The three ways in
Audio interface (~€80) — best
A box like a Focusrite Scarlett Solo or a Behringer UMC22 sits between your cable and USB. Clean signal, proper instrument input, near-zero fuss forever. If you'll play more than twice, start here.
Guitar-to-USB cable (€10–15) — cheapest
A cable with a tiny converter built in. Works instantly in the browser, decent for practice and trying things out.
Mic input adapter — the emergency option
A ¼"→3.5mm adapter into the laptop mic jack. It works but is noisy and quiet — fine for a test, not a habit.
Being heard: the five-minute setup
Plug in, open SOWND, click "allow" when the browser asks for the microphone, and pick your input in the device list. The signal meter should dance when you strum — that's the whole driver installation, because there isn't one.
Headphones into the computer (or the interface's headphone out if it has one) and you have a silent rig that sounds like a miked amp in a treated room.
If the meter doesn't move
Browser permission
Check the padlock icon → Site settings → Microphone. Browsers remember the first answer — including "block".
Wrong device picked
Laptops list the built-in mic, the webcam mic and your interface separately. Pick the interface — the names are unhelpfully similar.
Windows downmix (the sneaky one)
A silent second input on Windows is usually a WASAPI downmix. mmsys.cpl → Recording → your interface → Properties → Advanced → set to 2 channels. Driver updates silently reset it.
Gain at zero
Interfaces have a physical gain knob. Start halfway, play hard, adjust until peaks hit amber not red.
Try it while you read
Open the free Bare Wire tone in another tab — follow the steps live.
Quick answers
Do I need an interface to plug guitar into a PC?
Not strictly — a guitar-to-USB cable or even a mic-jack adapter works. But a ~€80 interface is the biggest quality-per-euro upgrade in the whole rig.
Can I plug a guitar straight into a laptop?
Yes, via the mic input with a ¼"→3.5mm adapter — expect noise and a weak signal. It's fine to test, not to keep.
