the Edirol UA series, the M-Audio Fast Track series and the Tascam US series.
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2
Connect your computer speakers to the headphone jack of the audio interface. You may have to use a 1/8-inch or 1/4-inch converter to allow you to plug the speakers into the headphone jack. In this case, simply plug the speaker cable into the female end of the converter and plug the 1/4-inch end into the headphone jack.
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3
Connect your guitar to the audio interface by plugging one end of the 1/4-inch guitar cable into your guitar's input and the other end into the guitar jack of the audio interface.
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4
Turn on your computer and open an audio recording program like Apple Garage Band, Digidesign Pro-Tools or Steinberg Cubase. Activate the audio interface within the recording program via the "Preferences" or "Options" menu. Consult the user manual for your specific audio program to determine exactly how to accomplish this.
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Create a live audio track within the recording software and begin to play your guitar. You should hear your guitar amplified over the computer speakers. You can apply effects such as reverb, chorus and distortion to the track to alter the sound of your computer speaker guitar amplifier.
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Tips & Warnings
Adjust the input levels on your audio interface to prevent the audio from clipping or distorting in an unwanted way.
Make sure not to turn up the audio too loud as this can blow out your speakers.
References
- Photo Credit Polka Dot RF/Polka Dot/Getty Images
