garageband questions

jnorman · 12th October 2006

hiya - i am considering moving from a PC to a macbook for recording acoustic instrument ensembles. i have been using a roland vs1880 for the past several years, and like having a physical worksurface, but guess i may need to get used to working in a DAW mouse-controlled environment. since garageband 3 comes with the macbook, i have a few questions:

1. is garageband capable of creating detailed tempo maps? ie, click tracks that change tempo and time signature within a single song?

2. does it support normal VST plugins?

3. does it have any inherent latency problems, or is ti just a matter of having enough RAM and fast enough HDD?

4. do you find it easy enough to work using a mouse and keyboard as opposed to a physical work surface?

5. what critical features does it lack that more professional audio software offers?

6. does it have an "auto-punch" feature which allows you to set exact punch in and out locations?

7. can you "record" changes in volume on a track? like flying faders - ie, you want part of a track to drop down to -8dB for a few measures, and then come back up to -3dB.

8. is there a user manual available online somewhere that i can read?

9. i need to be able to record at least 4 tracks at a time - can you recommend a good 4-channel USB or firewire interface, with or without mic pres.

thanks.

T.RayBullard · 12th October 2006

just curious, why Mac? Seems like the "major" apps geared strictly towards classical recording are PC.

but for interface..
apogee ensemble..
or
metric halo 2882.... for the work you do, id strongly suggest the Metric Halo products....Rich Mays uses one, I believe..he can give you some more feedback. (my mentor uses these and has been happy with them for years)
for less money the motu traveler with black lion audio modifications is supposed to be a real winner..
I use a PC Laptop with a lynx AES 16 running samplitude/sequoia, and love it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jnorman

hiya - i am considering moving from a PC to a macbook for recording acoustic instrument ensembles. i have been using a roland vs1880 for the past several years, and like having a physical worksurface, but guess i may need to get used to working in a DAW mouse-controlled environment. since garageband 3 comes with the macbook, i have a few questions:

1. is garageband capable of creating detailed tempo maps? ie, click tracks that change tempo and time signature within a single song?

2. does it support normal VST plugins?

3. does it have any inherent latency problems, or is ti just a matter of having enough RAM and fast enough HDD?

4. do you find it easy enough to work using a mouse and keyboard as opposed to a physical work surface?

5. what critical features does it lack that more professional audio software offers?

6. does it have an "auto-punch" feature which allows you to set exact punch in and out locations?

7. can you "record" changes in volume on a track? like flying faders - ie, you want part of a track to drop down to -8dB for a few measures, and then come back up to -3dB.

8. is there a user manual available online somewhere that i can read?

9. i need to be able to record at least 4 tracks at a time - can you recommend a good 4-channel USB or firewire interface, with or without mic pres.

thanks.

jnorman · 12th October 2006

hi t.ray - thanks, i'll check out those two interfaces. interestingly, i just sold a pair of DPA mics to rich mays.

willythekid · 12th October 2006

I strongly recommend you to get a Mac, these machines just work and you don't have to worry about viruses (at least not a lot). With the new Boot Camp function you can also use the new Macs as PC:s when needed. Yes, I use PC:s too. But I find that maintaining them and chasing viruses takes far to much time from my work.

I think, with your needs, you might prefer Logic Express instead of GarageBand.
I give you the answers i know about GB:

1. is garageband capable of creating detailed tempo maps? ie, click tracks that change tempo and time signature within a single song?

No, this is the most annoying thing with GB. You can do this in Logic though

3. does it have any inherent latency problems, or is ti just a matter of having enough RAM and fast enough HDD?

As with most apps, you get latency if the computer is not fast enough, especially if you use the inbuilt effect, eg guitar amp simulators, while recording. I got myself a small 3 channel mixer. Now, when I record, I turn off software monitoring and listen to my own signal + the already recorded material, through the mixer.

4. do you find it easy enough to work using a mouse and keyboard as opposed to a physical work surface?

I find it very easy. GarageBand is very user friendly. In case you need a physical work surface, M-Audio have a cheap control system for GB.

5. what critical features does it lack that more professional audio software offers?

I think the most important thing it lacks is the tempo mapping. But also, you don't have any good tools to manipulate the recorded material like you have in logic (e.g pitch and time machine). You cant import films to do sound editing. I think the Score function is pretty primitive. Maybe it's also more limited than logic when it comes to audio rates.

I use Logic Pro nowadays but I still use GarageBand sometimes because it's something fun about that app.

