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Mac recording ?

I

iplaybassguitar

Jun 22, 2006
1,322
4
Rochester NY
#1
Hy guys, i just got a mac, and id like to try out the garageband software that comes with it, what better way to do that than by recording myself playing bass?
what do i need to accomplish this feat? i think i read somewhere that all i need is a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter, but im not sure if this is true, and i wanted to check before i made that special trip to get one. any other equipment needed?
 
#4
GarageBand is great--it does 90% of what pro-level software does, and it does it in an amazingly simple way

The simplest way to do it is to get a 1/8 to 1/4 adapter, and then using the adapter plug your bass into the audio input of your mac.

Probably you'll get 2 problems with that method--a very low input signal, and "latency" or a delay between when you hit the notes and when you hear them. But maybe not

Anyway, once your bass is plugged in, go to preferences, choose audio/midi, and set it to "built in input." Then choose "new track" from the track menu and click "real instrument. Then you can choose "bass" and if you want, choose from a bunch of preset models


Here's an example of a simple GarageBand project--a friend asked me to do some music for a podcast. It's all loops except the bass track, which is me on a diingwall five

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#5
Here's another one, for a little intro movie. It's a recording of an old folk song, plus me on guitar, upright bass and some percussion, along with a keyboard triggering an accordian sample

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GarageBand is an amazing piece of software.
 
#6
Ok, last post. GarageBand will work better if you get one of those interface boxes, with mic inputs and line inputs. I have an m-audio Firewire solo. It has an xlr input, a 1/4 input, phantom power to run a condenser mic, and a firewire connection to my mac. It lets you record two tracks at once, like guitar and vocals, or use a good mic, and it gets rid of the latency issue. There are a bunch of different interface boxes like this and they range from under 100 bucks to over 1000
 
#7
There are software amps built into Garageband that you can use to boost your bass signal. When I run direct from my bass through a 1/8 - 1/4 adapter I have to use the software amp to get a usable signal.
 
#8
as long as you got a decent mixer (or interface as PB+J said) with the correct I/O you can run it through to get a good signal. i'm spoiled...i recently got a brian moore with a USB & MIDI out, i take my bass to school and between classes plug it straight into my mac and record/practice.
 

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