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| PA systems with dedicated guitar inputs are so rare you just can't count with that |
Yes, this means you can use your home studio gear to plug your electric guitar to PA in church, school, gigs or wherever PA may be found.
For the start, it is important to remember that any peace of home recording gear that helps you connect your electric guitar to computer could also be used for plugging your guitar to PA, provided the gear is equipped with audio output.
Not USB output.
Not S/PDIF or any other optical or digital output.
Audio output only.
Figuratively speaking, it's killing two birds with one stone: a single piece of guitar gear for both studio recording and PA connection.
Why plugging electric guitar direct to PA system is such bad idea?
In short, it's because PA inputs and PA preamps are not compatible with your electric guitar signal. You just can't make guitar sound right by plugging it straight to PA mixer. Here's what you usually get when going with electric guitar directly to PA:- Low quality tone you'll find frustrating to play with
- Huge amount of noise
- Low level of volume even when the guitar channel volume is maxed
However, there's a game changer in case PA mixer is equipped with guitar input channels, but this feature is so rare that you just can't rely on or depend on it.
The point is: you have to have a piece of gear to be placed in between your electric guitar and PA in order to make the guitar sound nice.
Good ways to connect your electric guitar to PA
There's too many good choice equipment you can use to connect electric guitar to PA and I can't number them all in this post. What I'm going to do is to present you right gear for PA plugging while taking care of usability of the gear in the context of home recording as well. Remember: two birds with one stone. So let's begin.Guitar processors
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| Amazon's Choice: BOSS GT-1 guitar processor for plugging your electric guitar to PA, computer and guitar amp |
Here's what's good about guitar processors:
- Processors make possible plugging your electric guitar to computers, PA systems and guitar amplifiers.
- Processors are equipped with guitar multi effects and you don't have to worry if PA system is dry or effects loaded.
- Most of the processors are portable in size and feature amp sims from various guitar amps so you don't need to carry heavy amps to your gigs.
- Processors are programmable and you can create just any kind of custom sound you can imagine if the factory presets don't suit your playing style.
Here's what you can expect from the above BOSS GT-1 processor when connected to PA:
If you are not quite familiar with guitar processor brands, always remember that you can't go wrong with Boss , Line 6 and Zoom guitar multi-effect processors. And do take the time to read the reviews you'll find for each processor on the linked pages.
Once again, guitar processors are single best solution for connecting your guitar to PA.
DI (direct injection) boxes are the most common piece of gear people use to connect electric guitar to PA. DI box role is to take your guitar signal and convert it to PA acceptable format in terms of impedance matching and signal balancing.
Unfortunately, DI box can not be used as standalone gear to make you happy about the way your guitar sounds from PA speakers because DI boxes provide clean tone only, without any guitarish coloration like reverb, delay, drive, etc. And if the PA system you are plugged in has no effects you can use on your guitar channel, you're in trouble.
Therefore, the best practice is to use passive direct box in between your pedalboard and PA system.
DI boxes may also be used to connect your guitar to computer, but in case you have passive pickups on your guitar, you will want to get active DI box for that purpose. Guitars with active pickups require passive DI boxes just like guitar pedals do.
This kind of handy little pedal will save you from carrying guitar amps to and from your gigs because you'll be able to connect your electric guitar to any PA by plugging from the pedal to PA.
Basically, guitar amp simulator pedals do the same thing the DI boxes do, but with the additional function of real guitar amplifier simulation. This way your guitar sound will have much more "juice" when connected to PA.
One of the best pedals of this kind is Radial JDX Direct Drive.
Once again, the best practice is to put this pedal in between your pedalboard and PA because the pedal replicates guitar amps with great authenticity, but it has no inbuilt guitar effects. In other words, it's completely dry.
Of course, you can use this pedal for connecting your electric guitar to your home studio recording computer too.
Here's little example to show you the sound you can get from Radial JDX Direct Drive in both home studio and PA when putting it behind your pedalboard guitar pedals in the signal chain:
If so, you are good to go.
Connecting from guitar amp to PA is indicated if your amp is not loud enough for the gig place or if there are not enough mics at the stage set.
However, the quality of the sound from amp's DI output is dubious so please double check is before going to any gigs with your band.
Cheers!
Once again, guitar processors are single best solution for connecting your guitar to PA.
DI Boxes
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| Radial JDI - world's most popular passive DI box |
Unfortunately, DI box can not be used as standalone gear to make you happy about the way your guitar sounds from PA speakers because DI boxes provide clean tone only, without any guitarish coloration like reverb, delay, drive, etc. And if the PA system you are plugged in has no effects you can use on your guitar channel, you're in trouble.
Therefore, the best practice is to use passive direct box in between your pedalboard and PA system.
DI boxes may also be used to connect your guitar to computer, but in case you have passive pickups on your guitar, you will want to get active DI box for that purpose. Guitars with active pickups require passive DI boxes just like guitar pedals do.
Guitar amp simulator pedals
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| Radial guitar amp simulator pedal for PA plugging |
Basically, guitar amp simulator pedals do the same thing the DI boxes do, but with the additional function of real guitar amplifier simulation. This way your guitar sound will have much more "juice" when connected to PA.
One of the best pedals of this kind is Radial JDX Direct Drive.
Once again, the best practice is to put this pedal in between your pedalboard and PA because the pedal replicates guitar amps with great authenticity, but it has no inbuilt guitar effects. In other words, it's completely dry.
Of course, you can use this pedal for connecting your electric guitar to your home studio recording computer too.
Here's little example to show you the sound you can get from Radial JDX Direct Drive in both home studio and PA when putting it behind your pedalboard guitar pedals in the signal chain:
Connect to PA using your amp DI output
This could be possibly the simplest way to connect your electric guitar to PA. What you'll need to do first is to check the back panel of your amp just to make sure if it's equipped with connectors labeled as "line out" or "DI out".If so, you are good to go.
Connecting from guitar amp to PA is indicated if your amp is not loud enough for the gig place or if there are not enough mics at the stage set.
However, the quality of the sound from amp's DI output is dubious so please double check is before going to any gigs with your band.
Cheers!
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