How to Play Guitar on the Computer
- 1). Plug your guitar into your computer using a guitar USB cable. Insert the 1/4-inch plug into your guitar and plug the USB connector into a USB port on your PC. As an alternative, you also can use a standard instrument cable with a 1/4-inch adapter to plug into your Line-In port, which is not recommended because the connection results in weaker recording quality as a result of white noise picked up from the hum of your computer.
- 2). Open a digital audio program with guitar amp emulation. Popular examples of this type of software include Logic, Cubase and GarageBand and guitar-specific software like AmpliTube, Eleven and Gearbox.
- 3). Locate the guitar amplifiers included within your software. If specifically using a guitar program, the amps should appear right on your screen. But if you are using a general music workstation, you need to locate the amplifiers among your filters. In most cases, you will find your amplifier effects on your digital mixer along with your compressors, EQ and other effects. Look for an option that reads "Amp Simulation" or "Amp Modeling" and click it to access the amplifier window.
- 4). Adjust your amplifier settings to your liking by moving the knobs and sliders on your amplifier window. Experiment with different settings until you find just the right sound. For example, you can achieve a more aggressive sound, characteristic of punk rock or heavy metal, by raising the distortion. And you can add more of a bass presence to your sound by raising the low frequencies.
- 5). Begin playing your guitar. The sound should transmit through your computer using the settings you previously indicated on your amplifier. If you do not achieve sound, click your "Preferences" or "Options," usually appearing under your menu bar beneath "Edit" or "Help," then select your "Audio" options and verify that your USB device is recognized as an input source. If it is not listed as an input, you should have the ability to select it from the menu. If it does not appear at all, install the driver, which should be included on the CD-ROM that came with your cable.
- 6). Record your guitar riffs and melodies by locating the red "Record" button on your browser and clicking it once to begin a recording a session. Click the button a second time when you finish your sequence.
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