guitar usb interface thing

[thunderbird13]

Sorry if this is in the wrong section But I was thinking of buying one today . Does anyone have any experience of these

[url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=222445"]Guitar interface[/url]

Does it work with passive pickups or would I have to boost the signal through an amp first ?

Does it work with a bass guitar as well ( either active or passive ) ?

Can I plug a microphone into it as ?

Is it worth the money or should I look at something else TBH all I really want to do is record a few chords to play bass lines over.

Cheers

[lemmywinks]

[quote name='thunderbird13' post='987895' date='Oct 14 2010, 11:49 AM']Sorry if this is in the wrong section But I was thinking of buying one today . Does anyone have any experience of these

[url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=222445"]Guitar interface[/url]

Does it work with passive pickups or would I have to boost the signal through an amp first ?

Does it work with a bass guitar as well ( either active or passive ) ?

Can I plug a microphone into it as ?

Is it worth the money or should I look at something else TBH all I really want to do is record a few chords to play bass lines over.

Cheers[/quote]


There's similar ones on eBay for a fraction of that price:
[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-Guitar-USB-Interface-Link-Cable-PC-Recording-USB-/280561669726?pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&hash=item4152c7565e"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-Guitar-USB-Inter...=item4152c7565e[/url]


Never used them but i at the above price it's worth trying. If you have £50+ to spend you might be better off looking out for a used Line 6 Guitar Port, they're actually really good for the price. I plugged a SUB4 into my mates' and got some killer bass distortion from some of the models

[thunderbird13]

thanks for that - I'd like to know why the ebay one is so much cheaper. TBH I'm a bit suspicious of a lot of these products I've got a Zoom B1 U at home which I use to record bass with but it does seem to work with guitar that I have so I imagine I need something to boost the guitar signal

[JoshJ]

I'm no expert but they do look a bit suspect, especially the eBay one. I think you would be better off just plugging into the line-in of a decent soundcard. I've done that before and it sounded fine.

The expensive one says it has "Sophisticated software amp, guitar effects deck and 16-track recording system" and "Built in chromatic tuner", which suggests it does a bit more than just plugging in your guitar, but you might be paying for software that you could get for free.

[lemmywinks]

If it's a laptop then you'll need a decent USB interface for recording. The Tascam ones go for about £50 used and they're a good bet, they have XLR and jack inputs which is a bonus. I use an old MAudio one which is brilliant, bought for a snip on here and is much better than my laptop's sound card. Honestly for the price of the Maplins one you could get something better used

The eBay one and the Behringer are probably the same unit, just one is sold by a UK reseller at a marked up price. Nowadays with eBay and Chinese/HK wholeseller sites (chinavision etc.) it's not uncommon to see rebadged versions of devices selling for a tiny percentage of the prices at Maplins/Radioshack etc.

[thunderbird13]

thanks for that - looking at it I might as spend a little more and buy something like a Zoom G2.1u for £ 100 new which will act as an interface and give me loads of effects as well

[Dood]

For the line6 recommendation, I've had experiences with a good few of them. For just recording one instrument at a time on to a laptop, I would highly recommend the Line 6 GX (Over the Tone Port) and for recording software, I actually LOVE Reaper DAW [url="http://www.reaper.fm/"]http://www.reaper.fm/[/url] It is totally free to download and use - but I liked it that much I bought a license. You can even install it on a USB stick and take it anywhere.

If you want to plug in a microphone at the same time, then go for the UX-1 - If you want to be able to plug in stereo keyboards, or two microphones or two guitars then go for the UX-2, Finally, if you want to record 8 seperate instruments all at the same time, the UX-8.

With the new HD units on their way, I can expect the prices of these units to start tumbling, but to be honest, they're cheap to start with, but actually work! great for demos etc.

[thunderbird13]

thanks - for the recomendations - Now DAW software is a whole different kettle of fish I have Cube base LE which came with my zoom and its OK for the basics but TBH I find it too complicated to do anything fancy with. I'll probably have to spend some time in you tube looking at tutorials although in truth I'd rather just plug in and play than much about with software !

[Dood]

[quote name='thunderbird13' post='988018' date='Oct 14 2010, 01:27 PM']thanks - for the recomendations - Now DAW software is a whole different kettle of fish I have Cube base LE which came with my zoom and its OK for the basics but TBH I find it too complicated to do anything fancy with. I'll probably have to spend some time in you tube looking at tutorials although in truth I'd rather just plug in and play than much about with software ![/quote]

Then I definitely recommend Reaper! - I turned up at my mates house when he got a UX-8 and we faffed around for ages trying to get in to communicate with Cubase. I still, to this day do not know why no sound passed, despite having set it up and doublechecked my work.

Reaper installed, run Line 6 POD software select output sends 1 & 2 as the stereo mix,Go to Reaper, right click VU meter in DAW select stereo input, Sends 1 & 2 (Or Mix L & R). Hit record. Really that easy! UX-8 worked straight away!

There are, as you say, a number of tutorials on YouTube and a wiki and a friendly user manual for Reaper.

I'm a big fan!

[xgsjx]

+1 for getting Reaper. I use it more than any other audio software I have.

Oh, & you can get better than some Bellender usb interface from Maplins for @ the same money. Infact, for not a lot more you could get a USB mixer (such as Alesis)