

You will need: An electric guitar A computer running Windows XP or better (Windows 7 or newer preferred) An instrument cable (both sides quarter-inch and mono, same cable used to plug guitars into amps) A ¼-inch to ⅛-inch mono adapter If you’re an electric guitar player looking for a way to practice quietly or with headphones, this is the tutorial for you. Some newer practice amplifiers have headphone jacks so you can play without making a racket, but those are only starting to become widespread and the majority of hobbyist electric guitar players would rather spend big money on a good stage-ready amplifier than a mediocre one to accompany their practice amp. Using your computer as an amp isn’t too complicated, and it opens up a world of possibilities that the analog audio world can’t deliver on a budget. Either way, you may not have known that you can simulate the trademark sounds of famous amplifiers using something you probably already have: a computer. Or maybe you don’t have one at all, and have been playing on acoustic guitar.

Maybe you’ve got a fancy one, big enough to make everyone in a bar cover their ears. However, amplifiers can also be quite loud.

They use electricity to create a wailing wall of sound, and they’ve enabled the electric guitar to become an iconic instrument for many genres like pop, rock, metal, blues, and jazz for years.
