On 07/06/2014 06:13 PM, Robert
Moskowitz wrote:
I
am looking for a simple amplifer program.
I have looked at audacity, but I would have to be 'recording' to
get 'playthrough'. There is supposedly a .vst plugin, but I have
not found it yet.
This is for my wife to be able to have a simple amp (using my
little Asus Eee900) for when she is playing her guitar and needs a
bit of a boost.
As a part-time musician, I would suggest that playing guitar over
the typical computer speakers is going to sound terrible, if you
make it work at all.
(It may be difficult to make it work, because a guitar pickup,
whether magnetic or acoustic, is at microphone level, and the
computer sound programs
would tend to resist putting a mic input out thru local speakers,
due to acoustic feedback concerns.)
However, there are relatively cheap solutions that do not involve a
computer at all.
The cheapest is to look for a low-powered guitar amp on Craig's
List, or at local garage/yard sales. I have found two, so far, one
of which is maybe 10 Watts
and would work fine. I paid $10 for it. The next cheapest is to get
a student amplifier from a commercial source. Looking at the
catalog, "Musician's Friend"
for last December (the latest one I have) on the inside back cover
there is a Starcaster Guitar Amplifier, "The perfect amp for
beginners with 15 watts
of power." The sale price was $39.99. They claim it lists for $99
MSRP. MF stock number is H96133.
I don't know if this is still available, but something like this
probably is. ON the page, it says, Visit musiciansfriend.com/dealcente
(I don't actually use the little amp for guitar, I use it as a
monitor for a record player. I have a 1959 Fender Bassman that I use
for gigs on electric
piano and guitar. Your wife should not try to actually play a gig on
a little bitty amp like I have described.)
--doug