driekwartappel
Hi
I am trying to connect my amp (headphone out) to my sound card.
First i tried my connecting it to the MIC port of the sound card : BOOM, i blew my sound card. ?
So I read on the internet you should never connect it to the mic port, always LINE IN.
So I got my sound card replaced, and last night plugged the amp into the LINE IN.
it worked for a while, but then.... BOOM, i blew my sound card. ☹
Before i blow another sound card, can someone please explain if there is a safe way to do this?
Can my pc not handle the power of rock??
Do I need some device between the amp and sound card?
Regards
appelmeester
infernox
Im connecting my Guitar straight to the MIC In. As long as you have no power going into the socket then youll be fine.
I dont really know about amp -> sound card
TomCat
What is happening here is a difference in ground voltage between your guitar amplifier and your PC.
Step-1: MAKE SURE BOTH YOUR AMP AND PC ARE PROPERLY GROUNDED VIA THE MAINS PLUGS.
To check this you need a multimeter. with the two devices not connected to each other measure the voltage between the chassis of the guitar amp and the chassis of the PC. The difference in voltage should be very low. (Less than 1 volt and preferable zero volts.) If not then DO NOT PLUG THE AMP INTO THE SOUNDCARD.....IT WILL GO "BOOM" AGAIN. I've seen anything up to 100v difference when the grounding is not correct/missing.
Check the earths and rectify.
On another note (excuse the pun... ?....) From a tone perspective rather mic the guitar amp with a microphone and plug the microphone into the Mic I/P of the soundcard. You will get a much better representation of the tone you are hearing out of the amp.
driekwartappel
@TomCat
Will definitely give the multimeter a try.
What do you mean with "mic the guitar amp with a microphone" ?
just hold a normal microphone in front of the amp, and plug the mic into soundcard? (my room is not quite a recording studio, cars driving past etc)
@infernox
I did plug the guitar into my pedal, and from pedal directly into line in, but that didn't sound as good as with the amp.
infernox
driekwart... maybe have a look at a piece of software called guitar rig 4... amazing! plug guitar straight into PC. Then load up the amp and effects in GR4 and wha la!
AlanRatcliffe
There is a difference in line levels - pro and consumer. Pro line level is +4dB, consumer (HiFi stuff) is -10dB, which is a massive 14dB difference. Every 3dB is double the power, so the difference between pro and consumer is a factor of five. So even if you are using a domestic soundcard and plugging line level into it, there is a good chance of doing damage. On top of that, headphone amps are far louder again (+/- 24dB IIRC or about 9V if my math isn't too funky). Headphone sockets in amps are usually the same signal that drives the speaker, but at a higher impedance.
BTW - mic levels are usually around -50dB, an electric guitar outputs something like -20dB.
So yeah, not unusual to blow soundcards if you're plugging headphone outs into them. Didn't you hear masses of distortion from the soundcard before it blew?
driekwartappel
Thanks for all the quick responses.
Ok I am going to leave the Amp out of the equation.
Would it be safe to connect my PEDAL directly to line/mic IN?
driekwartappel
I plugged my pedal directly into the sound card MIC IN, and it works! (soundcard = audiogy)
no BOOM, just pikki pow pow!! ?
