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Comment by g8r on November 24, 2009 at 9:19am

Been on a buying spree lately. My local Best Buy had a clearance on last year's stock, so I picked up an Alesis 8-channel mixer with onboard effects, iPod dock and USB 2.0 output. MF had a clearance on M-Audio Studiophile AV40 monitors, so those should be here tomorrow. Now I'm considering another computer to dedicate to just the DAW.

Comment by Rev Ed Skiba on July 11, 2009 at 2:15pm

Got it on the Radio Shack link. Thanks.

Comment by Tim Jones on July 11, 2009 at 1:44pm

Doh! I misread your note...

You've going to find that's about the best price. However, if you have a normal 1/8" jack, Radio Shack has a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter.

Comment by Tim Jones on July 11, 2009 at 1:39pm

Check out the M-Audio Jamlab at GuitarCenter.com. I use it with my laptops. It works great with both the Mac and PC and is recognized by all of the music tools that I use.

Comment by Rev Ed Skiba on July 10, 2009 at 8:19pm

Thanks guys. I'm having a time trying to find the adapter. Everyone wants to sell me a 1/4" to USB cable for about $60.Any ideas? Guess I may have to try evil bay.

Comment by Tim Jones on July 9, 2009 at 11:18pm

Also, you can look at free options like Audacity or (if you have a Mac) Ardour I also use ACID Pro on the PC and they even have a 10 track FREE version available at acidplanet.com.

I've used Riffworks (was a BETA tester), and it's great for if you're only worried about your guitar and jamming with other guitarists - id also offers a great selection of expandable beat tracks (full blown drum/ryhthm tracks) to make creating more fun.

Comment by Stephent28 on June 24, 2009 at 8:00pm

Well, software is different for everybody depending on needs. Most are pretty intimidating at first but fairly simple once you learn the basics. A couple of pretty good ones that offer up free demos are:

Riffworks: http://www.sonomawireworks.com/T4/

Reaper: http://www.cockos.com/reaper/download.php

If you decide you like one of them, you can buy the unlimited use version. With Reaper, the demo is the full version that you can use for 30 days. For Riffworks I believe it is an unlimited use free version but with limited functionality.....however, it may have everything you need.

Good luck finding the one that works best for you.

Comment by Rev Ed Skiba on June 21, 2009 at 8:28am

Thanks guys. I do have a PC and can get the 1/4 to 1/8 adapter. Just need the software. Lots of folks sell that stuff but I don't like to experiment. I'd rather take advantage of all your experience and just buty it once. Thanks again. Blessings.

Comment by TAFKAR (The Artist Formally Known As Richard) on June 21, 2009 at 4:56am

Ed, you should be able to just plug your guitar directly into the audio in of your computer, using a 1/4" to 1/8" adaptor. Then you just need an appropriate piece of software for recording. If you have a Mac, then GarageBand came with your computer. In the PC world, someone else can advise.

Comment by Stephent28 on June 20, 2009 at 7:18pm

Rev Ed,
You will need compatible DAW software and a mic at a minimum. If you already have a mic then you will either need an interface or possibly something like the Blue "Icicle" that will convert a XLR condenser mic into a USB usable microphone. Since you did not specify whether your laptop is MAC or PC, I can't really tell you which DAWs might be worth checking out.

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