You could do that, or you could go straight into your board and then use an aux send to go to your amp and mic that. I think...

Hmmm.

Let me just add some info for clarity.

I have two mic preamps, my plan would be to use one to record direct and the other to use for the mic on the amp into two channels on my DAW.

If your planing to plug you GTR directly into a mic pre-amp you may want to consider a DI box. The DI box coverts the GTR's high impedance output to a low impedance source that the microphone input wants to see.

A DI box usally also have a direct out suitable for running a GTR amp input. So it will be you splitter too.

I have a Radial JDI and quite happy with it.
CD Duplication

Other popular DI's include:
Country man
http://www.countryman.com/store/product.asp?id=52&catid=10
Avalon U5
http://www.zzounds.com/item--AVAU5

Thanks Link. I like Radials stuff. Sorry for being stupid, but I can't tell if this will work like I'm thinking...unless my thinking is wrong which is completely possible.

It seems to me that I need ONE 1/4" input into a splitter/DI and TWO 1/4" outputs...one to the mic pre and the other to the front of my amp.

Maybe the JDI duplex is the way to go?

We have 1 cheapass passive DI with an Input, Balanced Out and a Link Out on it...
A proper DI should act as a splitter.

Ah, so wait....I would go 1/4" IN with my guitar, then XLR OUT to the mic pre for direct and 1/4" OUT to the front of the amp?

Yeah. And mic the amp, obviously. Mic'ing the DI won't get much usable sound.
How I'd do it anyway...I'd imagine most DIs have a Link/Direct Out as well.

I had to re-adjust my thinking because usually when I record direct I just plug straight into the front of the pre with a 1/4" from my guitar. I've never (obviously) thought about taking an XLR from a DI.

Chances are your interface may handle the impedance conversion for you. What Interface are you using?

Link555 wrote: Chances are your interface may handle the impedance conversion for you. What Interface are you using?

Duet

Yes you do have a line input. Hi Z means high impedance.

So yes a Y type splitter is all you would need.

However if you have noise issues, the Y cable can not isolate mic inputs from it.

In Y cable you are connecting all the three circuit commons (current return paths) together. So they will all share the same noise. Often a guitar amp will have a fair amount of noise on its common. A PC can also so have a noisy common bus from its switching power supply. By using a Y cable you are essentially connecting these possible noise sources together. These noise sources can wiggle your guitars common, making the guitar signal noisy.

That’s why I would suggest you invest an isolating DI box; it will make your life easier in the long run.

Makes perfect sense, thank you.

wow can you send your response to my wife, lol

Link555 wrote: wow can you send response to my wife, lol

HA!

:D

I use direct boxes and different ways to split guitar all the time and usually it works fine. However, my understanding is that a guitar amps input will put a certain load on the guitars pickups, and changing that load can change the tone of the guitar.
I think there are some high priced boxes that allow you to do this correctly, but like I said, I just use regular direct boxes all the time.
I did have a situation recording live where a direct box completely ruined the tone of an acoustic guitar and had to resort to micing the acoustic amp.

MarkG

thats is my understanding too. The output of a GTR is high impedence, unless it has an active pick up.

Something to me doesn't seem right about the concept of an "acoustic guitar amp".

nor micing an acoustic gtr amp! lol

Oh to have enough isolation rooms

Next we know, singers will have 1/4" line outs in their neck and we'll be putting SM57s onto the "Behringer Vocal Amp".

Keep in mind I said "live" band. If you are hired to record a live band and when you get there you find out that the "best" way to record a particular instrument does not work due to an odd wiring problem, you need to be able to think fast and set up something that works AND does not throw the band for a loop, sound wise.
I could have stood my ground and insisted that he not use his amp, but I belong to an unusual breed of engineers who think that the performance is more important than being technically correct.
By the way, when you plug an acoustic guitar into a mixing board and then into a power amp which is connected to speakers, you have just constructed an "Acoustic Guitar Amplifier".
I know it seems odd, but the crazy people at Fishman have put a mixer, amp and speaker in a box called it an Acoustic Instument Amplifier.

MarkG

Yeah, more pointing out how stupid it sounds to call something acoustic and talk about using electronics to make it louder.

This is why I like being tied to the Church band - same folks, same gear, generally the same place. You get to learn what to expect from people, instruments and what to do to each part.
Familiarity ==> good.
Except when we went to another Church and suddenly I found more ground issues than I ever knew existed.
We're going back there in May actually...note to self: Get DIs before then.

oops, I apologize for my bad memory. I went back and listened to the tracks from that session and realized that we must have taken a line out because it was obviously not miced.
However, that does not change the point of my post. When the acoustic was plugged into the direct box then into the amp, the tone was altered significantly.
My understanding is that the sound of a guitars pickups can be changed by impedence similar to how you can change the sound of a mic when using a preamp with variable impedence. The more load there is, the more high end you lose.
I hope some pros will weigh in on this soon since I am sure that there are a lot of people recording guitar direct, and not realizing that they may be sacrificing some tone in doing so.

MarkG