garage band

[brandon]

just got a brand new macbook for my birthday and was wondering if anyone here has any pointers for getting quality sound with this system

[claudefr]

Hi,

You can do pretty good things with the include sound card but be aware that the audio input is only line level and will not accept microphone. You can add a simple USB Interface with mic XLR input (M-Audio, Edirol, Phonic, etc)  and then have a very good home studio using GarageBand.

Try this if you are on a budget. It very acceptable. I used it in classroom with a SM58 and an XLR to Jack 1/8 adaptor for good result.

http://www.startech.com/item/ICUSBAUDIO-USB-20-to-Audio-Adapter.aspx

If you need professionnal tools, go for LogicPro and a better USB or firewire interface (MOTU, Presonus ...)

Have fun...

Claude

[rockstar_not]

Don't spend anything on new software until you have a decent hardware interface.  Garageband is a very powerful for a 'freebie' application.  The amp simulations in it for electric guitar are really quite nice.  You can put decent effect chains together inside of it that are very professional sounding.

Here's a link to Andy McRory's website:  http://andymcrory.com/about%20me.html

Click on any of the Music links and he loads up your browser with clickable streamable links.  As far as I know, he does everything INSIDE Garageband.  I've got a song on his Music iii page (View from Mulholland) where he played a nice bass line and really cool effected Telecaster for me.

What you need to make sure your interface can do is take guitar pickup level signals and pre-amp them enough to go into Garageband at a high enough level.  Not all USB or Firewire interfaces are up to this task.

My PreSonus Firebox does this just fine.

[MacNichol]

I would recomend you check out Reaper from Cockos.  It's a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), just like Garage Band, free to try for as long as you like.  Cockos just asks that you buy a lisence if you use the software professionally.  I played around with Garage Band when I first got my Mac and I was not really impressed with the options or the learning curve.  I've used about every DAW under the sun including Pro Tools, and Reaper is the DAW for me.  Check it out at :  http://www.reaper.fm/

Happy recordings

[Will Fly]

Garageband's OK - though I play around with it for fun rather than for serious recording.

Just one point though - the Zoom H2 can be used as a mic with the Mac Book - plug a mini stereo jack lead from the line out of the Zoom into the line in of the Mac Book. Works fine.

[Melodeous]

I tried a bunch of interfaces. Okay, maybe it was just a few. Garage Band (and any DAW) is only as good as the input signal chain. If you want to spend the money to put that in place GB is pretty good once you get the hang of it. That said, I have used a bunch of DAWs (Live Lite 7, Audacity, Cubase LE4, Acoustica Mixcraft, Sony Music and others) that range in capabilities and intuitive use. Garage Band is one of the easier apps. What I use now for "interfacing" is the Zoom H4. It does a very good job of recording what I want to hear. Then I hook it up to the computer with its USB cable and upload the music (drop and drag files from the H4 memory card) onto the recording area of GB. Or, the H4 can be used as an interface device. It has 2 microphone XLR inputs. It also has its own built in X-Y arranged condenser microphones that give exceptional performance. Fantom power is available as well. I use Garage Band with this iMac I have and find it to be just fine for what I do.

[murrare]

Garageband is excellent, but as everyone as already said, it's only as good as its interface.  I use a Fostex digital recorder, then move everything over to Garageband to tweak from there.  For the money, it's EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT.  Keep playing around with it and watch the tutorials you'll find on Apple.com and also Youtube.  Youtube's got some great stuff, too.

[greysonj]

if you can get a budget together of about $500 i would really recommend an appogee duet.  super portable since it is firewire bus powered and has GREAT sound quality for that price.  sure you could spend the same amount on an 8 channel interface from the likes of presonus and motu but if all you are doing is acoustic stuff (heck you could even put two mics up and record a drumset and still sound good) but the quality youll get with a duet is superior. plus that big silver knob looks so cool!