Getting a decent audio signal on a low-budget setup
A guitar-playing friend of mine is dabbling in the art of on-the-cheap home recording and asked me a question about getting a decent signal. He was going through his computer’s built in line-in and could only get a very small signal that sounded quiet and weak, and if he tried to fix this he got a clipped and distorted signal.
I’m not a recording expert, but I do know it’s important to get the signal right! It’s possible to go directly with the line-in through your computer (my friend didn’t know that input volumes could be adjusted in Windows XP’s software volume controls just like output volumes), but I recommend to anyone who is even half-serious about home recording to at least get a cheap pre-amp. Better yet, get a Behringer Eurorack–you can get them with two phantom-powered microphone/analogue inputs and built-in pre-amps for about AU$100, so it would be well below the $100 mark in America.
From there, all you have to do is turn up the volume, make sure it’s loud enough, and bring it down (or up) enough until the red “Peak” LED stops blinking when you play. Check that you’re getting a similar signal in your computer’s digital audio workstation–loud enough, but the signal metre isn’t hitting red. You’ll have a clear signal with no clipping.
For XP users with no pre-amp or mixer, skip to measuring volume directly in the DAW. For Mac OS X users you don’t even need to check the DAW meter. The input volume settings provide a good signal gauge.
Of course, nothing beats a decent digital input with a built-in pre-amp to get great sound quality, if you have the extra money!
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