Re: [Harp-L] Hooking up an amp to a Mac



Patrick and Richard, this is very helpful!! Many thanks!



On Oct 11, 2010, at 1:50 PM, Patrick Lines wrote:

I'm guessing you want to use the line out on the amp. You need an interface. One of the cheapest is an Icicle. Instead of the line in, it uses a USB port. You need some other gear though. A high impedence to low impedence transformer or DI box and a low impedence cable. The Icicle comes bundled with Audacity; a recording software.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Zvi Aranoff" <zviaranoff@xxxxxxxxx>

On Oct 11, 2010, at 3:02 PM, Richard Hunter wrote:


"Zvi Aranoff" wrote:

How does one connect an amp - in my case a VOX DA5 - to a MacBookPro, so
that the recording input into the MBP would be via the amp and not the
MBP's internal mic?


Once connected, how does one record from that? (currently I record
directly from the internal mic using QuickTime player.)

I connected the amp to the input jack on the MBP and in System
Preferences changed Input to "Line in" - and... nada. No sound is
detected.

I'm not looking for any high quality recordings, just a way to record
myself amplified and hear how I sound.


Zvi, you need an audio interface. Decent audio interfaces that connect to the computer via USB or Firewire can be purchased for less than $100. Behringer makes a low-cost Firewire interface for about $80 that would do you very well. I use a Tascam US-122, a USB interface which has stereo mic and line inputs plus a number of other features; that device sells for about $125. Check musiciansfriend.com for other choices. Make sure you get an interface with line AND mic inputs, as well as headphone outs so you can hear yourself while you record. (By the way, all of the Digitech RP devices since the 150/250/350 are also USB audio interfaces, so if you've ever wanted an RP, this might be the time.)


The DA5 has a line-out, as I recall, and you can connect that directly to your audio interface input. However, I find that the DA5 sounds very different recorded direct than it does when it's mic'd. So you may want to get a microphone and record the sound from the DA5's speaker instead of using a direct line (assuming that your neighbors won't freak out when you do that). The obvious choice for the mic in this case is a Shure SM-57, though just about any dynamic mic you have lying around will do a decent job.

Regards, Richard Hunter


author, "Jazz Harp" latest mp3s and harmonica blog at http://myspace.com/richardhunterharp more mp3s at http://taxi.com/rhunter Vids at http://www.youtube.com/user/lightninrick Twitter: lightninrick




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