Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Today we talk about an aspect that is deeply felt by all musicians, especially non-professionals. We have always looked for the perfect compromise between quality and cost, with very variable results depending on what we obtain in terms of hardware and software.

If you want to skip the block about the history of sound design Who clicca.

In 25 years (I'm old) I've seen the scene change several times and even though now it seems like we've arrived at the “perfection” in reality I believe that there is still room to explore other horizons and who knows where we will arrive in the future. But before talking about the future, let's see how we are so far. I'll tell you about my experience.

From sampler to modeler (2006 – 2011)

When I started playing, 25 years ago, digital was trying to approach the world of music in a very timid way. In those years I remember that my teacher carried around a Line 6 POD: an amp simulator (sampler) which to my ear were very faithful, but generally in those years it was still considered “fake” by purists.

• It also came out in those years Fractal Axe-Fx, which unlike the POD modeled the behavior of each individual electronic component (modeler) and was better tolerated by analog fans.
• IRs are also introduced (Impulse Response), real speaker simulators that return a sound that is very faithful to the speakers “register”, although in recent years it is still very difficult to find them in consumer products (not “pro”).

Il profiling (2011 – 2015)

For years Fractal has been a leader in this field, but in 2011 a German company invents a new approach: il profiling.

• Kemper Profiling Amp (2011). This technology does not try to imitate an amplifier, but one pops “photography” virtual (of the amp and connected effects). Many have seen in the Kemper the opportunity to leave the amplifiers at home and bring only one device “contain” everyone and the success was enormous.

Lots of colored lights (2015 – 2020)

This period was more of a transition where companies mostly focused on redesigning already engineered devices.

• Line 6 Helix (2015). It has integrated a nice colored touch panel with which you can intuitively move the pedals in the sound chain. Small displays above each pedal that visually recall the assigned effect complete the design. Nothing revolutionary, but a nice step forward in the usability of the device.
• Eventide creates some great, complex reverb and delay algorithms and packages them into single pedals. In this way they carve out an important space in guitarists' hybrid pedalboards.

Artificial Intelligence (2020 – Today)

Today, thanks to the most performing and optimized CPUs, we are allowed to use AI and Machine Learning on portable devices.

• Neural DSP and Quad Cortex (2020). The concept of is introduced “neural capture”: the use of neural networks to replicate the dynamics of an amplifier or pedal. A precision never seen before that immediately captures the guitarist's attention.
• Democratization. If in 2006 we had spent 2000 euros for a rig, we would definitely have brought home pro gear / advanced semi-pro and we would have the best sounds on the market. Today there are enough 200. In this price range we find pedals like Mooer the NUX, or even some PC plugins (with an even lower cost) capable of coming so close to the analogue rig as to be practically indistinguishable.

The challenge today is no longer about sound quality (honestly indistinguishable), but from ease / completeness of the interface, from the sound routing options and above all from personal taste.

All right, but how do I record my guitar at home?

And it is precisely by virtue of “democratization” of the sound that I write this article. The question is: “you can create a home studio to record your guitar in good quality and with quality sounds? If I wanted to spend as little as possible how much would I have to spend?”.

Excluding the cost of the guitar and computer (which I imagine you have, since you searched for this article) Let's see together what to buy and how much to spend:

• USB audio interface (I use a Bomge U202) | Circa 50,- EUR.
• cables (even a single cable from 3 / 5 meters to be comfortable) of good quality | 20,- EUR.
• headphones are not essential, but highly recommended | 15,- EUR.

Sure, the USB card I'm using isn't the best in terms of quality, but we'll see what I managed to come up with in the end.

Software: the operating system

To get started we need to choose a software suitable for our purpose, starting from the operating system. The simplest choice for a user approaching the world of home recording almost always falls on Ubuntu Studio e, although I'm not a big fan of this OS. in particular, I recognize that the simplicity of configuration and use adapts to the habits of a large audience of users. I won't focus on installing Ubuntu Studio, the web is full of tutorials.

A couple of tips that will save you from wasting time later:

• avoid virtualizing Ubuntu Studio within a different system,
• if you don't want to free yourself from your main system (for example Windows) installa Ubuntu Studio in dual boot (look for this on the internet too).

Software: the effects simulator

To simulate the effects I could have recommended Carla, rakarrack, guitarix, ardour con i plugin in catena… All programs and approaches are more than valid, but not very intuitive. I chose MOD Desktop instead for ease of use, the possibility of carrying out complex routing and the visual immediacy of the graphic interface. It's basically a virtual pedalboard.

Hardware: the sound card

I recommended a very cheap USB sound card because “class compliant” (means that it is automatically recognized by Linux without additional software). You can definitely find cheaper ones, but below this threshold we run the risk that the card's processor fails “hold” 48kHz. In that case we could run into several problems: delays, I rustled, buzzes, stuff we want to avoid. With this we have 2 entrances e 2 go out, as well as an auxiliary output for headphones with dedicated volume, the possibility of direct monitoring, possible phantom power if you want to connect a microphone and record the voice and guitar at the same time, or record your guitar through MOD Desktop's virtual rig into the input 1 and a real microphoned amplifier in the input 2. In short… This solution, although economical, gives us a certain degree of freedom.

