Macbook with Garage Band????

bubinga5 · #1 08-26-2008, 11:11 AM

Does anyone have a Mac with Garage Band,,how good is this program, is it simpler than lets say Prologic or Cubase

jgroh · #2 08-26-2008, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bubinga5

Does anyone have a Mac with Garage Band,,how good is this program, is it simpler than lets say Prologic or Cubase

I have it and I would say, yes, it is simpler than those programs to use. I really like it and I can record just about anything I need with it (like the music on my myspace page linked below/shameless plug)

There are things that I would like in the program, like support for plugins-VST's, but all in all I think its a great program.

MurvintheWalrus · #3 08-26-2008, 11:17 AM

i have it but i guess im not the one to comment ive only seen friends of mine who are experienced with logic and other mixing software, but baiscally garageband is very bargain ice software good options nice plugins or whatever
good effects
just get a DI or a mic not macs mic to record bass
I like it you can actually get the sheet music of a apple loop which is cool and you can mix and cut so it is bare bottom but i like it

RCCollins · #4 08-26-2008, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bubinga5

Does anyone have a Mac with Garage Band,,how good is this program, is it simpler than lets say Prologic or Cubase

It is simpler than either of these. It is also a bit more limited, but workarounds have been developed that make it a pretty darned versatile, as well as approachable, way to get started - especially if you already own a mac, in which case you'd be silly not to at least check it out.

The biggest drawback is probably its inability to do live multitrack recording. But not everybody needs this.

Don't forget to pick up some kind of input/output device! You'll be glad you did.

CapnSev · #5 08-26-2008, 11:21 AM

I like Garageband a lot. I see no reason to go get anything else, when all I use it for is recording my own song ideas or just messing around.

bubinga5 · #6 08-26-2008, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCCollins

It is simpler than either of these. It is also a bit more limited, but workarounds have been developed that make it a pretty darned versatile, as well as approachable, way to get started - especially if you already own a mac, in which case you'd be silly not to at least check it out.

The biggest drawback is probably its inability to do live multitrack recording. But not everybody needs this.

Don't forget to pick up some kind of input/output device! You'll be glad you did.

Is it the program or the Mac itself that you cant multitrack record on..

Can you run other programs such as Logic on it???

jgroh · #7 08-26-2008, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bubinga5

Is it the program or the Mac itself that you cant multitrack record on..

Can you run other programs such as Logic on it???

Its the program and yes, you can run Logic on it if you have enough RAM and hopefully OS X

bubinga5 · #8 08-26-2008, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgroh

Its the program and yes, you can run Logic on it if you have enough RAM and hopefully OS X

JGROH..I have never recorded before, and i have been wondering if i should get a stand alone multitrack or a Mac,,is a Mac and Garage band easy enough to get started on..What else will i need..Interface, Di, Mics ETC??..

I will be recording Bass, Yamaha m06 workstation, Guitar, and a few others! What are the drum samples like on Garage band??

Basically i have the money but not sure what i should buy.. Trying to research as much as possible!!

Thankyou!!

jgroh · #9 08-26-2008, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bubinga5

JGROH..I have never recorded before, and i have been wondering if i should get a stand alone multitrack or a Mac,,is a Mac and Garage band easy enough to get started on..What else will i need..Interface, Di, Mics ETC??..

I will be recording Bass, Yamaha m06 workstation, Guitar, and a few others! What are the drum samples like on Garage band??

Basically i have the money but not sure what i should buy.. Trying to research as much as possible!!

Thankyou!!

Well you can use the Mac for other things besides music so if you have the money, I would get the laptop. I record everything using a Griffin Guitar Cable. Its just a normal cable with a 1/4 inch connector on one end and an 1/8 inch connector on the other. Works flawlessly and only cost $24.99. I tried looking for one recently and couldnt find it, hopefully they didnt stop production.

So I just plug in my bass or guitar straight into the microphone jack on the side of the laptop and open up Garage Band, create a new track and turn on the real instrument monitor to hear myself play and I am off.

The drums sound pretty good to me, again, check those few recordings on my myspace page, those are all Garage Band drums.

If you cant find the Griffin Guitar Cable, you will need some sort of interface to plug into then that plugs into the Mac. I cant recommend one, you might need to search on this site for more info there.

ksandvik · #10 08-26-2008, 11:47 AM

You could get by using the internal audio interface, but most purchase an USB or FireWire audio interface. There are plenty of them out there, check out the reviews. I would recommend Apogee Duet, but then you spend $450 or so -- and you get the best sound possible for that sum.

Also note that Logic Express and Logic Pro imports Garageband projects so if you ever want to continue working in such environments, it's doable.

A lot of songwriters use Garageband, it's like this simple and good-sounding 'Fostex', always available. With 24-bit recording and good audio interface, the sound is equal to expensive DAWs, too.

bubinga5 · #11 08-26-2008, 11:53 AM

Ok thanks guys, you've been really helpfull!!!!

DudeistMonk · #12 08-26-2008, 11:55 AM

In a pinch I recorded a bunch of jams on the system mic of my macbook pro with garage band. They came out pretty damn good considering. Its not the best audio program ever made, in fact its pretty weak, I've used pro-tools, and some adobe stuff before that was a lot more versatile. Garage band is practically free though, it comes with all those fun loops to jam out too, and its easy enough for anyone to use, its also really easy to edit stuff, and while it doesn't support multi-track recording it does support multiple tracks, so you can record 1 part and then record over that onto another track.

fretlessrock · #13 08-26-2008, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCCollins

The biggest drawback is probably its inability to do live multitrack recording. But not everybody needs this.

I'm not sure what version you havem but GB has been able to do multitrack live recording for at least two years. Create multiple live instruments, arm multiple live instruments, hit record. 8 tracks at a time max. Take it easy on the CPU and set all the instruments to use no effects. Deal with that later.

GB is a very versatile and useful program. I've used it for prototyping songs, live stereo recording, live band recording, and even quick remastering of stuff recorded on portable stereo rigs like my MicroTrack.