# Solved: use laptop as guitar amp



## rarodrig (Aug 2, 2002)

My kid wants to play her guitar without lugging a big amp to campus.

Is there a software app to take "mic in" and dirve the speakers? Freeware?


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## drbali (May 6, 2007)

I presume your kid has an electric guitar.
Under *no* circumstances plug it into a mic input on a computer soundcard. Just asking for trouble.

Drive what speakers, exactly? The ones on her laptop? I'm sorry to say but that sounds completely ridiculous to me.

However, if she's using software effects somehow, she might want to run a line-out to some kind of real sound mixing desk. I don't know if her laptop has that facility.

You *can* plug electric guitars into soundcards (line-in), but usually the signal is too weak to hear much, (if anything). What's needed is some kind of pre-amp capable of boosting the signal so you can hear it and use it in the real world. There are many such devices available but none of them are free.

If your girl can play electric guitar even half-way decently. she *should* know this stuff already, especially if she's trying to do things with her laptop. And if she's any good, she should be able to find someone to carry her "big amp to campus".

There is no software, free or otherwise, that I know of which will let you plug an electric guitar into a mic input and drive external speakers.

Just a suggestion: Encourage your "kid" to play her guitar in the real world and forget about the laptop!


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## rarodrig (Aug 2, 2002)

It's an electric guitar. She would like to drive the speakers on her lappy, and does not need any/many effects.

She's just a beginner, and her dorm room (with roommate) is tiny and 800+ miles from home. She's no techie.

We're looking at a VOX amPlug model AC30 headphone amp so she can play without bugging her roommate, but would like to be able to play for others (roomie, couple of firends) on occasion. http://www.voxamps.com/us/amplug/#page_intro


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## prunejuice (Apr 3, 2002)

Cheap Walmart guitar amp.


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## DerekC (Jan 10, 2005)

There's a similar thread located here. Maybe it will give you some ideas.

http://forums.techguy.org/multimedia/787191-line-does-not-play-through.html


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## nshahzad (Jan 10, 2009)

> If your girl can play electric guitar even half-way decently. she *should* know this stuff already, especially if she's trying to do things with her laptop. And if she's any good, she should be able to find someone to carry her "big amp to campus".


Wow, rude response, and alot of presumptions. I have a home studio, with a few amps, and I still sometimes to prefer to play through my PC. When I was in school, I also played through a laptop, to my headphones. Sounds much better than a ****ty amp.

To the OP, you'll need to buy a box to handle the guitar signal. I used to use the Line6 guitar port. You can find it on ebay pretty cheap. Comes with software for effects etc as well. You can probably find it for 50 bucks or so.


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## rarodrig (Aug 2, 2002)

Thanks for the reply.

We decided to go with an "AmPlug". Hope it works out.


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