Running an electric guitar through the Virus input...

[AlexHall74]

Hey everyone,

I am going to run my electric guitar through my Virus KC this weekend.

Is it necessary to run the guitar through a mic-preamp before connecting it to the Virus?

I plugged it in last night and tried to w/o a pre-amp while the Virus was set to one of the Input Patches on Bank B and no sound came through it.

Any info is appreciated.

Thanks!

[Timo]

Hi Alex,

I think the Virus inputs only accepts (unbalanced?) signals at line-level. Therefore you'd need a Direct Inject box or a pre-amp to get it up to line-level beforehand.

Electric guitar signal outputs are exceptionally weak as they have no power source and hence rely solely on induction to generate a small voltage (which then normally goes on to be amplified).

Don't plug an amplifier output into the Virus, though! ;)

[Juho L]

Is it necessary to run the guitar through a mic-preamp before connecting it to the Virus?

Yes. The signal must be a line level in order to works properly. You could set the input boost to maximum to get a sound without a preamp, but I would call it just a sea of hiss that distantly reminds of guitar.

Edit: Don't plug an amplifier output into the Virus, though! ;)

Some quitar combos have a line out and/or phones jack.

[AlexHall74]

Awesome info!

Thank you gentlemen.

I am really interested to hear what the arpeggiator setting can do.

:twisted:

[Juho L]

I am really interested to hear what the arpeggiator setting can do.

Nothing unless you ringmod or vocode. By the way you could record some guitars on our collab track.

[Merlot]

By the way you could record some guitars on our collab track.

oh shit, forgot about that one. Need to get kickin on the drumz then.

[AlexHall74]

Juho wrote:
By the way you could record some guitars on our collab track.

Thanks for the invite Juho!
I did not know that you all were still working on that.

I am still awaiting the arrival of my mixer so I have no studio monitors at the moment.

Hell, I might just go and buy a cheapo little Behringer UB502 to be able to do this.

I'll get current on what is going on with that track and see if I can add something worthwhile to it.

What sequencer is being used?

How is the Chick Corea track coming along?

Would you want a WAV file for submission?

Cheers!

[Juho L]

How is the Chick Corea track coming along?

It was way too hard for all of us. Simple but still bloody difficult. So I changed the track to something more suitable so I picked one of my all time favourites: Genesis - Dancing With the Moonlight Knight. Fairly easy track, but still on of the best of 20th century.

[Wandering Kid]

I think the Virus inputs only accepts (unbalanced?) signals at line-level. Therefore you'd need a Direct Inject box or a pre-amp to get it up to line-level beforehand.

ahhhhh, this'll be why my guitar sounds so pants running through the inputs. hiss and blurry bass pretty much sums it up. you can hear the sound alright. but the blurry bass is overwhelming and it just sounds...nasty.

[AlexHall74]

WK wrote:
ahhhhh, this'll be why my guitar sounds so pants running through the inputs. hiss and blurry bass pretty much sums it up. you can hear the sound alright. but the blurry bass is overwhelming and it just sounds...nasty.

That's exactly how mine sounded!

I ran my Ibanez six-string through a Studio Projects VTB-1 mic pre and then into the Virus with no problems.

It worked like a champ.

I got some really interesting sounds out of the combo.

[wildbill]

here's a nice example of guitar thru virus from someone at the HC forum:

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?s=c3ed08d6bb5c2020ea1ed6c5e4501bfd&threadid=847929

[Gopal]

Does anyone know if a distortion pedal with a level knob on it would act as a pre amp?

It can be run clean-tone, but it lets you control the output level. I'm assuming this would boost its signal sufficiently to go into the virus' input?

Don't have my guitar at home at the moment so I can't try it myself.

Thanks for any help.

Its a Boss Metal Zone by the way

[Panopticon]

Does anyone know if a distortion pedal with a level knob on it would act as a pre amp?

It can be run clean-tone, but it lets you control the output level. I'm assuming this would boost its signal sufficiently to go into the virus' input?

Don't have my guitar at home at the moment so I can't try it myself.

Thanks for any help.

Its a Boss Metal Zone by the way

No, a stomp box won't provide enough level. A DI box, however, will.

[Gopal]

OK, Here comes the real stupid question...

Whats a DI Box?

[jasedee]

OK, Here comes the real stupid question...

Whats a DI Box?
DI stands for "Direct Injection"....Basically, guitars/bass run a unbalanced, Hi-impedance output, which then goes into the DI, and the DI has a balanced, low impedance XLR output, which you then run into a preamp, and then off onto your HD recorder....

