Question : How to make music with a guitar and a computer

[greg94]

sHi everyone, I wish everyone the best in these difficult times. Sorry for bad english ahead

What I'm about to ask may sound trivial but I find it way easier to directly ask my questions to a bunch of strangers who know way more than I do than to look for answers in the overwhelming guitar related content on the internet

I just bought a Scarlet 2i2 from a very famous european gear shop. It's on it's way as I write these words and I could'nt be more excited.

The only thing is, I don't know the first thing about producing music with a computer or even how to use a sound interface. It's ok I'm willing to put time and effort into it and I'm ready to learn a lot.

The first thing I'd like to do is to use my computer as an amp to get sickass guitar sounds. For that, I hear "Biasfx2" is a great starter. What do you think about it? I also keep hearing the word "plugin" but I must admit I'm not 100% sure about it's meaning. Does a plugin work on it's own or is it just an "add-on" to another bigger music software?

Also, can I use my expression pedal irl to control some pedals that exist in those software?

Do you have any recommendation or advice for a noob like me?

[fretless]

Your computer will be the DAW “ digital audio workstation “ in that will run your audio software. I suggest you spec out your DAW on paper for reference. Ex. Windows 7 , 16gb ram. I7 cpu , ss drive. Etc etc. this is all good to know anyway and will help you determine what will run and what is compatible. That scarlet is the interface I assume its USB ? What audio recording software does it come with? If nothing then you will need one and you’ll need the specs to confirm the DAW can handle it.

[greg94]

I'm on windows 10. Intel core i5-10210U, 16 GB ram, Intel UHD graphics.

The scarlet is indeed usb and comes with Ableton live lite, pro tools first, Focusrite Red 2 ans red 3 plug-in suite (?), Softube time and tone bundle (?) And an "instrument software from 4XLN Audio Addictive Key of my choice" could someone explain what that all means ?

[Devin]

Plug-ins are usually small programs that run within your DAW (such as Ableton) but many of them can also be used as standalone programs. STL Howard Benson Tonality is one such plug-in - you can use it within your DAW to get sick guitar sounds recorded, or load it up outside of the DAW for quick practice sessions. In general, plug-ins can be thought of as digital effects pedals, or as virtual instruments. Compression, reverb, delay, etc. are all available in plug-in form, and Ableton should come with many basic ones pre-installed.

Since your interface comes with Ableton Live Lite, I suggest you hit the Ableton website - i'm sure they have tons of getting started tutorials.

If you've never used a DAW in your life, it can be a bit overwhelming at first but once you start to get the hang of it the possibilities are endless.

Also, concepts that you will learn from working in Ableton will translate to any other DAW you might use down the road - they all basically do the same thing and work the same way.


If for some reason you decide that Ableton isn't for you, I suggest checking out Cakewalk. The newest version of Cakewalk is totally free - all you have to do is sign up for their "Bandlab" app and then you will be offered to download Cakewalk. It's what I personally use and it does everything I need.

Good luck and have fun!

[Devin]

I'm on windows 10. Intel core i5-10210U, 16 GB ram, Intel UHD graphics.

The scarlet is indeed usb and comes with Ableton live lite, pro tools first, Focusrite Red 2 ans red 3 plug-in suite (?), Softube time and tone bundle (?) And an "instrument software from 4XLN Audio Addictive Key of my choice" could someone explain what that all means ?

Focusrite Red 2 and 3 are equalization and compression plugins. Softube time and tone is a reverb/delay/mastering plug-in, and 4XLN Audio Addictive is a virtual keyboard/synthesizer plug-in.

[BroSlinger]

When the DAW is overwhelming, check youtube for simple how-to vids. It helped me tremendously when I started using Reaper.

Now, I can't believe I didn't start recording with my computer sooner.

BTW, there are so many free plugins that work well. Check out Tokyo Dawn. They have Compressors and EQ's that are just killer. If you're willing to spend $50, get Valhalla Vintage Verb for your reverb needs. It's tremendous.

[ajaxlepinski]

Check the system requirements for your recording software....
Most recording software will require you to use an external hard drive as well.
The software runs on your computer but your music gets stored on an external hard drive.
Recording and playing back, all on your computer, will cause it to freeze.
It may not freeze with only one or two tracks recorded but, once you start adding more tracks and running plugins, your computer won't be too happy.... even with 16 gigs of RAM.
Make sure you check the recording software system requirements before you buy an external hard drive... you don't want to buy the wrong hard drive.

[Zozobra]

I have never ran an external drive to record with. Even the internal drive in a circa 2008 midrange dell laptop was fine to record 12 simultaneous inputs with 2 saffire pro40's slaved together
A modern drive (and certainly an SSD) will be nail anything you throw at it. I've been recording to a 2TB conventional seagate barracuda for 6 years with no issues.

[ajaxlepinski]

I have never ran an external drive to record with. Even the internal drive in a circa 2008 midrange dell laptop was fine to record 12 simultaneous inputs with 2 saffire pro40's slaved together
A modern drive (and certainly an SSD) will be nail anything you throw at it. I've been recording to a 2TB conventional seagate barracuda for 6 years with no issues.

I stand corrected, sir!

What recording software are you using? Are you recording at 48/24?

ProTools requires an external hard drive....
I can record multiple inputs simultaneously to my computer but, if I play them back, while recording overdubs, I run into issues.
I'm using a 2013 iMac with, Apple's first SSD drive, 4 processers and 16 gigs RAM. I guess ProTools uses a lot of resources?

[Zozobra]

I've never used protools as I've never owned a Mac and I was a long time user of reaper by the time it appeared on PC. Also forced real-time bouncing can sick it

Yep, 48/24.

To the OP: Ableton is more than fine to get started. No doubt lots of beginners guides on YouTube. If you ever feel a bit limited by it then reaper or cakewalk are good options.

[fretless]

you don't need to write to a "external drive" but it is a good idea to write to a different drive , internal and high speed . Keep the OS drive free to do it's processing and writing audio to a high speed drive is less road blocks and less of a CPU hit . This is especially true on older machines that had a FSB speed . That bus was the bottle neck .

[ajaxlepinski]

I've never used protools as I've never owned a Mac and I was a long time user of reaper by the time it appeared on PC. Also forced real-time bouncing can sick it

Yep, 48/24.

To the OP: Ableton is more than fine to get started. No doubt lots of beginners guides on YouTube. If you ever feel a bit limited by it then reaper or cakewalk are good options.

Forced real-time bouncing? Does not happen with ProTools....been using it since 2013.

[Devin]

ProTools requires an external hard drive....

That's wild

[clipless bumper]

ProTools requires an external hard drive....

I can see it 'reecommending' one, or possibly requires a second hard drive - but it 'has to be external' makes no sense.



That's wild

[ajaxlepinski]

Man, you guys are a tough crowd!
ProTools requires TWO f'n hard drives... not necessarily an 'external hard drive'. Both hard drives can be internal. Buhjeebuz!!!