My amp is a Marshall Valvestate 100 (combo with 1 valve) and I would like to record the guitar with my audio interface, though without using mic. My idea is to plug the guitar to Marshall, than disconnect the speaker (112) and plug a jack cable there (into the port where you normally plug Marshall speaker's jack), then plug the other tip of that cable into my audio interface's instrument line (Behringer UMC22) so I can monitor the sound on my computer speakers. And I am wondering if this idea is going to ruin my amp or the audio interface?
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1That'd probably ruin the interfacer. Valve amps work at high voltages and the cables to the speaker are carrying hundreds of volts which would ruin your interfacer.– JohnDec 20, 2016 at 0:44
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2Why don't you plug into the headphone jack? That will automatically mute the speaker, and the output level will more like what your audio interface is designed to handle. Since AFAIK the power amp is transistor not valve, you won't damage the amp with no speaker connected, but the signal level from the speaker output will be higher than you need, and possibly too high for your audio interface to handle without distortion.– user19146Dec 20, 2016 at 3:49
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2FYI, one of the techniques for digital recording is to record the clean signal from the guitar and "reamp" the guitar after recording using either a direct to amp interface or a simulated amp in the DAW. Not only does this make editing easier, it can also help eliminate bad recordings that peak the inputs causing clipping that cannot be recovered.– YorikDec 20, 2016 at 15:33
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@alephzero - i tried pluging into the headphone jack but it doesnt produce any sound on my interface (when i plug headphones i can hear the guitar perfectly but audio interface doesnt get any signal, i tried monitoring the sound, but with every volume knobs on max i can barely hear anything at all)– MikeDec 20, 2016 at 17:07
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so the chain is: amp {headphone out} to Behringer {mic/line in/Inst 2} {adjust gain until clip, then back off gain} to computer to DAW {adjust armed track-in to 0dB, then back off}?– YorikDec 20, 2016 at 22:13
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2 Answers
The Valvestate 100 actually has a really useful feature: on the back panel it has a D.I. Jack. This is specified for:
connection to recording or P.A. equipment, featuring Marshall’s acclaimed Speaker Emulation circuitry as featured on the JTM60
So this will not only give you a line out, but it will also deliver a tone that sounds like the amp itself, so when you hook it up to your audio interface you will be able to record that lovely Marshall tone.
Do not disconnect the speaker and try to connect the speaker output to your audio interface. You will destroy the audio interface!
answered Mar 13, 2017 at 8:19
You can not connect the head's speaker output to an interface without potentially damaging either the head or the interface.
If you want to get a signal out of your amp and into an audio interface without using a microphone, you have a few ways to do it. The sound you get will be different than what you normally hear from the amp as the speaker helps create the tone that your amp produces.
You could use a D.I Box that is specifically designed to handle speaker output. You would plug the speaker out into the D.I., pass through to the speaker, and take the D.I. out of the box to your interface. The tone from doing this us usually quite pinched sounding.
Many amp heads will have Effects Send/receive jacks. You can use the effects send jack to get output, usually from the pre-amp section of your amp.
If the amp has a D.I. or Line out, this is designed to send your amp's signal out to other equipment and is usually sending the signal that is after the Effects loop.
The headphone out will usually work, but the sound quality will likely be poor or noisy as the headphone amp is usually a separate amp circuit, and not really designed for audio output other than for headphones.
answered Feb 11, 2017 at 3:50