Hope the explanation is ok....maybe someone can put it into lamens terms, for my benefit as well as anyone else's

good luck!

[Merlot]

OK, Here comes the real stupid question...

Whats a DI Box?
DI stands for "Direct Injection"....Basically, guitars/bass run a unbalanced, Hi-impedance output, which then goes into the DI, and the DI has a balanced, low impedance XLR output, which you then run into a preamp, and then off onto your HD recorder....

Hope the explanation is ok....maybe someone can put it into lamens terms, for my benefit as well as anyone else's

good luck!

Jase,
Looks like that fancy school of yours is paying off. :wink:

[jasedee]

Looks like that fancy school of yours is paying off. :wink:
Damn well hope so......but my brain sometimes decides to leak information that it doesnt think is important at the time. And then, when i go to pull it out later, it isnt there!

Damn mis-spent youth :(

[Gopal]

What about pluggin a guitar straight into a mic pre? is that a recipe for disaster ?

[AlexHall74]

Gopal wrote:
What about pluggin a guitar straight into a mic pre? is that a recipe for disaster ?

I used a Studio Projects VTB-1 and it worked fine.

Many mic pres double as a DI box; I am guessing that a mic pre can do whatever a DI does but a DI cannot do everything that a Mic Pre does.

Can Jasedee or some other learned individual confirm this or tell me I am full of shit? :)

[Timo]

Gopal wrote:
What about pluggin a guitar straight into a mic pre? is that a recipe for disaster ?

I used a Studio Projects VTB-1 and it worked fine.

Many mic pres double as a DI box; I am guessing that a mic pre can do whatever a DI does but a DI cannot do everything that a Mic Pre does.

Can Jasedee or some other learned individual confirm this or tell me I am full of shit? :)

Yup, my TrakMaster duplicates as a DI/instrument input, in addition to its normal mic-pre function.

[Merlot]

my 410 also allows you to use the mic pres as DI (1/4 inputs).

[Hollowcell]

Can Jasedee or some other learned individual confirm this or tell me I am full of shit? :)

Using a mic pre is what I do too - love my little valve actually.


Now in the spirit of this forum, with no relation to anything you have done or said - You are full of shit! :D

Infact to keep the politically incorrectness of this forum alive....

You are all full of shit!

*rebuttle welcome. Hehe.

[Wandering Kid]

well both guitars and mics need something to amp them up to line level. mic preamps will do it. DI boxes will do it. as long as it provides enough oomph to get up to line its ok. its playable straight into the input - its definitely audible but you need to crank the volume up in your sequencer alot to hear it properly and you amplify the background noise with it. very blurry. very hissy. but audible. also not recommended because ive had my ears ringing for days doing this - ill explain. free distortion plugin called debaser. if you get this for the love of god dont cycle through the presets with the channel volume up abnorally loud as a result of operating a guitar without a preamp. debaser will destroy your ears. any distortion type effect will do it really. just that debaser is vicious even by distortion plugin standards.

very careless of me i know. i still have my speakers on when i turn on my virus. should be doing it the other way around. the bass punch sounds meaty.

You are all full of shit!

no. *YOU* are full of shit!

eheh. what a quality comeback. im quite proud of that one...

[AlexHall74]

WK wrote:
no. *YOU* are full of shit!

eheh. what a quality comeback. im quite proud of that one...

Fight fire, err, with shit!

[Hollowcell]

no. *YOU* are full of shit!

eheh. what a quality comeback. im quite proud of that one...

Do I feel another payout thread on the verge of breaking loose?! :D

Just to clear up the full of shit comment before we begin though...I actually said "Now in the spirit of this forum, with no relation to anything you have done or said - You are full of shit!". So it seems I had left the back door open for a hasty escape.

So now lets begin....

As it seems to be at the "My dad is bigger than yours" level already, I will answer you with this...

I know you are, but what am I.

[AlexHall74]

HC wrote:
I know you are, but what am I.

Everyone duck!

Those are fighting words! 8O

[Timo]

I will answer you with this...

I know you are, but what am I.

Shit on a stick?

[Gopal]

"Thats funny, I thought I was rubber and you were glue. Boing, Fwip"

[Gopal]

Its a quote from the show 'Scrubs' in case everyone was confused

[Timo]

Damn, I thought we were talking Monkey Island for a minute there.

You fight like a dairy farmer!

[Hollowcell]

I will answer you with this...

I know you are, but what am I.

Shit on a stick?

Mmmm, the best thing I can think of at this early hour is....

If I'm the shit, then most definitely are the stick!

Hehehe, not really sure if that counts as a come-back. I'll read it later when I wake up properly. :D