You are doing absolutely nothing wrong with that method because sims are designed to take those signals.
 
The problem is that those Inst ins aren't all created equal AND they are meant to take a plethora of instrument inputs as opposed to just guitars.
 
The ideal input for a guitar is 1 megaohm which is what tlw was alluding to earlier. That's what generally appears on guitar amp inputs but not necessarily on interface inputs or other devices. That's why things get a little hairy for tone chaser like me. For general input you really don't have to worry about it.
 
The other problem for me is I want/need the FULLEST and richest signal going into the interface so when it hits the sim I can get it to truly respond EXACTLY how I need. Again not something most guitarists need to worry about if they are just doing a little this or that but all my stuff pretty much revolves around the guitar. I need the absolutely most useable and flexible input signal possible so if I try to dial in a super clangy/brittle/tubey type tone from a sim it doesn't fall flat. Or if I need a crazy thick and responsive hi gain lead sound it doesn't get all mosquitoey or not sustain properly.
 
Essentially short of dropping thousands on gear (or tens of thousands on gear) just getting that input signal humming a little better will make the sims work a little better which is all I need really.
 
And yeah... you read that right. What I'm currently doing is a massive PITA which is why I'd like a simple device to input straight into the interface or into the mixer and bypass the hassle of screwing with those amps.
 
But that is only part of the equation because I do actually need something for microphone and bass input which both have been far more problematic than my guitar stuff. Just that little extra should make mixing a whole heckuva a lot easier.
 
So really... knowing the type of stuff you have said you are doing I would not worry about these things for even a second. In a few years it may be something you want to look at if you really start getting into live input of guit/bass/vox but just tossing down some tracks to use on your synth based creations? No freaking worries. I'm trying to emulate live recorded band stuff in a one man, low budget, all DI/digital studio. That's why I need to get extra creative about stuff and seek out crap like this.
 
Don't get me wrong. I've been getting some REALLY nice results as it is but it is a LOT more work than I think it needs to be and I STILL think it could be better.
 
Tone Chasing. Not Even Once.
 
lol

if you are serious about reamping, then go here:
 
http://www.reamp.com/
 

I think you might find that the perfect pre amp for Vocals, Bass and Guitar is asking for 2 different things in one. I mentioned the Joe Meek because it works excellent for both Vocals and Bass. It also works for acoustic guitar. Those are sources that benefit from a certain type of circuitry. 
But I have not tried my electric guitar thru it for the simple reason that's one sound I nailed down 25 years ago. And the answer for me will always be a tube amp and SM 57 on the speaker. Nothing else will do it for me. And that's what it comes down to... YOUR tone and guitar style.  
 
I've tried all other systems over the years and many different types of amps. Now a clean guitar sound is a little easier, but then we each gravitate towards different ends of the overdrive/ distortion spectrum. If I could simplify I'd say Overdrive is that tube, bluesy fat tone, and distortion is more to the buzzsaw edgy fuzz tone. 
Pedal boards , Modeling and Sims have one thing in common- they can do distortion but never come close to the tube overdrive sound. Some stomp boxes these day are getting closer but the purest will always want a tube and a speaker cone involved.
 
 
I love my new Blackstar amp because I can record a lot of great tones directly with the master volume down low ( or off ) but I can only play the blues through my Fender. And it has to be loud to work. The Blackstar does most every tone imaginable but it misses the mark like all sims on that fat overdrive sustaining blues tone. 
 

Oh and I really need to get some better use out of my mics anyway for voiceover work (I have some video schemes planned and may see if I can lend my somewhat unique voice to film freaks) and vocals. I only have a couple condensers and they ain't great but I do have some old standard dynamic mics (like 58s and some more curious ones with interesting characteristics). I think something like this can make my less than optimal collection of mics MUCH more useful. Of course DI bass is a major concern too. I have heard some demos of what the ART units can do for a bass and it certainly does seem to provide a much better starting point to mix with.
 

there is nothing that can improve the quality of your captures better,
than a good mic.
 

batsbrew
there is nothing that can improve the quality of your captures better,
than a good mic.
 

