How to record guitar into a computer: a complete step-by-step guide for beginners (with free amp sims)

Recording guitar at home is simpler than it looks. You need one small box called an audio interface, a cable, headphones and free software. This guide covers electric guitar (plugged in directly, with free amp simulators) and acoustic guitar (with a microphone or its built-in pickup). Set aside an hour for your first session.

Your shopping list

Example: Focusrite's Scarlett Solo (4th gen), $169.99 on Focusrite's US store on 25 October 2026, has one mic input and one Hi-Z instrument input with 1 MΩ impedance, which Focusrite says suits electric guitars into amp sims. It comes with Ableton Live Lite, Pro Tools Intro+, Cubase LE and a bundle that includes Softube amp sims. If you'll ever record two things at once (guitar and vocal), choose a two-input interface instead: see our audio interface picks. For electric guitar you don't need a real amp.

Part 1: Set up (once)

Step 1: Install the interface's driver and a DAW

1. On Windows, download the interface's driver from the maker's website and install it before plugging in. Macs usually need no driver.
2. Install a DAW. Use the one bundled with your interface, or a free one from our free DAW guide.
3. Plug the interface into the computer with its USB cable. Its power light should turn on.

Step 2: Tell the DAW to use the interface

1. Open the DAW's audio settings (often Preferences > Audio or Options > Audio settings).
2. Set the input and output device to your interface. On Windows, choose its ASIO driver if listed.
3. Set the sample rate to 48 kHz (44.1 kHz is fine too).
4. Set the buffer size to 128 samples for now (step 5 explains why).

Step 3: Connect the guitar and headphones

1. Turn the interface's monitor/headphone volume to zero first.
2. Plug the guitar cable into the input marked INST or Hi-Z (on some interfaces, press the INST button next to the input).
3. Plug your headphones into the interface's headphone jack.
4. Turn the guitar's volume knob fully up.

Part 2: Get a clean level and no delay

Step 4: Set the input gain

1. Play the loudest thing you will play, such as hard strummed chords.
2. Turn the interface's gain knob up until the level light shows green and only occasionally yellow, never red. Red means clipping, a harsh distortion you can't remove later.
3. In the DAW, the track's meter should peak around -12 to -6 dBFS. Digital recording has plenty of headroom, so recording a little quieter is always safer than too loud.

Step 5: Get rid of the delay (latency)

If you hear your playing a split second late in the headphones, that delay is latency. Fix it:

• Lower the DAW's buffer size to 64 or 128 samples while recording. Raise it again (512 or 1024) when mixing.
• Close other programs and browser tabs.
• If your interface has a direct monitor switch or knob, it lets you hear the clean guitar with zero delay, but you won't hear the amp sim's tone. With an amp sim you need a low buffer instead.

Still crackling or delayed? Follow our latency fix guide and crackle fixes.

Part 3: Get a great electric guitar tone with free amp sims

An amp simulator is a plugin that recreates amplifiers, speaker cabinets and pedals. You record the clean guitar signal and the plugin adds the tone, so you can change the sound later without playing again. Three free options:

Step 6: Load an amp sim on your guitar track

1. Install one of the free amp sims above, then let your DAW rescan its plugins.
2. Create a new audio track, set its input to the interface's instrument input (often "Input 1" or "Input 2"), mono.
3. Add the amp sim as an effect on that track.
4. Arm the track for recording (the red record button on the track) and turn on input monitoring, so you hear the guitar through the plugin.
5. Pick a preset that matches your style (clean, crunch, high gain), then adjust: less gain than you think sounds tighter on recordings.
6. Use the plugin's tuner and tune up before every take.

Part 4: Recording acoustic guitar

Step 7: Choose pickup or microphone

• Acoustic with a pickup: plug it into the Hi-Z input like an electric. Quick, but it often sounds thinner than a microphone.
• With a microphone (best sound): use the mic input, turn on 48V phantom power if it's a condenser mic, and point the mic at the spot where the neck meets the body, about 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 inches) away. Pointing straight at the sound hole sounds boomy. Move the mic a few centimetres at a time and listen in the headphones.
• Record in a quiet room with soft furnishings; see which mic suits your room.

Part 5: Record your first take

Step 8: Set up the session

1. Set the project tempo and turn on the DAW's click (metronome) with a one- or two-bar count-in. Not sure of the tempo? Use our tap tempo tool.
2. Add a simple drum loop or backing track if you have one; playing to a groove is easier than to a click.
3. Name the track (for example "Guitar rhythm L").

Step 9: Record, listen, repeat

1. Press record and play the part. Don't stop for small mistakes: keep going.
2. Record three or four full takes. Most DAWs stack them as "takes" or "lanes".
3. Listen back with fresh ears and keep the best take, or combine the best sections ("comping").
4. For a wide rhythm sound, record the same part twice on two tracks and pan one left and one right. Two real takes sound much bigger than one copied track.

Step 10: Mix it into the song

• Cut very low frequencies with an EQ (a high-pass filter around 80 to 100 Hz) so the guitar doesn't muddy the bass.
• Pull back harsh frequencies in the 2 to 5 kHz range if it sounds piercing.
• Add a little reverb on a send so the guitar sits in the same space as the rest.
• More in our mix troubleshooting table; free EQs and reverbs are in the best free VST plugins.

Troubleshooting

Questions people ask

Can I plug my guitar straight into my computer?

Not into the computer's own audio jack for good results. Use an audio interface with an instrument (Hi-Z) input, which is designed for the guitar's signal and gives clean, low-latency recordings.

Do I need an amp to record electric guitar?

No. Record the clean signal through the Hi-Z input and add a free amp simulator such as Guitar Rig 7 Player, AmpliTube 5 CS or Neural Amp Modeler.

Why is there a delay when I play?

That is latency. Lower the buffer size in your DAW's audio settings to 64 or 128 samples while recording, and close other programs.

How loud should I record guitar?

Set the interface gain so the loudest playing never reaches red, with the DAW meter peaking around -12 to -6 dBFS.