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I am trying to record my Line 6 Spider IV 320W combo amp by plugging it straight into my Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB interface from the Headphone/Out jack on the Line 6. I have actually, successfully recorded a few guitar parts in this way but it's really sketchy because it will randomly cut in & out. I'll get that little ding on my computer (the noise it makes when a usb is plugged in or unplugged). I only have this problem when going through my amp. Plugging straight into the interface I have no problem but when going through the amp I constantly have this issue.

I would love someone's help with this. I've been trying to figure it out for months, unsuccessfully.

Oh and I'm using Windows 7 64bit and my DAW is Ableton Live Lite (it came with the interface)

Thank you

Comments

myroad2zion Fri, 09/06/2013 - 11:40

pcrecord, post: 407178 wrote: Deactivate windows notification sounds. They will disrupt recording. It it only happens with the amp, search why, signal too hot ? impedance mismatch ?

I'd rather record electric guitar if mics (1 or 2) the unique sound of the speaker is a lot better than simulations..

I'm not having any luck with google.. :/

While I'm playing through the interface with the Line 6, I make sure I have the interface set to Line and not Instrument which is supposed to be able to handle a signal from an amp like mine. I also read up on the amp a little and apparently when using the headphone/out jack on the amp it automatically cut the signal down or whatever (I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to using correct terms with this stuff). So I can't figure out why I'm still having this problem. I tried shutting off all the notification sounds etc. like you said but still no luck. It will randomly clip while I'm playing (the lights turn red) and the sound will cut out completely or for a few seconds.

bouldersound Mon, 09/09/2013 - 08:27

What sort of cable are you using to connect from the headphone/direct output of the amp to the interface? The output specifies a TRS (stereo) cable and I'm wondering if there's a grounding issue, some interaction between the amp and the phantom power of the interface or something else related to the interconnection of the two devices.

Boswell Mon, 09/09/2013 - 09:52

Check the mains earthing on your Spider IV and on your computer.

If you have a multimeter you can set to >100V a.c. range, with the amp not connected to the interface measure the voltage between the ground on the output connector on the amp and the ground on the interface. You should not see more than an unsteady volt or so. If the reading is more than that, the grounding on either the Spider or on the computer is suspect, although it's much more likely to be a problem with the Spider than the computer. The voltage will of course go to zero when you interconnect the two pieces of gear using the signal cable.

dvdhawk Mon, 09/09/2013 - 15:47

bouldersound, post: 407238 wrote: What sort of cable are you using to connect from the headphone/direct output of the amp to the interface? The output specifies a TRS (stereo) cable and I'm wondering if there's a grounding issue, some interaction between the amp and the phantom power of the interface or something else related to the interconnection of the two devices.

This sounds sketchy to me too, I'd explore this combination of cable & connectors further. I'm wondering how effectively the Line 6 senses when to send the TRS connector Right / Left / Shield vs. when to send In-Phase / Out-of-Phase / Shield to the same output. It can't just be phase-cancellation, or it wouldn't even work intermittently.

Also, if it's the kind of amp that disables the speaker when you plug something into the headphone jack - that means there are some sort of normalling contacts inside the TRS jack. I've found a lot of those to be high failure connectors.

Good luck, please tell us exactly what cable(s) (with exactly which connectors) you're using between the Line 6 and the Scarlett.

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