Hope some one can advise me regarding recording a guitar with the backing tracks I have recorded in RB: This is what I did with no success.
I connected my guitar to the headphone jack of the computer and open the track window. Then selected an unused track for the guitar. Started the backing tracks and hit the record button: nothing recorded. The Input signal on RB not activating. So, went to youtube and followed the instructions - exactly what I had done but no success.
Did I miss any other steps? - do I have to select "recording" in the audio setup in computer? Thanks for any help you can provide.

David

the headphone jack is an output not an input. that's why you can listen on headphones. try the mic input jack but you may find you need a preamp to get a usable signal.

the mic jack should work ok though if your guitar has an active pickup like an electro acoustic. not sure about passive pickups on an electric guitar and the relative strength of the signal compared to a mic.

try it -at least you'll be connected to the right jack on the pc.

As Bob said you need to be using an input port. Usually the mic input on a PC is not satisfactory. Best to save your pennies and get a good audio interface, there are many options out there.

An audio interface usually connects to the PC via USB and has a port specifically designed to be set up for guitar input. Once you have the input being seen by your DAW it is best not to set your recording level “too hot”. Best to record a bit low and lift the level after recording. It is easy to raise the level recorded a bit low but near impossible to reduce the level of a signal that is too hot (and results in clipping). -18db to -12db is a good level to start at.

Just some thoughts

Tony

Band-in-a-Box/RealBand tends to work well with most audio interfaces. If you're going to be recording, you should consider getting a device that has its own ASIO drivers for the best experience. For audio interfaces that do not have its own ASIO drivers, sometimes generic ASIO drivers like ASIO4ALL or FlexASIO will work, but not always. We recommend that you stop by your local pro audio store and ask the salesperson which card would best suit your particular recording and playback needs.

heres a list of asio interfaces that pg users find work well with rb.
https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=635707#Post635707

the landscape is changeing all the time.
what i do is rent for 30 days before buying to ensure compatibility with my pc dave. <thats the best advice i can give you , particularly if your new to this.

om

Thanks so much to all of you who provided your instructions - amazing to have this forum with so many helpful members. My laptop is connected to stereo amplifier. I manage to record my guitar with the tracks I created. I found an old (and cheap) audio interface (enabled Mic for Recording) and Spks for Playback. Will shop around for a decent Audio interface - spoilt for choice with varying prices. I should also share this experience: I managed to do the above with my older Acer laptop but not successful with my newer Lenovo Laptop. Can't figure out why. And by the way, the Lenovo and newer laptops only has the headphone jack but not mic - also, the playback on this Lenovo has the headphone enabled (doesnt work with Speakers when connected to the amplifier). Thanks again to all for sharing your expertise.

David

Some laptops have a combination (combo) jack that can be used as either an input (guitar, keyboard, microphone, etc.) or output (headphones). You use the Windows audio controls to disable one function and enable the other.

While you can use the laptop jack it would far easier to use an audio interface with a USB connection.

Thanks Jim...appreciate your advice. Will try this soon

Typically these combo jacks have a 4-conductor 3.5mm headphone jack, the 4th conductor being for the mic input. These are usually set up for use with "gaming"-style headsets, so even if you do get an adapter to patch in a guitar you'll end up with "voice" quality guitar recordings, which is not very good. A proper audio interface (such as Focusrite, Steinberg, MOTU, etc) is the way to go.