the bare bones..

[groooooove]

im planning on getting a macbook soon, and im planning on using garageband to do some cheapie recordings in my bands rehearsal space.

aside from the computer itself, when are the "bare bones" i need to get a live recording of a 3 piece band? (guitar bass drums).

this is mics aside.

the last time we were recording, we werent able to change the levels of the instruments after we recorded. (in cool edit pro, a friends computer, wouldent let me touch it..) i dont know how to fix that, so the whole band isint recorded as one track, but i have no idea what i need to make this possible.

im intending to use 2-3 mics on the drums, a guitar mic, and i'll use a DI.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

uh...

this *might* not be the best place to ask about this stuff...

As far as recording, if you go line-in with the bass and close-mic the guitar, you'll at least get separate tracks for THEM. Drums are always the biggest hassle when recording - you can use one mic or 50. It all kinda depends on your budget/time/quality considerations.

Were I you, I'd find some home recording forums to ping. I think the "recording" forum here is mostly for the subject of recording bass

 

[fretlessrock]

Bare Bones is a relative statement. What is your price ceiling? If you are going to get a new MB then you are going to have to use USB only, or get the MBP so you have firewire (or find a refurb plastic black or white MB, still a very good choice). At that point it doesn't make too much sense to go super cheap on the interface. Something like the MOTU Traveler with 4 preamps and a good collection of I/O might be the last interface you ever need.

You could also go with an interface that only has line inputs and get some inexpensive outboard preamps (ART, Bellari...) for your mic needs. Some folks like the Alesis firewire mixers, but I think that you can get much better audio quality for not much more $$. Not that it is a bad choice, it just wouldn't be my choice.

 

[dave_p]

bare bones it is
you need software, audacity is free
you need an interface anywhere from 100$ on up
you need at least one mic , sm57 if you are only gonna have one.

record the whole band as a scratch track with the one mic

then, have the drummer wear headphones, listen to the scratch and track his part through the one mic

bass then takes the headphones and tracks his part direct into the interface

guitar does same, can go direct, or mic the amp

then track the vox with the mic

thats pretty bare bones, but can have decent results

you can do a lot in the mix once the tracking is done

 

[Jehos]

Get yourself an 8-channel Firewire or USB-2 (depending on what revision of the macbook you get) interface with preamps. You'll run each mic and your bass direct signal into separate inputs on the interface. In Garage Band, you'll create as many tracks as you have mics plugged in. For each track, you'll pick the input source as a different channel from the interface. You'll arm whichever tracks you want to record, then hit the record button and play your song. When you're done, each mic will be on a separate track so you can mix them independently.

When I say "audio interface", this is what I mean:

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/computers-peripherals/audio-interfaces

You want something like the Tascam US-1641, PreSonus FirePod, Motu 8pre, etc. Expect to spend $500-700 new.

 

[tasty sweeps]

zoom h2, garageband for minor editing and overdubs. that's pretty much where i'm at right now and it works out just fine for my needs.

i don't record any band practices as i have no band, but my old band used a mbp [15" screen] and garageband through the guitarists mixer to record both practices and live performances, isight video and all.

 

[mambo4]

+1 zoom H2.

my personal opinion is that until your band sounds good through something like that, anything else is premature. Which is to say, if you sound good through an inexpensive room recording, then you will sound awesome through a more expensive setup. If you dont sound good through a simple stereo recording, then throwing more $$ at it won't help.

 

[groooooove]

+1 zoom H2.

my personal opinion is that until your band sounds good through something like that, anything else is premature. Which is to say, if you sound good through an inexpensive room recording, then you will sound awesome through a more expensive setup. If you dont sound good through a simple stereo recording, then throwing more $$ at it won't help.

i have a yamaha pocketrak, differnt brand, same product.

im not a complete noob when it comes to recording, (but i know this was a noob thread.) when it comes to how to record each instrument im not completely in the dark.

im just trying to isolate each track as much as i can, so i can eq or fix levels afterwards.

so the interface can get connected to the macbook with a USB, and then all those 8 inputs (if it was an 8 input interface..) will be active if i need them to be?

 

[fretlessrock]

I don't know of a lot of options in USB that go beyond 2 preamps and maybe another pair of line/rca inputs. Line6 makes the TonePort UX8 for around five bills. Not a bad choice if you can really get all that data to move over USB2. Look for some reviews. Here is a page with a good selection of USB interfaces:

http://www.sweetwater.com/c695--USB_Audio_Interfaces

I really can't recommend USB for much beyond stereo recording. FW400 stomps all over USB2 for real world streaming data applications. That is why so many mac users blew their tops when Apple left FW off of the new MacBook machine.

 

[groooooove]

i hate to bump up this thread that seems to belong on a differnt website, but what the hell..

is this interface my only choice??

Invalid Link Removed

its the only USB interface ive found with more than 2-3 inputs. anyone know anything about it? im gana google reviews, but id like to hear from people on here, rather than read from a review..