Power Chords

Garage bands go digital and get studio power in a Laptop

Are computer nerds on the verge of taking over rock and roll? Not likely, although such computer jargon as USB port and processor speed has been popping up in music circles as frequently as talk of guitar cables and amp wattage. While that doesn't mean Bill Gates will replace Jimmy Page in posters on dorm room walls, it demonstrates the effect technology has on musicians and their gear. The latest equipment packed into garages and basement practice spaces includes portable digital recording studios that produce MP3s of a band's latest masterpiece and amplifiers that digitally replicate the sounds of hundreds of hard-to-find vintage amps. Home recording has benefited most from the computer boom. With little more than a laptop, a microphone and some software, aspiring musicians can record an entire album, mix it and burn it to CD. If practice hasn't made perfect, there are programs to splice together good takes, correct bad timing and even repair off-key playing and singing. The Guitar Port by Line 6 ($170) allows guitarists to plug directly into their computers without the need for an amp. The spaceship-shaped device connects to a USB port and features a jack for a guitar cord and a dial for adjusting volume. It's a perfect front end for recording software. The software (included) can emulate 10 classic amps, ranging in tone from Delta blues (1953 Fender Wide Panel Deluxe) to downright metal (1994 Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier), and has effects such as reverb and delay, all in 24-bit audio quality. To help you pick out every bend and slide of the solo in Purple Haze, the software can play songs at half-tempo without changing the pitch. An optional membership to Guitar Port Online provides you with tips for setting your tone to match Hendrix'. Recording on a computer lacks one important feature: portability. Unless you plan to relocate your PC to the bands practice space (or move the band into your apartment), you'll want something movable. Portable recording studios solve this problem by allowing users to record on a device about the size of a large book. Technology has accommodated flexibility, too. The latest versions have ditched the cassette tape in favor of digital memory cards and big hard drives.

The 20-gigabyte memory of (concluded on page 128)Power Chords(continued from page 117) Boss' BR-1180CD 10-track Digital Recording Studio ($1245) stores recorded tracks, drum loops and effects. Once a song is completed, internal mastering tools give it a professional sound and burn it directly to CD on the CD-RW drive. Tascam's Pocketstudio 5 ($600) skips the CD and goes straight to MP3. The Pocketstudio records songs to Compact Flash memory cards and can output the final stereo mix in MP3 format via a USB port.

Computer equipment isn't confined to the basement recording studio. The latest guitar amplifiers can reconfigure their electronic architecture to deliver the tones of hundreds of hard-to-find vintage amps, all housed in one cabinet. The models in Fender's Cyber Series can replicate the sounds of 35 classic Fender amps and speaker cabinets. The collection spans more than 50 years of gear, such as the Bassman, Super Reverb and Champ. When combined with appropriately placed re-verbs and other effects, they present 205 different playing options--including 85 presets designed with your favorite guitarist in mind.

Not all of these amps are limited to one manufacturer's equipment. The Vetta ($1600) by Line 6 re-creates classic gear from Gibson, Vox, Marshall and Fender. It can replicate two amps, allowing guitarists to place the sound of Eric Clapton on the right and Stevie Ray Vaughan on the left.

Cranking an amp this powerful will not please people in your apartment building. If you live with a sound-sensitive landlord, your guitar may not be welcome, either. Yamaha's SLG100N Silent Guitar ($700) solves your problem by using electronic circuitry to simulate the sound of an acoustic instrument through headphones. It can also plug directly into an amp for live performance, a computer for recording or an external CD player so you can play along with your favorite band.

Technology can help even those who are limited to air guitar. Plug Music Playground's V-Pick virtual guitar ($40) into the USB port on your PC, start up the included software, select a song and play along by striking the pick in time against your favorite air guitar accessory (we prefer a tennis racket). The company recently released a Beatles edition that includes Can't Buy Me Love, Hey jude and 23 other songs. Convince your roommate to play Ringo Starr on Music Playground's V-Stix virtual drum kit ($20) and you're halfway to rock star status.

Where and how to buy on page 154