Audacity Forum

Hi I'm new to using Audacity and programs like it and currently I'm trying to record myself playing on my bass guitar using Audacity but whenever I record there seems to be a kind of warbly or buzzing effect which accompanies every note I play. I'm recording by using a converter that changes the plug size and then sticking it into my microphone jack. Does anyone know of a way to fix this? Thanks in advance.

A guitar signal, especially a bass guitar is much too powerful for the Mic-In of a Windows machine. If your laptop doesn't have a Stereo Line-In connection you may need to make one with one of the USB sound cards we reviewed, like the UCA202.

http://forum.audacityteam.org/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=9477

Other options are to use the Deskside Windows machine you put out in the garage -- most of them had Stereo Line-In; or almost any Mac.

Koz

You are probably overloading the microphone input socket.

My prefered way to record bass/electric guitar is to use a microphone and record the sound from the cab. Even practice amps can sound good if set up carefully and not driven too hard.

An alternative method, if you prefer to "DI" (plug straight in) is to get a USB sound card that has an "Instrument" or "Guitar" input.
If you are using a full size computer it may have a "Line In" socket which will probably work better than the microphone input.

Can you explain more about how to put the connection in right method to fix this guitar problem.

<<<Can you explain more about how to put the connection in right method to fix this guitar problem.>>>

I thought we did.

If you're on a Windows Laptop, the connection you have is never going to work. You can't "adjust" it.

You can use a different computer. Large Windows deskside machines and Macs have connections that work.

You can buy an external USB sound card. It's best to get one with an instrument input, but one of the editors in our company plugs his Gibson straight into Line-In like in the UCA-202.

Koz