USB guitar interface without the need for headphones or separate speaker?

[eva001]

Hey everyone. New to the forum here, but not new to the site. Was hoping I could tap your brains for a little info.

I currently own a Line 6 Toneport GX, but rarely use it as I hate having to listen through headphones or connect up a separate speaker to it. I was wondering if there's a USB interface, preferably compatible with Amplitube and Logic Studio, where I can connect my guitar and hear the processed guitar sounds through my computer speakers.

Or ... if there's a way to do this with my Toneport, I'd love to hear it!!!

Right now, the Jamvox seems like the best option I've found, but it's still a separate speaker (though less devices and cables than the Toneport).

[rackvax]

Hey everyone. New to the forum here, but not new to the site. Was hoping I could tap your brains for a little info.

I currently own a Line 6 Toneport GX, but rarely use it as I hate having to listen through headphones or connect up a separate speaker to it. I was wondering if there's a USB interface, preferably compatible with Amplitube and Logic Studio, where I can connect my guitar and hear the processed guitar sounds through my computer speakers.

Or ... if there's a way to do this with my Toneport, I'd love to hear it!!!

Right now, the Jamvox seems like the best option I've found, but it's still a separate speaker (though less devices and cables than the Toneport).

Use a mixer. Hook your sound card and audio interface outputs to the inputs of the mixer and the main outs of the mixer to your powered speakers or amp+passive speakers combo.

[eva001]

Use a mixer. Hook your sound card and audio interface outputs to the inputs of the mixer and the main outs of the mixer to your powered speakers or amp+passive speakers combo.

Thanks for the reply.

That still has me hooking up a separate speaker. Also, I tend to use a laptop, so a portable solution (with minimal connections) is preferred.

Do all USB guitar interfaces and applications only output the guitar sound through the interface itself? If that's the case, the Jamvox is looking more and more like the solution I need.

[I-like2play]

I don't think you'd realy want to use computer speakers for this purpose. Especialy tiny laptop speakers. They can't reproduce low/mid frequencies and aren't very loud.

[MusicalSchizo]

Why not just use the TonePort as your default sound card (it is a sound card, you know), and plug your computer speakers into its outputs?

Then any audio you play on the computer and any guitar stuff you do in Gearbox or POD Farm will come out the output of the GX. I do exactly that for tracking stuff to minimize latency (I have a TonePort GX, too).

Just an idea...
Brian V.

[I-like2play]

Why not just use the TonePort as your default sound card (it is a sound card, you know), and plug your computer speakers into its outputs?

Then any audio you play on the computer and any guitar stuff you do in Gearbox or POD Farm will come out the output of the GX. I do exactly that for tracking stuff to minimize latency (I have a TonePort GX, too).

Just an idea...
Brian V.

He's using built in laptop speakers. U can't run those off of an external sound card.

[elantric]

http://www.zzounds.com/item--VOXJAMVOX

[rackvax]

Why not just use the TonePort as your default sound card (it is a sound card, you know), and plug your computer speakers into its outputs?

Then any audio you play on the computer and any guitar stuff you do in Gearbox or POD Farm will come out the output of the GX. I do exactly that for tracking stuff to minimize latency (I have a TonePort GX, too).

Just an idea...
Brian V.

A lot of audio interfaces refuse to play lower quality sounds with sample rates less than 44.1Khz so that's why I suggested to use a mixer as I thought he wanted to simply have a single set of speakers and hear sounds from both his computer's built-in sound and the audio interface.

I would still recommend he go with a quality set of monitors or stick with headphones.

If you need to perform for people, then a small PA or keyboard amp is in order.

As somebody else said, those speakers built-in to the laptop are going to sound pretty thin.

[MusicalSchizo]

A lot of audio interfaces refuse to play lower quality sounds with sample rates less than 44.1Khz so that's why I suggested to use a mixer as I thought he wanted to simply have a single set of speakers and hear sounds from both his computer's built-in sound and the audio interface.

I would still recommend he go with a quality set of monitors or stick with headphones.

If you need to perform for people, then a small PA or keyboard amp is in order.

As somebody else said, those speakers built-in to the laptop are going to sound pretty thin.

I was totally with your suggestion...it was actually going to be mine as well but you beat me to it. That's when I got to thinking about using the TonePort as the sound card, but I can understand the potential for issues there (though I've never experienced them in my use of the TonePort).

I thought about the laptop speakers issue, but I thought he only used a laptop sometimes, which is why I suggested he plug the computer speakers directly into the TonePort GX (which has the perfect output for computer speakers, a stereo 1/8"). Of course when he's using the laptop he wouldn't be able to monitor with them - not that he should ever want to because laptop speakers SUCK!

I'd rather use headphones than ever monitor my guitar with laptop speakers.

And if he uses the TonePort with headphones and sets it as his sound card, he'll get everything from one source that is way higher quality than those lame laptop speakers.

Good luck!
Brian V.

[eva001]

Thanks for all the responses. I really looks like the Jamvox is what I need here.

The overall goal is to limit the number of things I need to connect, while being able to monitor the guitar. Connecting to external speakers is a great idea and one that I've been using, but it limits my portability. Headphones are good for portability, but I hate that feeling of being 'tied down'. Basically, I just need a way to monitor the guitar, without headphones and portable. I'm not too concerned about audio quality, as any 'serious' recording would be done with proper monitors.

I finally got around to buying Amplitube and found it actually does allow you to use your computer speakers for monitoring. Unfortunately, it outputs very quiet through the laptop speakers, so it didn't completely solve my problem.

To those who mentioned making the Line 6 my default sound card, that's how I've been doing it and it works great. Well ... it works great for music. Other non-music apps have some weird quirks outputting through it, but I just disconnect the Toneport for that.

Anyways, thanks for all the helpful discussion here.