A Beginner's Guide to Audio Interfaces and Amp Sims - Part 1
- Daniel Bone
- Aug 26, 2020
- 3 min read
So as well as working a full time job and running Runic, I'm also an admin for the 6StringCovers group on Facebook. We've created a wonderful community of 2000+ guitarists, and a common question that comes up is how to use amp sims, and get the most out of them. so I thought I'd put some time into explaining for the group, and anyone else that may want to know more.
So, as I'm writing this for beginners, I'm going to use the "Explain it to me like I'm 5" approach and keep it as basic as possible, and assume you don't know anything, okay? So if you're already well versed in the ways of audio interfaces, DAWs and amp sim software, you may as well stop reading, this one isn't for you! So, now that we've established that, let's crack on. First, we'll tackle Audio Interfaces, and in the next blog we'll take a look into amp sims themselves.
Audio Interfaces
So, before we get to the fun world of tones in amp sims, we need to get our signal into the computer. We do this using an audio interface. There's hundreds of different options available, but I'm just going to explain their basic functions and suggest a couple of options suited to guitarists.
Interfaces come with a number of inputs, this is how many signals you can put through it at once, so if you're, let's say recording an acoustic guitar and singing at the same time, you'd want two microphones, so two inputs would be perfect. If you're recording a drumkit with eight microphones, you'd need eight inputs. Simple so far, right? If you're just recording an electric guitar or vocal on your own then one input would be enough, so pick one based on your particular needs.
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
This one is an absolute classic and will never let you down. Selling for around £140, you get two microphone/instrument inputs, perfectly clear signals and plenty of options. It's small, lightweight and easily portable and can easily get you the results you're after. Just plug into the front, hit the INST (instrument) button, and set the Gain knob to the right level - this will be where you're loud enough but not so loud that you're loudest strums "clip" and go into the red, as this will distort your signal.
EVO 4 by Audient
This one is a newcomer but has been met with great acclaim so far. It's super affordable at around £100, and is designed with beginners in mind, with built in features like Smart Gain to automatically set your gain levels for maximum signal clarity without clipping, saving you a bit of legwork! It's as small and simple as it gets.
Audient Sono
Now this one is a little more advanced than the last two options, but as it's designed especially for guitarists, it's worth mentioning. It's a bit more expensive, £219 at Andertons at time of posting but usually around £300-£350. With this, not only do you get the same basic functions as the other two, but you also get built-in Cabinet Simulation from Two-Notes. This means you can take your clean tone, and run it through the EQ section and drive, and then through a selection of amp cabinets, with a range of microphone and room options, so you can get incredible tones right out of the box. For high gain driven tones you'd still need a pre-amp pedal or amp sim software, but for clean tones it's magic, so it's worth a thought!
Now, keep in mind that that's only a basic rundown of a few options. It's well worth doing more research and digging deeper before making any purchases, as I didn't want to bog you down with too many details just yet!
That'll do for today! In the next blog I'll dive into some of the best and most affordable amp sim options, and the basics of setting them up.
As always, any questions at all, you can reach me through daniel.bone@runicaudio.co.uk or through Facebook and Instagram;
www.instagram.com/runic_audio
Don't hesitate to get in touch. Let me know if this helps!
See you soon!
- Dan
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