[ozboomer]

Well, here I am, starting-out on some basic recording again.. after a break of 20-something years(!)...

The attached MP3 is the first cut at a basic recording, viz:

Squier Strat --> V-Amp 2 --> UCA-202 --> SoundBlaster Live! --> Audacity

..and the 2nd output from the V-Amp 2 goes into a Fender Frontman 15R amp for monitoring.

So, to a couple of questions:

1) It sounds pretty ordinary, I know... but I wonder if I can do anything about that? Using the V-Amp 2 as a pre-amp is pretty dodgy, I guess... but if I turn up the volume and/or master volume on the V-Amp2, the sound all distorts.. and I just can't get a clean sound that I'm happy with at a high enough level into the SoundBlaster card (the MP3 has had an 'Amplify' function applied to it to get it to the level it is here). Maybe it's as simple as the SoundBlaster + UCA-202 combination is useless and has to be retired.. *shrug*

2) How can I make a track like this into a decent 'practice loop'? I'm trying to do it using Audacity and I'm having difficulty getting the timing right for the loop point.

I'd appreciate any suggestions, please.

[eXperiment63]

To make a correct loop. I would make a simple kick/tom/tom/tom drum track to get your timing from. Let it run a couple bars, then play the loop according to the drum track. Clip it at the end of the last bar, clip the front of the drum and guitar track until you are at the beginning of that first bar which has guitar sound. Slide it all up to the left and hit the loop button and play.

[OldG]

The UCA-202 is a USB device that should work independently from the sound blaster.
You'll need to d/l and install the ASIO drivers here, to get full function and then set it as your recording input device in Audacity.

The soundblaster should be taken out of the chain as the little Behringer acts as your ASIO soundcard.

[ozboomer]

Originally Posted by OldG

The UCA-202 is a USB device that should work independently from the sound blaster.

Ohh! Quite right you are.. I was confused there a mite with my signal path.. The UCA-202 does go straight into the PC via USB and WinXP is using that device for recording..

...but the point is that the set-up I'm trying to use still sounds pretty ordinary

[OldG]

How is the input slider set in your Audacity?

I have trouble with the install I have - whenever I try to up the input level it returns to the minimum position... I now use Reaper instead...

As for 'ordinary sound' add slight reverb, compression and/or very light chorus either at the V-amp or load effects into audacity or Reaper (lovely effects built into Reaper) to start with, then experiment from there.

[ozboomer]

Now, I've adjusted my recording set-up so that I use an old (20+ years old!) Boss BX-600 6->2 mixer... and the level is better (although the input gain, chanel and master levels are almost all on '9' on a scale of 1-10)... and now there's a (different) noise problem.

The first half of 19Feb08_Noise.mp3 (if you crank the volume enough) illustrates the noise level... but be careful - there's a few seconds of (very ordinary) guitar playing near the end of the track. The noise can be substantially removed (listening to 19Feb08_NoNoise.mp3) but I'm curious about where the noise is coming from.

Remembering the signal path is now:

guitar -> mixer -> uca-202 -> USB -> WinXP PC

Considering the leads from the mixer to the uca-202, if I remove the leads from the mixer end, holding them out in the air, I hear no noise on the recording. However, as soon as I plug the leads back into the mixer output jacks, I hear the noise again (this is with all the gain/channel/output levels down at zero). This seems to tell me I have power supply interference, or the mixer is old and noisy (although, I understand it's all solid state).

The other thing is that if you listen to the noisy track, am I being too picky about the way it sounds? Am I expecting too much from the equipment I'm using? I can always make-do by post-processing the recording to remove the noise.. but maybe some of you who are familiar with ground loops, interference noise, etc recognize what this sound might be.. and you could give me some clues on how to get rid of it... if it's really necessary )

Thanks for any thoughts..

[X4StringDrive]

Not sure if this will apply to you, but the input cable I used to my external soundcard would make that same noise if I bumped it or jiggled it, replaced that cable and all's fine now....just a thought

[ozboomer]

Made an interesting discovery just now...

Replacing the BX-600 with a home-made, single-channel, battery-operated 4->1 mixer (again, I built it ~25 years ago and it's based around a TL071 op-amp), I tried listening to what was making its way through to the computer and the monitoring amp... and it was a lot quieter. I expect that with the battery operation.. but maybe there's a ground loop... or something else is wrong with the BX-600 having a component that is worn out...?

I still have to check out the (shielded)cable idea.. but it seems most of the problem is in the input stage of the mixer..