Volume booster

marinoFret · #1 July 26th, 2006

I have acoustic-electric guitar and I connect it directly to pc. Here is a problem: Volume is too low. Is there any software that directly (realtime) boostes volume?

I'm sorry for spelling mistakes...

allthumbs · #2 July 26th, 2006

I don't know of any sorry.

Tekker · #3 July 26th, 2006

If you are using the line input on your soundcard, have you checked the volume settings for the line input in your soundcard's mixer?

If not, open the mixer (the speaker icon in the task bar) and go to options --> properties --> adjust volume for recording.

Then adjust the volume for the line input to get more volume if it's not maxed out already.

-tkr

cshude · #4 July 26th, 2006

If you are recording, you need to watch your levels- you want to target most of the levels around -6 to -3 db. If you get to 0 or above, it will clip it and it will sound like doo-doo. Also, once you have those levels dialed in, you really don't need to listen to yourself play through the headphones, do you? If you are recording to multiple tracks, you can sort of set your headphones on your head so you can hear both the tracks being played as well as your live playing. I often do it that way- for some reason, if I am just listening through headphones, I don't play as well as when I can hear the real thing.

#5 July 26th, 2006

Try ebay or amazon they have alot of good software to offer. Good luck ! John

cshude · #6 July 27th, 2006

Thinking more on this-
1) what software are you using now?
2) have you looked at your soundcard settings?
3) what kind of headphones are you using?
4) do you have a fresh battery for the pickup in your guitar?

marinoFret · #7 July 27th, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by cshude

Thinking more on this-
1) what software are you using now?
2) have you looked at your soundcard settings?
3) what kind of headphones are you using?
4) do you have a fresh battery for the pickup in your guitar?

1) Guitar FX BOX 2.6
2) I have. There is only "Auto gain" option
3) ***** MS industries (cost 4€)
4) I have.

krissovo · #8 July 27th, 2006

If you plug into the mic of the sound card Windoze XP has a microphone boost check box in the sounds settings. If you click on advanced it will bring up the big volume control window, then click on the advanced button for the microphone and it is in there.

You get loads of boost so be careful or you will blow things

wjp01908 · #9 July 28th, 2006

You may want to get yourself a pre amplifier to bring the signal up to line level and plug into the line input on your soundcard. (I use a very inexpensive (gbp 6.00 ) universal preamp that I got from Maplins - the UK equivalent of Radio Shack).

A simple mixer will also do this job as well as making connecting stuff to the PC much easier.

marinoFret · #10 July 28th, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by krissovo

If you plug into the mic of the sound card Windoze XP has a microphone boost check box in the sounds settings. If you click on advanced it will bring up the big volume control window, then click on the advanced button for the microphone and it is in there.

You get loads of boost so be careful or you will blow things

That is a problem. IT BOOSTES TOO MUCH! My speakers are gonna explode! That's why I'm searching for some app where I can do it manually.

marinoFret · #11 July 28th, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by wjp01908

You may want to get yourself a pre amplifier to bring the signal up to line level and plug into the line input on your soundcard. (I use a very inexpensive (gbp 6.00 ) universal preamp that I got from Maplins - the UK equivalent of Radio Shack).

A simple mixer will also do this job as well as making connecting stuff to the PC much easier.

I know. I'm saving money so I can buy it.... I'm searching for temp. solution.

fly135 · #12 July 28th, 2006

"IT BOOSTES TOO MUCH!"

(in my best Alec Guinness voice) Use the volume control Luke, use the volume control.

Tekker · #13 July 28th, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by marinoFret

Quote:

Originally Posted by krissovo

If you plug into the mic of the sound card Windoze XP has a microphone boost check box in the sounds settings. If you click on advanced it will bring up the big volume control window, then click on the advanced button for the microphone and it is in there.

You get loads of boost so be careful or you will blow things

That is a problem. IT BOOSTES TOO MUCH! My speakers are gonna explode! That's why I'm searching for some app where I can do it manually.

Try plugging your guitar into the "line input" instead of the mic input and use the volume fader for the line input (I mentioned how to do this above) to adjust the volume.

Guitars have a hotter output than microphones and especially acoustic-electric guitars since they have active pickups/electronics in them which will boost the signal to line level. The mic input is designed for very small signals from microphones and anything that is not a microphone (guitar, processor, mixer, line output from an amp, etc) should go into the "line input" on your soundcard. Even if you could get a decent level from the mic input it'll never sound good, because the mic inputs are designed for those cheesy $3 "computer mics" and the preamps are very poor quality. So basically for recording purposes, avoid the mic input at all costs.

-tkr

fly135 · #14 July 28th, 2006

If you unselect the +20db boost option then the mic input is the same as the line-in if it's AC97 spec compliant. So no need to move the hardware around.

Tekker · #15 July 28th, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by fly135

If you unselect the +20db boost option then the mic input is the same as the line-in if it's AC97 spec compliant. So no need to move the hardware around.

No, I don't think so. The boost adds more gain, but I believe even that without the boost on that it still goes through the mic preamp section (just with less gain). The line in doesn't have this preamp section at all because it is expecting a signal that is already at line level.

-tkr