Audio interconnection 09
Three example audio signal paths from guitar to DAW

Level of challenge Easy

Welcome to this tutorial, in which we will attempt to illustrate some of the signal types and interconnects discussed so far, by using a variety of methods to record an electric guitar.



We are going to interconnect a guitar, DI box and guitar combo, and tap the signal at 3 different points in the signal chain.

 

Caption - 'Creating' the signals

There are 3 primary elements that shape the sound of an electric guitar ..

  1. the guitar itself (strings, body and pickup)
  2. amp
  3. loudspeaker/cabinet

We are going to record these combinations ..

  1. the direct signal coming from the guitar pickup
  2. the signal coming from the guitar pickup via the amp
  3. the signal coming from the guitar pickup via the amp and loudspeaker/cabinet

First we will make the interconnections we need.

 

Caption - Making the connections

Demonstration

  1. connect guitar lead from guitar output to DI box instrument input (pickup level signal)
  2. connect guitar lead from DI box link through output to guitar combo input (pickup level signal)
  3. connect mic lead from DI box mic output (mic level signal)
  4. connect guitar combo amp/speaker output to power soak input (speaker level signal)
  5. connect TRS jack lead to power soak line level output (line level signal)
  6. connect mic lead to microphone and place in front of combo (mic level signal)

To recap, we now have three signal paths to choose from ..

  1. virgin guitar pickup mic level signal from DI box
  2. line level signal direct from the amp via the power soak
  3. mic level signal from a microphone capturing the sound from the combos loudspeaker

Lets go through these one by one.

 

Caption - Signal path 1 - 'Dry' DI signal (before amp and loudspeaker)

Demonstration

  1. DI box mic output to microphone pre-amp (balanced mic level signal)
  2. microphone pre-amp output to A to D converter (balanced line level signal)
  3. A to D converter output to DAW audio interface (AES3 digital signal)

Caption - Signal path 2 - Power soak output signal (after amp, before loudspeaker)

Demonstration

  1. power soak output to A to D converter (line level signal)
  2. A to D converter output to DAW audio interface (AES3 digital signal)

Caption - Signal path 3 - Microphone output signal (after amp and loudspeaker)

  1. DI box mic output to microphone pre-amp (balanced mic level)
  2. microphone pre-amp output to A to D converter (balanced line level)
  3. A to D converter output to DAW audio interface (AES3 digital signal)

Caption - Advantages of the setup

The advantage of this setup is that 3 different guitar tonalities can be recorded simultaneously to separate tracks in a DAW. This gives great flexibility for experimentation. Signals can be mixed together in various combinations, sent back out of the DAW to be re-amped (sent through other amplifiers and recorded to new DAW tracks), and processed with plug-ins such as effects and amp and cabinet emulations.

 

Caption - Thanks for watching

The script for this video, with accompanying images, can be found at projectstudiohandbook.com 

 

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Thanks for watching.

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