- -" hi...
my problem is only " Noise "

i have -74dB in Mic/Input...... that i think to buy new sound card but.... what is good way for me ?

i only want to record my Guitar and apply some Digital effect ( like Amplitube ) but yes problem for me is Noise from sound card.... can i record with out noise ?? what i got to buy ?? T_T

Thank in Advance for All helps.....

-Nito Niwatori

( but another reason i want to play my guitar and use my pc be real time effect too.... - -' )

EDIT: ( - -" Missing detail )
Noise in

Mic-in = -74dB
Linein = -70dB

( sorry for missing in this - -" )

what sound card is that?

you could use an amplifier and connect it to line-in. Taking low-level signals into a pc is always difficult to keep clean.

Thank anyway....
i have too old sound card one it's "SB Vibra 128"

noise will come to big problem when i apply some Effect like Distortion it sound like " Hissing " all the time.... = =" ... i think to buy M-Audio Sound Card i have read some comment about it i think it has noise about -90 .... and it give me a try "RT Player Express" i think for this time this is best software for me when i want to play guitar on my pc ( use with Amplitube Plugin ) ... ( i have trying to stop my problem by use some Noise Gate but... it never fixed my problem noise still here... anyway )

T_T .... where is best way i can...

you could try using the Sonic Foundry Noise Reduction plugin and get a noise print of just the noise and then run that as reduction.

Am i the only one who thinks a mac and garageband would be good for this kid?

This way is best for now.... but for pc it have good choice of some hardware can help me about this ?

and can someone answer me -90dB for sound card this is lowest of noise ? or it can low than this ( what model can do ?? )

Thank!

are you plgging the guitar straight into the computer? if so thats something of a no-no - unless you are going for noisey and wierd tones. You need a direct box, something that has some gain to it which is meant to receive signals from inductive sources - like guitar pickups. If you have a mixer you could plug into that, then take a signal from the mixer into the computer. It will match impedences and you can boost the signal to line levels.

If your already doing something this then you need to dig deeper. Does your guitar have single coil pickups (stratocasters for instance)? They are notorious for picking up interference from crt monitors - which ends up being alot of "noise" in the recording, especially if the input levels haven't been optimally set. Try turning off the monitor after you start recording. This will be a pain, but its worth it.

"soundcards" built into motherboards can actually produce decent results, not professional level, but certainly good. let me know how things go... have fun.

Big Thx for moncherou

yes i have try to boots signals... and have set input volume at lowest ( for get low noise ( 1 step from off but this give me -74dB of noise i can't go down than this )
from your comment i think it's good for me to buy some new sound card but... what's good model for me ? ( i'm focus on Record ) )

( ps. i don't use a single coil but thank for your tip anyway about turn off Monitor ( i never know before ) )

ahh, are you saying that the noise floor is at -74db? If so that's not that bad for a motherboard type sound card.

But, it can be better. I use an m-audio audiophile 24/96 as well as their delta 66. Both are good cards for the money. The specs on the cards list s/n specs below 90db, which are great. In practice I haven't been able to get that low. My audiophile has a noise floor at -87db while the delta 66 comes in around -85db (in my computer, your mileage will vary). Either way, those aren't bad numbers at all.

Those specs are for the analog inputs. I also use an external ADC (Art DI/O) allowing me to input via the SPDIF interface on both cards. That way i have 4 inputs on the audiophile and 6 on the delta 66 (home and studio setups). Because the conversion occurs outside the computer (when using the Art DI/O) I get a much lower noise floor - my ears cannot hear it.

hope that helps

I'd also look at TerraTec cards, I have one myself (an EWS88MT) and it performs reasonably well, I never had much trouble with it at least. As for precise s/n ratios, I really wouldn't know how to properly test this, as I mostly record from casettes and LP's, and mostly old ones at that.

It's time to buy somethings...
Yes, i think to buy M-Audio Sound Card too... ( - -" a little reason want to use RT Player Express for Play guitar )

Maybe i'll go for audiophile 24/96 like you have and maybe i'll buy Art DI/O later soon ( wanna try the Lower Noise T_T )

old day i ever have too old sound card ( 7 years ago... ) Yamaha sv550 DS-XG i think that time i got -45dB.... of noise = =" ( that very... bad for me to record my guitar to pc.... ( it's make bored of try to remove noise ) )

Thank! for comment.

( PS.about turn off monitor that HELP VERY MUCH when use Single Coil )

any hardware can be better than ?

From what you said you are plugging your guitar to the mic-in of your soundcard which is fundamentaly wrong. What you really need IMHO is not a new soundcard but a dedicated guitar pre-amp which you could connect to your soundcard's line-in. I've had excellent results while recording with a Rocktron pro-gap ultra to several soundcards ranging from an SB live (which shouldn't be that different from yours) to an audiophile 24/96. The results where, if not identical, very similar. You will be surpised with the quality IMHO.

regards
echo

Thank!

yes and i try to boots signal than ( i get around -3dB for maximum peak ) plug it in my Mic/Input ( i use mic bcoz it's mono and source is mono from my guitar too.... and another reason i found my it lower noise than my Input - -" that why i used it... my input it lowest noise about -70dB but for mic it's -74dB i think i maybe better for me ( ok for now i can't get nearly -90 but will be soon when i have new sound card and maybe better if i use external hardware for record it ? )

if i don't think about quality i think sound it's not bad but... it will bad if i want to get lowest sound it Hissing... by noise and i think for way can get better ( i mean quality hardware for recording or somethings can help to get all my guitar sound best what i can do )

EDIT: to Moncherou, now i'm looking at Art DI/O today i phone to my local dealer he said no item right now - -" i need to wait..... ( i still don't know about price i can get here ) .... i have look to buy it online some website said 159.99$ .... how about it ? are you sure noise will lower than your sound card input ? Thank in advance for answer
EDIT2: ( i think maybe it'll be good for me if Ard DI/O is good to use maybe i'll record into DAT ( by my Sony "DTC-500 ES" ) too... ( have not use DAT for long time - -" )

hello Niwatori

The Art DI/O will have a lower noise floor than the analog inputs as far as numbers go. But you'd be hard pressed to actually hear the difference in real life. I have one only so that I can gain access to additional channels of simultaneous input. Also, it has a pre-amp tube inside it which makes for a nice subtle warm up when recording vocals or even direct guitar.

$159 is a bit on the high side, but certainly not bad for what you get. Full Compass sells them for around $130. Although if your in Japan (are you in Japan?) then shipping may be alot of money, try to find one close to home. If you have more cash to spend, look at the "Flying Cow" from M-Audio. It usually sells for $400 (I think) here in the US.

if you're cheap... try run it through an old tape deck then the computer.

i did this to get my shure 545sd hooked up. matching impedance is VERY important however... those "rec levels" don't give much leeway.

i've no experience with guitars, but the principal is similar i suppose (the 545 picks up the fekking monitor too. degauss makes a nice sound)