usb Archives - Joe Tech

How To Connect Your Guitar To Your Computer

Warning: Division by zero in /var/www/sites/jtnew/wp-content/themes/twentysixteen/functions.php on line 2

Warning: Division by zero in /var/www/sites/jtnew/wp-content/themes/twentysixteen/functions.php on line 2

Warning: Division by zero in /var/www/sites/jtnew/wp-content/themes/twentysixteen/functions.php on line 2

Warning: Division by zero in /var/www/sites/jtnew/wp-content/themes/twentysixteen/functions.php on line 2

Warning: Division by zero in /var/www/sites/jtnew/wp-content/themes/twentysixteen/functions.php on line 2

Warning: Division by zero in /var/www/sites/jtnew/wp-content/themes/twentysixteen/functions.php on line 2

Warning: Division by zero in /var/www/sites/jtnew/wp-content/themes/twentysixteen/functions.php on line 2

Warning: Division by zero in /var/www/sites/jtnew/wp-content/themes/twentysixteen/functions.php on line 2

Warning: Division by zero in /var/www/sites/jtnew/wp-content/themes/twentysixteen/functions.php on line 2

Warning: Division by zero in /var/www/sites/jtnew/wp-content/themes/twentysixteen/functions.php on line 2

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.

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.

Video Conference In HD With Warpia ConnectHD

With the ability to watch movies and TV series on Hulu, Amazon, iTunes, those of us without an Internet-ready TV have been settling for watching at a computer desk or on a smaller laptop screen. One way around this is to get the video from your computer to the TV as seamlessly as possible. Last year, I reviewed Warpia’s USB PC to TV video adapter, which provided decent wireless video up to 720p. After that review, many people asked about 1080p video and other features. Today, I reviewed Warpia’s latest product in this line, the ConnectHD.

1080p HD USB PC to TV Video Streaming

Like other streaming products, the ConnectHD includes a USB adapter for sending video and a receiving unit on the television end to convert the signal and display it on your TV. This is accomplished by Windows treating the Warpia adapter as a duplicated monitor and feeding it all the video you see on your screen. That video image is then streamed wirelessly to the receiver and shows up on your TV. I tested this with video in 1080p and it streamed very well. At the request of my wife, several additional tests were conducted with full episodes of Sons of Anarchy from Amazon.com. The 1080p video testing from YouTube looked great and the additional tests passed Michelle’s scrutiny.

HD Video Conferencing

The premier feature of ConnectHD is the ability to, well, connect in HD to others. The TV adapter includes a 720p HD video camera and the ability to stream video both ways. On your computer, the camera shows up as any other camera you might connect directly. This makes the ConnectHD uniquely suited to act as video conferencing hardware for applications like Skype and MSN Messenger. I tried it with Skype today and was pleased with the results. The video quality showed some signs of compression, but that may have been more Skype than the camera as the image was crystal clear in Skype’s video settings panel.

Warpia ConnectHD Video Demonstration

During my testing, I created video of some of the process, showing how well the ConnectHD works and demonstrating the features as seen below:

Conclusions

Listed on the Warpia site with a sales price of $199.99, ConnectHD is a good bundle considering the $100+ prices of most HD PC to TV video solutions and the cost of a good HD camera. ConnectHD bundles both to ensure they will work well together. If video conferencing is something you won’t likely do from the couch, $199 can seem steep, so Warpia and other companies offer cameraless solutions for a lot less cost. This solution performed very well in all of my testing and works great for the task at hand.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.