Now let's start with the connections. Let's connect in order:

• Guitar: let's connect it to the input 1 and press the switch “Line / Inst” to adapt the impedance of the guitar to the card (if it were a microphone this switch would have to be released).
• Computer: we connect the sound card to the PC with the supplied USB cable.
• Monitoring: we connect the headphones to the output “phones” of the card and deactivate the “direct monitor”. We would like to hear the sound “wet” (effected) come from the computer, not the “dry” which comes from the guitar without effects.
• Peak control: we turn up the volume potentiometer on the guitar, let's give it a strum and start raising the volume relating to the channel 1 on the sound card. When the control LED turns red we have raised too much. We need to stay underneath it and never let it ignite, so we adjust the volume accordingly.

Software: Let's configure Ubuntu Studio

Luckily for us, Ubuntu Studio is already configured and optimized to let us work peacefully with audio applications. The kernel is real-time (prioritizes audio processes) allowing us to play with delays imperceptible to the human ear.

The Ubuntu Studio software that takes care of setting the global values ​​we want to work with is “Studio Controls”. Once the software is open we must select the USB card and set it as “master device”.

Among the things to configure are the Sample rate, i Frame / Period e i Periods / Buffer. Our card and the MOD Desktop software advise us to set them like this:

• Sample rate: 48kHz (required by MOD and supported by the card,
• Frame / Period: 128 the 256.

Con i Frame / Period we have to a while’ “play”. The lower that value is, the lower the latency, the more naturally we will play. The downside is the CPU which will be forced to perform increasingly faster calculations and will be put under strain. Let's say that if we manage to stick to the values ​​indicated we can believe we have achieved a good balance between CPU load and acceptable latency.

Software: we download and install MOD Desktop

From MOD Desktop I already talked about it a few articles ago, but the gist of the matter is the possibility of activating a number of LV2 plugins all equipped with a graphical interface, oriented towards immediate use. Be they effects or DSP simulators, the IR loader, the MOD Desktop offers us the possibility of activating them one by one and creating even complex routings with the ease of drag 'n drop. You basically connect the effects with virtual jack cables as if you had physical pedals on the floor.

The MOD Desktop It can be downloaded from their website, and it is open source (hosted on github). Once downloaded and unzipped we will have to enter the extracted folder and double click on the file mod-desktop.run.

In the card “audio device” I recommend you choose JACK / PipeWire. This way you will see the MOD Desktop as a host in the JACK or PipeWire graph and you can connect it to a DAW, or a fast recorder to save your sessions.

On this screen you can set the Buffer size (must be equal to the sample rate you set in Studio Controls) and you will have to select “duplex” if you want the sound to go into your PC and out to your headphones. I usually deactivate the MIDI section and activate the logs to understand what's wrong if there are problems.

Once everything is set correctly, click on the button “start” above.

When the status appears “running” we can click on the button “open web-gui”. A browser window should open (Firefox, Chrome or the one you are using), but if not, let's type http://localhost:18181.

Sound configuration: Your first Pedalboard

Once you open MOD Desktop, you will find yourself in front of one “canvas” empty. Here's how to build a rig that sounds like a real amp:

• Entrance: Drag the card input into the chart.
• Noise Gate: Essential for economic cards. Enter a “Guitarix Noise Gate” at the beginning of the chain.
• Amp Simulation: Cerca i plugin Neural Amp Modeler (NAM) o AIDA-X. These are the “game changer”: they load AI-based models that sound exactly like real amps.
• Cabinet (AND): Don't forget the cash simulator! Use an IR loader with a quality file (many are free online).
• Exit: Connect the last pedal to the board outputs.

If the sound crackles, go back to Studio Controls and increase the Buffer slightly (this is. the 128 a 256). However, if you feel a delay between when you touch the string and when you hear the sound, turn it down.

Once you understand the mechanism it will be very simple to add the effects you want and create your sound as you want it. Please note that the AIDA-X plugin is lighter than the Neural Amp Modeler, it is preferable if you see the CPU (bottom right) at high percentages (60% – 80%). Furthermore, these last two plugins and the cash simulator alone do nothing unless loaded with external simulations. In this regard, I recommend you download your favorites, or the ones you would like from https://www.tone3000.com/.

Sure, you could still spend 3000 euros for a tube amp that your neighbors will learn to hate in less than one riff. Or you can download Ubuntu Studio, set up your MOD Desktop and get indistinguishable sound at almost zero cost. Your neighbors will thank you, your bank account as well, but if you have a powerful speaker left over and if you like disturbing the neighbors you can always connect it to the MOD and do what you like most (disturb the neighbors). Good recording!