I must be nuts

[tommytubetone]

I now have a real computer and am thinking of getting into recording for the VJR. I just picked up a MacBook Air 2019 model. It appears some are using GarageBand. I'll use that unless that's a bad move for a total beginner. I guess that's step one then. Thoughts? My goal is to be able to do this by the end of 2020.

 

[PapaRaptor]

I'm not Mac literate, but what I've heard of others who have used GarageBand, it sounds like a great starter DAW. @CowboyBob can probably give you a more in-depth analysis.
It's too bad @SeattleSlim isn't still active on the forum. He is a master of GarageBand. Some of the stuff he showed us at previous BGU Live after hours was mind blowing.

My goal is to be able to do this by the end of 2020.

You should be able to do this by the end of next week!

 

[Cowboy Bob]

I just picked up a MacBook Air 2019 model. It appears some are using GarageBand.

Congrats on the new ‘puter. Ain’t nothing wrong with GB. It is actually pretty powerful, and being included with macOS is a plus.

Work through the tutorials first. Learn how to record audio, how to record midi, and import audio and midi. All in the tutorials.

Exporting .wav files can be a bit hairy at first, but really is easy enough.

A decent interface won’t go amiss, there are a plethora of USB interfaces @$150 or so. You may need a USB adapter, but that shouldn’t be a biggie.

 

[jmin]

I've been using GarageBand since I joined the forum. First, I used it on an iPad, then on a Mac. I just use it for recording BGU lessons, and the occasional VJR stuff. I'm no Mac/Garageband expert, but it's so easy, I don't think you have to be. That's all I had to do was get an interface for the guitar (an Apogee Jam) and plug it in to the Mac (USB). If you want to sing, you may want to consider a more robust interface with 2 inputs - Mic & Guitar.
The "DAW" is pretty easy to use. The cool thing about Macs is that everything is just drag-and-drop. So you can easily grab an MP3 (after downloading it from the VJR) and pop it into one track and then record your guitar on another track. GarageBand has a bunch of "toys" (models of amps and effects) to play with, but I haven't explored a lot of it. I think cowboy bob’s suggestion of the tutorials is a good one, though I’ve never done the midi stuff.
I think GarageBand is a good move for a total beginner. It was for me. I sometimes wonder if I could make way better recordings with "pro" equipment, then I slap myself and remember who's playing!
I agree with papa, once you get an interface, this won't take more than a week!

 

[tommytubetone]

Congrats on the new ‘puter. Ain’t nothing wrong with GB. It is actually pretty powerful, and being included with macOS is a plus.

Work through the tutorials first. Learn how to record audio, how to record midi, and import audio and midi. All in the tutorials.

Exporting .wav files can be a bit hairy at first, but really is easy enough.

A decent interface won’t go amiss, there are a plethora of USB interfaces @$150 or so. You may need a USB adapter, but that shouldn’t be a biggie.

Where are the tutorials of which you speak? Thanks!

 

[sdbrit68]

I use and really like acoustica mixcraft, they have great user tutorials, and I believe mac compatable

And a full 30 day trial

 

[tommytubetone]

I use and really like acoustica mixcraft, they have great user tutorials, and I believe mac compatable

And a full 30 day trial

Thanks! I see there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube also. Might start there.

 

[Crossroads]

Don't have a Mac, never use GarageBand, but I totally agree with the title of this thread.

 

[CaptainMoto]

This is good!
Not a MAC user so, can't help with nay specifics on that but, from what I've seen it should be easy.
You will need an audio interface.
Call up your Sweetwater guy and have a discussion about what fits your needs and budget.

FYI:
When you purchase an interface, most come with a free DAW of some sort.
That will give you two to choose from, (Garage Band & whatever) ....so, that should be part of your conversation with your SW rep.
If you can decide which to use early on, It will help your learning curve down the road.
All DAWs do the same things, just in different ways, sorta like PC vs Mac.
My experience is, once you learn one, you should stick with it to avoid a frustrating and time consuming re-learning process later.

 

[jmin]

Where are the tutorials of which you speak? Thanks!

Here's one from YouTube that I thought was a pretty good intro to GarageBand. It's only 9 minutes, and at the end he offers a FREE GarageBand user guide. As it sounds like you've discovered, there are tons of YouTube videos out there! Good Luck!

https://youtu.be/mC92kIOfdpw

 

[D. R. Miller]

I'm not Mac literate, but what I've heard of others who have used GarageBand, it sounds like a great starter DAW. @CowboyBob can probably give you a more in-depth analysis.
It's too bad @SeattleSlim isn't still active on the forum. He is a master of GarageBand. Some of the stuff he showed us at previous BGU Live after hours was mind blowing.


You should be able to do this by the end of next week!

When I first moved to Mac's I had been using Cakewalk's Sonar on a PC for years. I was excited to try Garage Band but quickly found it lacked serious editing capabilities so I paid the price to move to Logic Pro. Unfortunately I've never gotten to the proficiency using it as I had with Sonar but with Core audio I don't have the sound device issues I always had with windows drivers.

Dennis

 

[tommytubetone]

Heh. Just remembered that I own a Irig pro. I just have to get a lightning to usb-c adapter. My MacBook Air has 2 usb-c ports. Should work.

 

[tommytubetone]

Heh. Just remembered that I own a Irig pro. I just have to get a lightning to usb-c adapter. My MacBook Air has 2 usb-c ports. Should work.

......or a mini din to usb-c cable. I just saw they had those.

 

[CaptainMoto]

Hope that works out, nice and simple....no new acquisitions required.

 

[tommytubetone]

Ok, I've been messing around with this. How do you get the VJR track into a track in Garageband? It seems I need to get it into the loops section and drag it into the track. I haven't figured that out yet. Thanks

 

[Jalapeno]

You don't need it in loops, just drag it on to a track.

Eric

 

[Many Moons]

I just drag it into an audio track in Logic ProX. I'm sure it will be similar in GB.

 

[jmin]

Ok, I've been messing around with this. How do you get the VJR track into a track in Garageband? It seems I need to get it into the loops section and drag it into the track. I haven't figured that out yet. Thanks

I use the following steps to download the VJR file into GarageBand:

1. right click the VJR track you want and select "Download Linked File As..."
2. Save the .mp3 to your computer
3. Once the file has downloaded, now you can "click and drag" the .mp3 into an empty space in the track area of your GarageBand file (which you've already created and opened...). It helps to have both GarageBand and Finder open side-by-side to make the dragging easier!

 

[tommytubetone]

I use the following steps to download the VJR file into GarageBand:

1. right click the VJR track you want and select "Download Linked File As..."
2. Save the .mp3 to your computer
3. Once the file has downloaded, now you can "click and drag" the .mp3 into an empty space in the track area of your GarageBand file (which you've already created and opened...). It helps to have both GarageBand and Finder open side-by-side to make the dragging easier!

Thanks. It’s the double whammy for me. Trying to learn how to use a MacBook and GarageBand simultaneously. I’ll get there.