Behringer 1204USB, mic shows as input device but why doesn't electric guitar?

Question

I have a behringer 1204USB with an XLR mic plugged into it. In my Recording Devices on windows I have 'Microphone 2-USB Audio CODEC' as an input device.

I plugged an electric guitar into the Line 2 slot via 1/4" cable. Why doesn't this show up as an additional audio input device on my computer?

Online most people suggest using an Audio Interface but I would prefer to just use the mixer I currently have rather than buying another piece of hardware. My intention is to be able to use my guitar with a DAW (like Reaper) and probably hook it up with rocksmith at some point.

Answer 1

Your computer sees the entire mixer as a single input device. But you will not be able to hear anything with the guitar on 2 because the 1/4” input is a line input not an instrument input. You will have to use a preamp.