Total Noob Needs Help Recording on my iMac

[43% burnt]

Hi,

First of all sorry for the repetitive nature of this thread but I'm confused.

So I wanna record some music at home by myself, I basically want to just mess around and make some weird tunes the cheapest way possible for now...I have no experience with this whatsoever.

I have:

• a bass
• a guitar
• an amp
• a mic
• an iMac

Do I need anything else? I'm guessing an interface of some sort?

For software, I would like to just use garage band for now. Would that be a good place to start?

Do I plug direct into my computer, or run it through my amp? Or mic up a cab?

I don't want to damage my new machine, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

So many questions...Sorry if this has been covered a hundred times already...i searched and found some info but am still unsure about some things.

Thanks in advance dudes!

[Embryodead]

For the most part..no you don't need anything else, but personally i would get some sort of interface possibly a mixer or maybe a usb interface.

Most people would tell you bass through a microphone doesn't sound that good usually, i always record through the DI

[markjazzbassist]

if you don't want to get an interface you need to at least get a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter so you can plug in the instrument into your Line In on your Mac.

Once you get into Garage Band you will have to go to the preferences and chose the Line In as your recording source. You will also have to use the System Preferences to change the Line In Volume and such to suit the instrument.

Good luck. I have an iMac and use Garage Band, it's a great program.

[thehurlatron]

At the apple store (or online, or ebay or whatnot) Griffin makes a "garageband cable"

It's a 1/4" to 1/8" and it's 10' long. Here's a link.

Garageband is an AWSOME program, and is underestimated by alot of people. It can actually do a bunch, and sound good doing it. I eventually upgraded to logic express, then logic pro as I advanced and needed more, but on alot of small projects, I still use garageband as a "sketchpad" for starting a project.

Good Luck!!

[lemur821]

Your built-in audio interface is probably decent. If you're planning on using that mic you'll probably want a preamp. Same for running direct to your computer. Anything that isn't active (outputting it's own line-level signal) will probably want a preamp. This would be my first suggestion. You might be able to get by using your amp as a preamp. Just run your thing into it then run a cable from the amp's preamp out or headphone jack to the computer.

[wheat]

Originally Posted by Embryodead

Most people would tell you bass through a microphone doesn't sound that good usually, i always record through the DI

And I think most people would be wrong about that. If you like the sound coming off your amp, the easiest way I've found to capture it is to mic the cab. Even a relatively cheap mic (SM57, SM58, or any of their clones) can work as a decent close mic for a bass cab.

You'll need a pre-amp or an audio interface to convert the signal from a low-z mic to something your computer can deal with. M-Audio makes some decent cheap ones. If it's just you recording a track at a time, you don't need a lot of inputs.

Wheat

[Standalone]

OT/ dude. I just heard the dillinger song from whence your screen name came. With kids dancing to it on youtube.

Still digging the melvins CDs... /end OT

I would pick up an interface (bought a firepod myself). I mean, if you're going to drop $25 on some cable, why not just get some $99 interface that can take the cables you have and also be more expandable in the future?

http://music123.com/M-Audio-Mobile-P...-i100844.music

something like that?

peace