Indeed and as I said I've got some old standards kicking around like my 58's and some interesting 58 clones/vintage precursors. I have a couple busted 57's too that I'm not sure can be brought back to life (may be wirng... may be borked out diaghrams but I have to learn how to fix them or bring them along when I drag some other stuff into the shop for repairs). I also have a couple interesting phantom powered dynamic mics (Blue Balls... yup... I got a pair of blue balls lol) that are cool but need a little something something I think to make them really cut.
 
So something like even that ART tube pre might get the signals up and smoothed a little better to make those types of things work a little nicer with the itb stuff.
 
I have a couple mics I'd like to get too if I ever acquire some extra cash. One I really want is an SM7b for obvious reasons. I always loved the Beta57s for my vox and they are good instrument mics as well (nice durable hybrid of the 58s/57s and Beta Greens... seriously my favorite live mic). And since I can't afford a really top shelf condenser I've been eyeballing some of the AudioTechnica (2020/2025... or whatever those models are... you know the ones I mean) or MXL condensers.
 
Unfortunately to purchase all of those relatively inexpensive mics would still be a very painful (well impossible at the moment) investment right now and I seriously cannot use them for everything I would in this sh*thole apartment anyway.
 
Even still a lot of those mics could benefit from a bit of tube pre action anyway so the stuff being talked about here will be one less thing to worry about when the day comes (if ever). Still not even sure where all my studio adventures are going to take me anyway. Who knows. Maybe with all the softsynth crap I have and have been learning EVERYTHING I do that ends up making me dough will be totally itb digital creations. If I can't get my damned body well enough to do long sessions that may actually become the ONLY way I can create... but that would make me ever so sad.
 
Cheers.

When I was looking for tubes after seeing tlw's suggestion there was a place called dougstubes that seems to be an online distributor of all things tubey and they have various replacements for the tube in the ART thingies.
 
Of course if you have an electronics supply store in town they may have some around or being able to order some. Buying tubes from a music store is asking to get bumjacked but they will likely keep the higher quality brands around. Not worth the markup though.

Thanks for the info, I will look into some replacement tubes just to have around, I suppose mine won't last forever... this gives me a good start on what and where to look!
 
I think I got it for ~ twenty bucks (maybe I had a GC coupon, as well) so I won't worry about warranty that much. Some of the newer ART models like you are looking at would probably be my next go. I used to record at a pro studio here in town back in the early 90's and he had a ART like mine. He only used it occasionally but it is still working for him today!
 
Thanks again :)

Beepster
Cool. If you aren't used to working with tubes one thing to know is you want to avoid touching them with you fingers/skin as much as possible. Supposedly the oils can cause damage when the tubes heat up...

Yikes, I also didn't know that!
 
There are 2 vids I just watched on YouTube for replacing ART 12AX7 tubes. There are also two forums I checked (from a Google search) which said the improvement with expensive tubes would be minimal due to the ART circuitry and recommended against it. So who's to know?
 
I also saw on one of the vids a recommendation to warm up the unit for 15 - 30 minutes and that was also new to me. I can't imagine my clients or friends being very happy about watching me twiddle my thumbs while my tubes warm up, but I will from now on :)
 
Well, I have learned some good things today!

I concur, it is a good idea to have a replacement on hand.
 
And yes, I thought 30 minutes warmup was a bit excessive :)
 
At any rate, it'll be very interesting to hear which unit you get and how it works out for you!

Beepster - I kind of raised my antennas after thinking about this thread.
 
I stumbled upon this item, the Vertex.  Not a direct response to your inquiry.  But it is something that's interesting, and I may even be interested enough to really take a serious look at it.  I like what it does.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBRIHxwfdQ0

maximumpower
Beepster, I am probably missing the point of the thread (sorry). But...
 
If the issue is getting a great sound out of an amp sim running on your computer, have you looked at what Craig Anderton has said for preconditioning the signal (once it is inside your PC) before it hits the amp sim?
 

Valid comment!

