If you only want to record the guitar through the magicstop (no vocals or other instruments) then all you really need is a USB interface that has Line level In and out and a headphone socket. The headphone socket is required so that you can hear what you are playing while you are recording without any delay before you hear the sound. (this is what bgravato uses, though he uses an interface with a mic input because he records an acoustic guitar with a microphone).
Alternatively a USB mixer would work providing that it has at least one stereo or 2 mono Line-in inputs.
Alternatively you could use a mixer (not USB) with a separate USB interface (this is what I use).
If you’re happy with missing the cabinet and room sound, then the output of an electric guitar is perfectly compatible with Line-In (not Mic-In). The only problem is it’s mono, but you can change that in Audacity, or just use a Y cable between the guitar and the interface.
The restriction with the USB interface is the ability to do voice-overs, overdubbing, and multiple instruments. If you want that, then it’s important that it have headphone management. The Behringer Xenix USB mixers have that built-in as does the UCA202.
If you don’t care about multi-channel production, then almost any USB connection from any mixer will work. Put a UCA202 or any other USB converter on an analog mixer like I do…
Most musicians eventually fall to the desire to produce a whole, multi instrument and voice show by themselves. For that, Overdubbing/Multi-Channel of some kind is mandatory.
Thanks again for the advice. I have been looking at the behringer xenyx 302 Usb and it seems to have all that I am likely to need at this stage of my recording requirements as it does have the line 1 and 2 inputs.
Yes, but… In a mixer that small, they time share some of the controls between several jobs. The second channel is either a Line-In or it’s the mix point of the USB music. So it has 1-1/2 channels.
Let us know how you get on with it. We’re always interested in personal experiences so we can tell other people.
This is the response I got from Behringer when I asked about mixers.
Q: The UCA202 has a switch on the
side so the headphones can listen to the show going to the
computer, or the show coming from the computer.
We would like a fader so we can listen to both. This would
allow real time overdubbing, production and sound on sound.
Yes, I would suggest using a small mixer to monitor the
“live mix” seperate from the recorded mix. There is a
function on the Xenyx series mixers which would allow you to
switch between these audio signals. Take a look at the
1204FX or 1204USB http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/1204USB.aspx
You will need to select the CD/TAPE to CTRL ROOM button so
that the soundcard’s signal will be routed away from the
main mix to the CTRL ROOM output. You will want to
connect the control room outputs to your power amp or
powered speakers and control your monitoring level via the
CTRL ROOM knob. You will be able to monitor through
the speakers or the headphones.
Kind regards,
Russell U
Technical Support Specialist
MUSIC Group Services US Inc.
Email: support@music-group.com
From my cursory look at the magicstop, the USB appeared to be a data interface for programming the effects, not an audio interface.
I’m happy to be proved wrong, but I found no reference to audio in relation to the USB.
I did see that the specification said that the (analogue) output was up to 0 dB (line level), so it should work with any line level compatible interface.
That is a really tiny mixer. Not much more than an audio interface, but with a couple of extra features and inexpensive.
I’ve not used one, but as far as I can tell it should do everything you need “at this stage of your recording requirements”. If you do get one it would be good if you could write a brief review of your experience with it.
Yes you are correct, the USB connection on the Magicstomp is only for editing patches and is not an audio interface, although it does have line 1 and 2 inputs and outputs. The reason I am thinking about the xenyx 302 Usb mixer is that it seems to be simple to use and has all my requirements in 1 unit, and for the price it must be worth a try.
Trying to find the xenyx 302 has been very difficult as nobody has them in stock so I have opted for the xenyx 802 and the UCA202 interface. Hopefully this will be the answer to my recording needs and will let you know how I get on with this set up.
I have now received my Behringer ZENYX 802 mixer and UCA202 interface which I installed successfully following the instructions in this section without any trouble at all. Many thanks to all for your help and advice which I will probably need more of as my recordings progress.
I didn’t think help would be needed this soon After my last post on successfully installing my UCA202 I just tried to record a project with my guitar but when I click on record the message “error while opening sound device. please check the input device settings and the project sample rate” I clicked on the sound device in preferences and it says no devive found. When I installed it on Thursday I had no problems at all, am I missing something obvious ? any help or suggestiond would be much appreciated.
It started out as a “simple” FAQ, but is sufficiently complext that it trancends that. The only reason it’s not formally published at the moment is that we are trying to decide whether it should go in the Manual or the Wiki - or where it should sit in either of those.
When launched, Audacity will only “see” devices that are already connected and recognised by Windows.
On Thursday I guess that you connected the UCA202 before you opened Audacity.
Today I guess that you opened Audacity first and then connected the UCA202.
Two possible solutions:
Restart Audacity.
Assuming that you are using Audacity 1.3.13, “Transport menu > Rescan Audio Devices”.
After either 1 or 2 check if you can select the UCA202 in either sound device in preferences or in the Device Toolbar
After my last post on successfully installing my UCA202 I just tried to record a project with my guitar but when I click on record the message “error while opening sound device. please check the input device settings and the project sample rate” I clicked on the sound device in preferences and it says no devive found. When I installed it on Thursday I had no problems at all, am I missing something obvious ? any help or suggestiond would be much appreciated.