I bought the lightsnake yesterday, and I will be taking it back tomorrow. Here are my reasons:

1. Audacity and other recording software won't recognize the lightsnake until after I record with Sound Recorder set up EACH TIME I CHANGE INPUTS. So basically, if I have one bass plugged in, and I pull the cord from the it and plug it into another, I have to go through the same Sound Recorder test. Pain in the butt.

2. The 1/4" plug does not lock in to my basses the way a normal cable does. I have a Fender P-Bass and a Warwick bass, and I basically have to stand completely motionless to keep the lightsnake cord from backing out. Ridiculous.

3. Recording quality is poor. The volume recorded from both my basses to the track/file is very low, yet the amplitude of the signal peaks out. My sound is basically clipped but with very low volume. I shouldn't have to run compression AND a boost just to get a tolerable sound.

I don't know if Soundtech was the first to come up with this idea, but this product has a long way to go before its worth the $40 it costs. It's a truly great idea, but its deficiencies are so many that it just isn't worth messing with.

You may be expecting more than one little cable can do. #1 sounds like an outstanding software issue to me -- isn't the LightSnake a regular USB audio device? #2, of course, is a legitimate gripe. #3 sounds about par for the course with audio gear. You need a preamp to get the best direct sound. Some gear does cope with poor input better than other gear. I won't say you were just using it wrong until I play with one myself though.