The Amp > Practicing and Recording

Practicing and Recording with the Flex3

Practicing

IMPORTANT NOTE: Always unplug your amp's power cord when making the connection with the PC.

People are asking about practicing with a mp3 or cd player, or even with tracks on their computer. If you are less concerned with sound quality and want to keep things simple, here's a way to go. This way the sound comes out of your amp's speakers.

  1. Connect your Flex amp to a mixer board with cables from the Effects Loop Send jacks into line inputs on the board.
  2. Also connect your computer/mp3 player/CD player to the board.
  3. Connect the line outs from the board into the Flex' Effects Loop Return jacks.

PDF document showing a diagram: Simple practice setup using the Flex3 speakers.

A better way (in terms of sound quality), is this:

  1. Connect your Flex amp to a mixer board with cables from the XLR outputs on the amp into the board.
  2. Also connect your computer/mp3 player/CD player to the board.
  3. Connect the line outs from the board into a PA amp, or use the board's headphones.

PDF document showing a diagram: Simple practice setup.

Recording

The best way to record is to connect the Flex3 XLR outputs to quality recording equipment. That way you make the best of the AIR technology Line6 is so proud of. But be sure that mic modeling is on! And, in case you're using Line6Edit v3, check out the Line6Edit section to ensure you don't fall into the hole that Line6 has dug for you. (If mic modeling is "off", you'll get a sound like a wasp in an empty beercan, or a kazoo, or a buzz saw (the list goes on...).

For Flex3 (the plain vanilla model without the XLR outputs) the best you can do is record from the headphones output.

Of course, a mic in front of the speaker works well too!

Recording with a PC

IMPORTANT NOTE: Always unplug your amp's power cord when making the connection with the PC.

What you need is a cable with two XLR females on one end and one 3.5mm stereo jack on the other. Then you can plug in to the LineIn of your soundcard.

There is a control on the amp next to the XLRs labeled LEVEL TRIM. Turn that all the way left. On your PC adjust the recording input to halfway up. Then start recording and bring up the control next to the XLRs as much as needed.

You'll also need recording software. Eg Audacity (free). But there are others.

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