Aight... replying to old posts but there have been a few things I wanted to reply to/ask about.
 
@tlw... As always very helpful. You 've been in every one of my threads about this subject and it is appreciated. You brought up the BOSS 1megaohm thing again and I actually am curious about ways I can use my TU-2 (I have other BOSS pedals as well but the TU-2 would be better for simple input for many reasons and I also get my favorite tuner and a possible splitter if needed out of it).
 
So I'm pretty sure that just hooking into the TU-2 then into my board ain't gonna cut it for guitar. The CR1604 has a lot of gain but I doubt it can provide enough gain to deal with passive pickups. If I am wrong on this then that would be cool to know because I am sketchy on the whole relationship between that input impedence vs. necessary input gain.
 
HOWEVER... even though the ART unit I was looking at (the Tube MP/C that has the compressor and high z option) claims to do do high Z my interface does as well as do most interfaces. Still those high z inputs may or may not reach that 1 megaohm impedance mark desired for guitar. So... and this may not be answerable by yourself or anyone... I am wondering whether perhaps a signal going from the TU-2 to get that 1 megaohm into the ART high z (or on my interface's high z) could push things into the correct range for guitar or if that would cause some kind of extra stupidity and actually make things worse.
 
I'm also trying to keep the outboard gear chain down too because obviously each unit introduces a new opportunity for noise, occupies extra cables and space and just makes things that little bit more of a PITA (which is why I'm trying to cut out some of my outboard gear by buying something like the ART unit... if I can get a good workable signal striaght into the box as opposed to running crap through all sorts of gear then that would be freaking awesome).
 
Probably crazy questions but if you or anyone has some thoughts on that... cool.
 
@lawajawa... I actually wanted to comment on the Line6 multi unit you linked to earlier on. That actually would not serve my purposes for THIS stuff. I've already got an interface and controllers and what not. However that is a very interesting product and looks ideal for live stuff. I am totally sequestered musically at the moment as far live stuff but live gigging was my thing for... well all my adult life. Since I've been studying all this digital music crap I've been coming up with little schemes as to how I could play live using DAW/synth/computer stuff. It all involved multiple devices and PITA setups. That little dealymabob would be PERFECT for some of the stuff I've been thinking about. It would remove a whole pile of extra gear out of the equation so thank you for making me aware of it. Very cool.
 
@Cactus Music... I hear ya on the tube stuff and yes... I have heard the newer Champs may not be all that great (I may not even be referring to the right thing... I may mean those little beige things... Blues Champs? But still probably not all that great). I have been seeing/hearing good things about those Blackstars though and they seem to be quite affordable so screw it. If I ever go down that path I'll probably scope those instead. Fenders are great but even the old ones kind of... well they tend to be a little restrictive for what I like to do. Just seemed like a good way to get tiny tubey bark but it's 2015 so probably better options for less.
 
For the Joe Meek stuff... definitely looks cool. Here I am limited to L&M's (whom I haven't bought from in years but I may have to forgive them their wrongs) and a couple tiny shops that may or may not stock stuff I need. Otherwise it's longhaul order which costs more and getting deliveries in this building is sketchtastic.
 
L&Ms apparently stocks the ART MP/C so even if the location here doesn't have one I can just get them to order it and save on the shipping.
 
I agree that tubes, especially cheap/simple ones, won't necessarily beat out nice solid state gear but I already have lots of ss stuff and I'd like at least ONE tube input around to play around with. Also just having an outboard compressor/limiter might be worth it even if the tube doesn't do anything special.
 
Just for reference though... the last stuff I did I resorted to using my old MXR Gain pedal to get my input cranked so it would slam into the Line6 better and thus make the sim work better. It worked well but it was noisy and was a lot of hassle. That's the type of crap I'd like to avoid really.
 
I guess this in a lot of ways is actually a convenience/simplicity issue as opposed to tone chasing... but since the itb effects respong better to better singals it helps with the tone chasing.
 
Anyhoo... thanks all for the suggestions and cool thread.
 
Cheers.