how do you play a guitar through a computer

You need to install a special type of sound card that will allow you to connect your guitar to the back. It will also allow you to plug in other stereo-type devices like keyboards or what-have-you. The most popular one is the Creative Labs Live card, because it also comes with all the software needed and is also extraordinary in games etc. I don't have one because I dont' have the $200-300 needed to buy one, but I do enjoy standing outside computer stores and looking at them. I'm sure there are other cards too. There's another alternative: a few guitars (I can't remember the brand name, it's iGuitar or something) actually have midi out in addition to the usual cable, so you can plug it into any sound card that has a midi port (most do). Hope this helped.

I read how everybody is playing there guitar through there sound card on there computer
and I was wondering if you need software or
an adapter to put your cord in.OR maybe you
use a special cord.
could someone tell me how this is done
thanks

thanks,I always wondered how they did that.

I think most sound cards have a "mic" input at the back.

Here's how I hook up my guitar to my computer:

All you need is a regular stereo cord (the jacks on either end should be the same as on a set of headphones for your walkman - the small jacks).

Then I get my trusty stereo to phono(?) adapter. Basically, you plug a small stereo jack into it, and then the other end of it is a plug the same size as your regular patch cord.

The phono end of the cord now goes into your guitar, and the small stereo end goes into the mic input in your sound card.

Hope that helps, and if it's confusing, just say so and I'll try to clear it up.

Oh, and also, in your volume control settings, turn down the input volume of the microphone from max, or else you'll just get a distorted guitar.

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ok, i'm not really the eggman

Or, I just mic up my amp, and that sounds better than when I plug straight in, plus, I get to use all my neato effects and whatnot.

thanks alot for the help.where would you buy
one of those stereo to phono adapters at,a
guitar store?

[This message has been edited by Dan (edited 08-02-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Dan (edited 08-02-2000).]

go here dan to learn how http://www.guitarwar.com/help1a.php

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And that's the bottomline............

I got my adapter at radio shack for like $2.

thanks for all your help I now know how to play my guitar through a computer.So hopefully after I get an adapter I will be.
thanks alot

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[email]neohacker@techie.com[/email] Revolution Guitar

Funny this topic should be brought up again, cause today I went out and bought an adapter and tried to record myself on the computer, but it didn't work. I know it's a problem with my sound card, it doesn't record (it never did, even with a mic). Anyone have any advice or maybe experienced this problem?

If you have a Windows 98 computer, press "Start", "Settings", "Control Panel". Then double-click on "Multimedia". You will see a properties page with 5 tabs across the top. On the Audio Tab, playback and recording devices are listed. If no recording device is listed, click on the down arrow on the right hand side of the list box. Are any devices listed? If so, select one and try to record.
If the recording device is "greyed-out", you may have a hardware conflict or device driver problem. A hardware conflict means that two computer devices are trying to use the same computer resources (interrupt, memory, Direct Memory Access channel, or Input/Output Address). A device Driver is the program that interfaces the sound card (or other device) to the computer.
Close the Multimedia Device Properties window and open "System" in the Control Panel. Select the Device Manager Tab and look for any Yellow Exclamation Marks or Red X's. A red X means the device is disabled, a yellow exclamation mark means that there is a hardware conflict. If you have a conflict or disabled device, post some more information about your computer (sound card type, what devices show up with conflicts or as disabled, what devices show up in the Control Panel-System under Sound, Video and Game Controllers) and I will try and help you troubleshoot.
If you have no conflicts, you may need to reinstall your sound card driver. If this is the case, let me know and I'll try to help you reinstall the driver.

it didn't look like anyone mentioned this, there is a version of the Creative Labs SoundBlaster Live called Live Value! that is about $60 bucks. I have one and I really like it. It allows full duplex, so I can play against a background mp3 and record the two mixed, among other interesting things.