Input levels

[Jayroc1]

What input level should I be aiming for when recording guitars both micd and unmicd? Why do I have to crank my levels on my interface to get any kind of decent volume?
Thanks

[Alex]

What input level should I be aiming for when recording guitars both micd and unmicd?

The ideal recording level is so that the loudest part of your recording does not reach the maximum value. To line up the input level, I play the loudest part of my performance and set the input level fader so that the clipping indicator (red light in Music Studio's recording window) doesn't light up:
http://www.xewton.com/musicstudio/doc/?id=13#Input_levels

Why do I have to crank my levels on my interface to get any kind of decent volume?

That depends entirely on the hardware, maybe your interface expects "Line" input levels and was not designed with guitar input in mind.