Topic: Usb guitar cable to record board feed?

[Insectwarfare]

I am a total noob at recording from the board, and at the moment this is my only option (the show is tomorrow night). The cable fits a standard instrument jack, and the sound guy said that they have an output for me. So I was going to run it from the output to a laptop, recording with audacity.

The cable itself is just one of the $40 numbers, nothing expensive, but it records perfectly from the line out of my guitar amplifier. I know the circumstances are not perfect, but will this work?

[Gutbucket]

What is a USB guitar cable?

It's not a standard instrument cable with 1/4" plugs on each end but something different?

[Insectwarfare]

One end is 1/4", the other connects to a usb port. It is powered via the usb.

[Gutbucket]

Ah, so it is a complete computer recording interface packaged into the form of an instrument cable.

If it worked from the line-out of the guitar amp it'll work.

However, it's probably a single channel device. Which means you get a mono recording. Does the 1/4" plug have two separate segments or three  (tip/ring, or tip/ring/sleeve)?

If only two it's mono. If you plug that into a stereo 1/4" jack on the soundboard you will only get a recording of the left channel. When you play back the recording sound will probably come out of both speakers, but the sound will be mono consisting of only what was in the left channel with nothing from the right channel.  But even if the soundboard output you plug into is a stereo jack, the mix the soundguy is sending to it may be mono mono anyway.  He'll recognize your cable is mono and might make sure you get a mono mix, or the entire mix he's doing may be mono anyway so it won't mater. 

[Gutbucket]

If it has three separate conductor segments like a headphone plug it's probably stereo (but maybe not).  If there is a 1/8" headphone jack on there somewhere that might be a stereo input and you could use a 1/8" stereo cable into that.


Ironic that connecting cables used to be the least important, least complicated bit of the kit. Now all the important complicated electronic gear is unseen on a chip hidden inside the cable connector!

[mblindsey]

<snip>
Ironic that connecting cables used to be the least important, least complicated bit of the kit. Now all the important complicated electronic gear is unseen on a chip hidden inside the cable connector!

It may be something like the Xbox 360 Rocksmith guitar cable.  I've actually used this with the iPad USB camera connection kit to play guitar in to my iPad using some guitar effects apps for quiet fun with headphones (not pro studio quality, but fun):

http://www.amazon.com/Ubisoft-Rocksmith-Not-Machine-Specific-630570063043006306200/dp/B005OSFUZI

--Michael

[Gutbucket]

The complex and electronically important parts become invisible, hidden within what appears to be an simple physical cable. 

In a practical sense, it's the cable and its appropriate connectors which are most important to the user- those things are the simplest parts of the system in the an electronic sense.

[cybergaloot]

Instruments are high Z and the line out of the board will be low Z. Will that keep it from working, I dunno.