Indirect recording is what I would call the “old school” method of actually plugging into a real guitar amplifier, and using a microphone to record the sound. Minimally this method requires an amplifier, one or two microphones, mic-preamp and a converter. However, a whole heap of other units can be added, for example eq’s, mixers, compressors etc.

Before we get too technical, let’s first talk about the signal path. The signal path is the path that the audio takes from the microphone to get into the computer, and what happens along the way. For example – a simple signal path beginning at your microphone and ending at your computer workstation may include the following units along the way.

Below is a very basic signal chain showing how the signal travels from your guitar to your computer via various units.

Guitar > Amp > Mic > Mic Pre-Amp > EQ > Compressor > Converter > Computer

This illustration shows that once your guitar is amped, the sound will be picked up by a microphone, then sent to the mic pre-amp, which will boost the signal, and make it loud enough to actually use. From there the sound source could be send to some sort of eq unit, and a compressor to alter the levels. Finally the signal is sent to the convertor which will allow the music to reach your computer. Now, if I’ve lost you already, fear not!

Let’s take a quick look at what these different units do and how they work.

Microphone - When it comes to recording guitar at home, the microphone you choose can have a huge impact on the overall sound of your recording. A microphone is a device made to capture waves in air, water or hard material and translate them to an electrical signal. The most common method is via a thin membrane producing some proportional electrical signal.

Most microphones in use today for audio use electromagnetic generation (dynamic microphones) capacitance change (condenser microphones) or piezoelectric generation to produce the signal from mechanical vibration.

There are a lot of things to consider when it comes to the sound you get from your microphone, not only in terms of price and quality, but also where you actually place the mic in relation to your amplifier. Whilst the chances of getting a great recording are consistently better with a high quality microphone, price and quality do not always match.

Mic-Preamps – The signal that a microphone picks up is actually very low, and needs to be boosted for it to be used with your recording device. This is exactly what a mic-preamp does. It boosts the signal to a level that is useable for recording.

You may already have a mic preamp on your computer; however this is only designed for speech and is unfortunately unsuitable for any serious recording

Compressors – A compressor is a device that reduces (compresses) the dynamic range in a sound sources softest point to its loudest point to smooth the output, and can bring your audio material up to spec with professional recordings.

An instrument that goes from very quiet and very loud over the course of a song can be difficult to record and mix. Either the quiet parts get lost or the loud sections overload the recording.

Converters – In very basic terms the converter is the equipment that takes your analog audio from your compressor, eq unit, mic-preamp etc, and creates a digital representation, which is sent to, and is now useable with your computer.

Keep in mind that this is one of the most important units in your signal chain and it’s well worth spending a little more money to get a high quality converter.

Hopefully this has given you a little insight into the basics of recording, allowing you to see what equipment you will need and what each piece of kit does.