guitar effects

hey guys new to reaper, seems to be a really good program..i have a question. i intend to record some songs down the track when i get more use to it lol...i have a behringer usb interface and im trying to record some guitar on to it, firstly..would i need a pre amp for that??seems to be ok with out one but im not sure.. and also when wanting to record special effects on guitar do you have to record the guitar dry first and then add effects or can you record while the effects are in place, or would you have to use an external pedal orrr maybe mic and amp or something...im a big newbbbie to it and any help would be good..cheers guys!!

What model of Behringer USB interface do you have? If it sounds fine with the guitar plugged right into it, then you are probably fine without a preamp. As for the effects, both methods that you describe are possible. Some folks like to add effects after recording a dry signal, as it gives a lot of flexibility for changing the effects. Others like to record the effects along with the guitar, especially if you've got a sound that you like and are not sure that you will be able to reproduce it after the fact. A third option, if you can set it up, is to do both at once - put the dry signal on one track, the signal with effects on another. That way you can capture your performance with effects, yet still have the flexibility of going back to the dry signal in case you want to experiment.

I don't know about your usb interface but I would guess it's ok without a preamp - check with the maker's web site perhaps. Re: recording effects on guitar. you can do all the things you ask, but they each have their own pros and cons. Probably the most common is to record dry while monitoring effects on the track, then you can change the FX if you don't like them after, but there will be some latency from the plugin as you play, the amount of delay depends on a number of things.