Hey guys, in this video we’re going to take a look at the cheapest way to quietly practice
electric guitar, while using amp simulation.
This setup we’re using requires only minimal equipment that can be purchased relatively
cheap, and the software is completely free to download and use, with only minor restrictions
for the demo version.
This is great for people who need a quiet way to practice their guitar, whether you’re
playing in the middle of the night or in an apartment building, without having to buy
expensive software or hardware amp simulation.
Before we start, here are a few clips of the simulated amp sound we’ll be able to get
by the end of this video.
The
first thing we need to do is go over what we need to make this work.
Obviously, you’ll need a guitar, instrument cable, and a set of headphones to listen on.
Then, you’ll need an audio interface.
If you already have one, then you don’t need to buy anything.
Otherwise, I’ll be covering how to do this on a Behringer U-PHORIA UM2, which is a simple
2 input USB audio interface that I got for around $30.
If you want to purchase one of those to do this on your own, check out the link in the
video description down below.
For our software, we’ll be using Cakewalk by BandLab to process the signal in real time.
This allows us to control our inputs and outputs with the UM2, and it provides real-time processing
of the signal.
This is free software, and I’ll link it down below in the video description.
If you need more detail on how to use this program than I provide in this video, check
out my series on how to use it.
Before starting up the software, we need to install a driver for the Behringer UM2 interface.
There are no specific drivers for this interface, and we’re just using ASIO4ALL and we’ll
further configure it through Cakewalk’s preferences menu.
Once it’s installed, just launch Cakewalk and create an empty new project.
To configure the audio interface, go to the Edit menu at the top and select Preferences.
Start under Audio and go to Playback and Recording.
We need to switch the Driver Mode to ASIO.
Then, go to Driver Settings and press the button to open the ASIO Panel.
This is the configuration menu for the ASIO4ALL driver.
With this open, we click the button on the left to select the generic usb interface,
which is the Behringer UM2.
If you’re unable to select this because it doesn’t appear or the inputs are in use,
try closing other programs besides Cakewalk, or reboot your computer.
Finally, go to Devices and make sure all the ASIO4ALL options are checked off.
This is the section we use to actually choose our device if we have multiple audio interfaces
plugged in.
Now we can start setting up our track with input monitoring.
Right click on the empty track area and select insert an audio track.
Drag the bottom of the track to expand it.
Use the dropdown that currently says -None- to choose right mono input.
The right input is the instrument input on the front of the UM2.
At this point, make sure your guitar is plugged into the audio interface before continuing.
Press the red circle to arm the track for recording.
This allows us to monitor the input level on that track, since the UM2 only has a signal
and clip light on the front.
If the level from the guitar is too quiet, use the volume knob on the top of the audio
interface to increase the level.
Next, click the button that looks like a sound wave to the right of the red button to turn
on input monitoring.
This allows us to hear the track processed through Cakewalk with the plugins.
Make sure to turn the Direct Monitoring switch on the front of the interface off, or whatever
other interface you’re using, since we’ll be doing this entirely through software.
Software can introduce a small amount of latency compared to direct monitoring, but we can
get it to a level that won’t be noticeable and we don’t want a direct signal playing
over top of the amp simulation.
With this enabled, we should be able to hear the guitar playing through the headphones.
If the volume is too low, turn up the headphones instead of the input level, otherwise it will
clip.
There shouldn’t be too much latency here, but if there is you’ll need to go back to
the ASIO4ALL panel in the preferences and decrease the buffer size.
Be careful when you do this, because having a buffer that’s too small can cause pops
and clicks on the input, so try and find the balance between latency and clicks if you
need to.
Now we’re ready to actually start adding amp simulation to our sound.
Go to the FX section on the track and press the plus button to add a new plugin.
Under Insert Audio FX go to Guitar and select TH3.
This is the guitar amp simulation plugin for Cakewalk, and it’s a demo of a plugin by
Overloud.
We can use this to get the simulated amp sound, or we can use free guitar plugins, but this
way is a little bit cleaner and easier to use.
If you want more of those free plugins to choose from, check out our other video on
that topic.
I’ll also link to that in the video description down below.
If the plugin doesn’t show up, it might not be properly installed with the program.
To fix that, go to the Utilities menu and open up the Cakewalk Plug-in Manager.
Under VST3 audio effects, go to Show Excluded and make sure TH3 is enabled.
From here, scroll through the right side menu and choose an amp.
You can choose to use the cabinet simulation that matches with it, or pick another one
and drag it after the amp.
You can also drag effects pedals into the signal chain.
To get rid of something, just right click on it and remove it.
Now we can just click and drag the various knobs and switches to make adjustments.
You can even drag the microphone position around on the cabinet.
To change something, you can right click on it and replace it with a different amp, cabinet,
or microphone.
We’re a little bit limited with some of the selections here since this is a demo version,
but it’s more than enough for you to be able to practice guitar with.
At this point, we’re free to play around with the different tools in the plugin and
we can practice guitar with Cakewalk by BandLab, only using a budget audio interface.
Thanks for checking out this video on how to practice guitar with amp simulation on
a budget.
If this video helped you out, don’t forget to give it a like, subscribe to the channel,
and press the bell icon to get notifications whenever a new video is released.
You can also check out the links in the video description for products featured in this
video and social media links.