The only way for me to plug my guitar directly into the computer before purchasing this was a rocksmith+ cable that created a lot of background noise and clipping. Between the device's features and additional software that come in the package, you can basically create an album or podcast right away. Buy some monitors and XLR or TRS cables and hear yourself jam right through the computer. It's great, and they even give you free plug-ins with Ableton so you can play through whatever amp you want