Guitar Amp Line Out?

[CommandoAir]

So I'm experimenting with home recording, and I've been using Guitar Rig 5 (among other VSTs) to get my guitar tone with nothing in between (Signal Chain: Guitar - > Guitar Rig) and I'm not completely satisfied. I want to be able to record with my actual amp since it sounds a lot better, but micing isn't really an option atm.

To connect my guitar to my PC I just use a 1/4" to USB cable that came with RS2014, it works fine for the most part.

Just today I realised that I have a line out on the back of my amp (labeled "External Speaker" or something) so I decided to plug the 1/4" to USB into that, then my guitar into my amp, but it has some problems.

I used FL Studio to test this. The sound was crap quality, very muddy. I tried adding a speaker cab on guitar rig (nothing else, just the cab) and it sounded even worse. I tried turning the volume up on my amp, and this lead me to discover that if I play too loud, the sound on my computer freaks out and repeats itself rapidly (kinda like when a game crashes).

I'm guessing I'm doing something wrong here...What should I do? What am I doing wrong?

 

[ForHerDeadEyes]

Line out = is line out = line level signal.
External speaker = sending enough electricity to run an external speaker = frying your PC.
Your PC 'repeating itself rapidly' was its cry for mercy..

 

[CommandoAir]

Oh...um...

Well now, I know not to do that lol.

Ty for the help

 

[ForHerDeadEyes]

I've done something similar myself when I was young and dumb, the PC and audiocard survived, we learn.
You need a load box with a line out, there are people who knows more about that than I do, and also how to build one yourself.

A cheaper alternative to a load box is getting some material and build a isolation box to put your cab/speaker in and mic and record that way, if noise/volume is a problem.

 

[Trevoire520]

If you want to do this safely you should use the fx send. NOT the external speaker out (which as FHDE has pointed out is a POWERED output and will FRY YOUR SHIT!)
The sound from the FX Send will likely be very scratchy and harsh, this is normal as it needs a speaker cabinet impulse added to it to simulate the sound of a mic'd cab.