Help me assemble an Apple Garage Band rig

[don21480]

I want to record bass riffs, vocals and maybe a guitar part or 2 over them. I have a recent macbook. I'm guessing I need a USB interface to connect bass, mic and guitar? Would like decent sound but not trying to make CD's or anything like that. Trying to keep it simple if possible. Any suggestions for the brands and models of equipment I need?

 

[J Posega]

Apogee Jam is super simple, otherwise there is the Focusrite iTrack Solo. The Scarlett 2i2 is also highly regarded and easy to use. A good pair of headphones and you'll be set.

EDIT: I don't know anything bout microphones, but you'd need one,
obviously.

The Line 6 Sonic Port VX is a guitar/ bass interface with a microphone built right in.

 

[Big Hoss]

While I can't speak directly to Macintosh, the technology between Mac and PC as far as audio input are more or less teh same... Software is where the big difference is...

Are you looking to record one track mixed before it hits your Mac, or individual tracks?

For pre mixed, just a stereo signal in, any USB mixer like the Behringer XENYX Q1202USB mixer and of course yes, a headphone amp and studio headphones should do the trick. I do NOT recommend the Pyle Pro headphone amp. (Have one, it's a total warm steaming pile of....). For what it's worth, I have effectively the same mixer as that, but without the USB interface built in, and with effects added. I paid quite a bit more for my rig after the cost of the USB interface. If you want the effects on the channels, grab the Behringer XENYX QX1202USB. $30.00 more, but if you want the effects, there they are...

For mulitrack recording, where you can do your mix down in software, I have heard the Tascam US-16x08 is a good option, but do your homework. I have no experience with it...

IF you go with the mixer route, you have some room, although it will be crowded...

As far as cabling that might not be dead obvious, the bass amp, and guitar amp (I don't own one myself, but have had a visiting relative bring his) are connected using XLR to 1/4" TS cables. Again I do NOT recommend the Pyle-Pro headphone amp. Mine works, but it is super finicky about input. Overdrive it and everything distorts and sounds like you blew a speaker... I am seriously considering grabbing the Behringer headphone amp instead...

The UCA USB interface shown in my diagram wouldn't be in yours if you get the mixer with USB. Just use a USB A/B cable that I believe comes with the mixer.

With this particular mixer configuration, there really is no room for growth, I am more or less stuck with either daisy chaining mixers if I need inputs for mic'ed drums, OR a much larger mixer. But for my purposes into the foreseeable future, this will work fine. FWIW, mic'ed drums suck up a LOT of XLR inputs... Make the drummer buy a mixer if he wants to be mic'ed up!

 

[don21480]

Wow - lots of great info here. I've done a little research on the Apogee One which is a USB interface AND has a built in mic with some decent reviews. It might be a good 1st step to see if I'm really going to use it. My plan was to record some bass riffs and they lay some guitar and drums over it for song ideas

 

[Big Hoss]

I started with a new back then, M-Audio Duo USB and the drivers quickly got out of date. Most current OS support was Windows XP... I don't think it ever supported by Mac. I had it working more or less on Windows 7 but it let the magic smoke out. I was then tracking only one either voice, or instrument at a time. I wanted to do both vocal, AND my bass at the same time, so I went with the Behringer PodcastStudio USB, which worked fine, but oddly enough, once I started doing that, my brother in law wanted to start playing, doing some recording with me, and then more vocals, and, well the XENYX 502 couldn't handle it, so I got the 1202FX, then I ran into an odd situation where I would want to do some voice over stuff on location, so I wanted to toss the PodcastStudio USB set into my gear bag and go, but I wanted a USB adapter at home too, so in came the UCA222...

If I had to do the Behringer stuff again, I would have gone with a Behringer XENYX Q802USB / small desktop mic stands, and 2 of my Nady SP5 mics / cables for the on the go stuff. And then a QX1202USB (or larger). Roughly the same money, but with simpler setup, and operation (no need to connect between USB interface and mixer) better small mixer, and about the same total $$ overall. Maybe a few bucks more or less here or there depending on specific retail pricing at the time.