Win A Guitar Link Guitar To Computer Kit


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It’s time for another giveaway contest. This time, I’m giving away a Guitar Link so you can hook your guitar right into your PC or MAC and make some awesome music.

How To Enter

Entering is easy. Just use the contest widget below to like JoeTech.com on Facebook. Bam! 5 easy entries. Then you can earn more entries if you: Follow @JoeTech on Twitter, tweet about the contest, or watch the video above and comment on this blog post to tell me what your favorite guitar sound was that I demonstrated in the video.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wanna win more stuff? Watch on Facebook for contest announcements and don’t forget to enter to Win a PS3 or XBOX 360 right now.

Good luck!

How To Connect Your Guitar To Your Computer


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In an age where we integrate computers into every facet of our lives, the need for musicians to connect their instruments to their computers is commonplace. A few years ago, I saw a guitar designed specifically for plugging into a computer and I wanted it immediately. Being able to forego the amp completely was a big draw for a hobbyist like me. The downside was that there wasn’t much in terms of variety. In fact, I believe it was just black or white. With a device called Guitar Link, you can connect any electric guitar to your computer and not only bypass the need for an amplifier, but change the sound of your instrument in real time with software on your computer and turn your computer into a virtual recording studio.

Guitar Link

Connect A Guitar To Your Computer

Connecting the Behringer Guitar Link UCG102 to the computer is as simple as plugging it into a USB port. When connected, your computer will try to find drivers for it, but there are also drivers included on the CDs that come with the device. With the Guitar Link connected to the computer, you just need to connect your guitar to the device as if it was an amp. Finally, plug in a set of headphones or, alternately, connect the headphone out to speakers, or some other system to play the output out loud.

Tweak Your Sound

Once you have everything connected, you can get to the fun part. With included “combo box” software, I was able to modify the sound of my guitar with preset adjustments as well as custom adjustments to reverberation and a number of other sound tweaks. Some of this is demonstrated in the video below.

The AC Combo Box software was just one of a few packages, each with a number of preset sound adjustments. The great part about this is that you can fire up your favorite recording software and connect to the sound library from it in order to combine the adjustments you make to your guitar’s sound with the software you’re used to for recording and editing. The benefit of all this is the sheer range of sounds you can get from your guitar. One minute, you can sound like you’re in a large jazz club and the next minute, you can sound like you’re rocking out in a dorm hallway. Guitar Link does a good job of replacing all the work and/or pedals you need to get this kind of range.

Conclusions

I love the hardware. It’s simple and works as you would expect and want it to. The included software was also a lot of fun. I did have some issues with drivers and spent more time than I should have researching and downloading third party drivers to get this working properly on my Windows 7 PC. Despite the driver issues, the Guitar Link is priced well at $30-$40 and was a lot of fun when I got it up and running. The Behringer Guitar Link feels well-suited for most musicians and is an easy purchase for anyone looking to break free from the limitations of just a guitar and amp.

Going Big With Warpia’s Wireless USB PC To TV Adapter


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Having a computer dedicated to your entertainment center is fine, but what if you don’t want to dedicate a computer just to that? That’s how I had things set up for a long time. I used the computer less and less after we got a new cable box that included a DVR. With HULU, I contemplated setting it all back up, but then I came across a device that promised to save me all the trouble.

Warpia Wireless USB PC To TV Adapter

The device pictured above is a USB PC to TV audio and video adapter from a company called Warpia and it’s designed to transmit the audio and video signal from your computer to a receiving unit attached to your PC.

Setting It All Up

The setup for this device really couldn’t have been much easier. Following some simple instructions, I installed the software from the included CD and then plugged in the USB PC adapter. After looking over the settings, I plugged in the A/V base adapter and hooked it up to the HDMI cable I borrowed from my DVD player (will connect via VGA, too). After a couple seconds, everything on my laptop screen was being displayed on my 42 inch TV as well. Check out the video of everything in action:

The refresh rate for video was pretty good, but could be a little better. Other than that, HD video came across as true HD and looked really good. All my applications refreshed seamlessly and I had a very clear picture.

Features and Flaws

One of the things I liked about this was that it’s treated as an additional display, so I can tell Windows to either Duplicate the display or Extend it. When I extend it, I get to keep my normal laptop screen just on my laptop, and a second desktop for the TV. A great example of how that’s beneficial presented itself the other night. I purchased a movie online for direct download and watched it on the TV over my wireless A/V connection. At the same time, I was able to tweet, read and respond to email, etc. from my original desktop. Pretty cool.

Warpia Wireless USB PC To TV Adapter Warpia Wireless USB PC To TV Adapter

The SWP100A also comes with mounting screw slots on the bottom of the TV adapter and that end’s USB stick can plug in horizontally or vertically in case you want to wall mount it and keep it as flush as possible.

Warpia Wireless USB PC To TV Adapter Warpia Wireless USB PC To TV Adapter

The only real concern this device presented was the heat it generated. The USB adapter can get pretty warm and the TV adapter gets downright hot. I’d have loved to see an on/off switch on the TV end of the setup. Not only would this help with the heat problem, but it would be a lot easier than having to unplug it and plug it back in every time I want to use it.

Conclusions

At $179.99, it’s not my cheapest device, but it’s cheaper than setting up another computer just for the TV and a lot, I mean a LOT easier. I went from sealed box to completed and in use in about 5-7 minutes. If you can handle the price, it’s a decent solution to get your audio and video from PC to TV in a snap.