DCtoDaylight · 12th October 2006

Garageband is great for what it is; I really like it. But don't even think about using it for serious recording. As others have noted, Logic Express would be a far, far, far better option, and it's not all that expensive.

Logic DOES have a learning curve; if you're not someone who easily tolerates some "what the heck am I doing wrong?" moments, you might want to look at some other software.

Of course, if you've been using the Roland VS series, you probably had a few of those moments along the way! I used 'em happily for 10+ years before moving to Logic Pro on a PowerBook. I've been very happy with the change. The Mac is a great audio platform. And there are plenty of external fader boxes if you want to have physical controls (I get by with the four faders and eight knobs on a percussion controller).

And +1 on Metric Halo stuff - I haven't seen the 2882, but I love my ULN-2; it would be perfect for live stereo classical recording. One possibility would be to get a ULN-2 and a stereo mic pre with digital output (SPDIF or AES/EBU), which you could then connect to the ULN-2.

Good luck!

12th October 2006	#1
jnorman Lives for gear Joined: Sep 2004 Posts: 1,807 Thread Starter 2 Reviews written	garageband questions hiya - i am considering moving from a PC to a macbook for recording acoustic instrument ensembles. i have been using a roland vs1880 for the past several years, and like having a physical worksurface, but guess i may need to get used to working in a DAW mouse-controlled environment. since garageband 3 comes with the macbook, i have a few questions: 1. is garageband capable of creating detailed tempo maps? ie, click tracks that change tempo and time signature within a single song? 2. does it support normal VST plugins? 3. does it have any inherent latency problems, or is ti just a matter of having enough RAM and fast enough HDD? 4. do you find it easy enough to work using a mouse and keyboard as opposed to a physical work surface? 5. what critical features does it lack that more professional audio software offers? 6. does it have an "auto-punch" feature which allows you to set exact punch in and out locations? 7. can you "record" changes in volume on a track? like flying faders - ie, you want part of a track to drop down to -8dB for a few measures, and then come back up to -3dB. 8. is there a user manual available online somewhere that i can read? 9. i need to be able to record at least 4 tracks at a time - can you recommend a good 4-channel USB or firewire interface, with or without mic pres. thanks. __________________ jnorman sunridge studios salem, oregon

12th October 2006	#4
willythekid Gear maniac Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 150	I strongly recommend you to get a Mac, these machines just work and you don't have to worry about viruses (at least not a lot). With the new Boot Camp function you can also use the new Macs as PC:s when needed. Yes, I use PC:s too. But I find that maintaining them and chasing viruses takes far to much time from my work. I think, with your needs, you might prefer Logic Express instead of GarageBand. I give you the answers i know about GB: 1. is garageband capable of creating detailed tempo maps? ie, click tracks that change tempo and time signature within a single song? No, this is the most annoying thing with GB. You can do this in Logic though 3. does it have any inherent latency problems, or is ti just a matter of having enough RAM and fast enough HDD? As with most apps, you get latency if the computer is not fast enough, especially if you use the inbuilt effect, eg guitar amp simulators, while recording. I got myself a small 3 channel mixer. Now, when I record, I turn off software monitoring and listen to my own signal + the already recorded material, through the mixer. 4. do you find it easy enough to work using a mouse and keyboard as opposed to a physical work surface? I find it very easy. GarageBand is very user friendly. In case you need a physical work surface, M-Audio have a cheap control system for GB. 5. what critical features does it lack that more professional audio software offers? I think the most important thing it lacks is the tempo mapping. But also, you don't have any good tools to manipulate the recorded material like you have in logic (e.g pitch and time machine). You cant import films to do sound editing. I think the Score function is pretty primitive. Maybe it's also more limited than logic when it comes to audio rates. I use Logic Pro nowadays but I still use GarageBand sometimes because it's something fun about that app. __________________ WILLYTHEKID ______________________________ Slut without gear

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12th October 2006	#5
DCtoDaylight Lives for gear Joined: Jul 2006 Posts: 603	Garageband is great for what it is; I really like it. But don't even think about using it for serious recording. As others have noted, Logic Express would be a far, far, far better option, and it's not all that expensive. Logic DOES have a learning curve; if you're not someone who easily tolerates some "what the heck am I doing wrong?" moments, you might want to look at some other software. Of course, if you've been using the Roland VS series, you probably had a few of those moments along the way! I used 'em happily for 10+ years before moving to Logic Pro on a PowerBook. I've been very happy with the change. The Mac is a great audio platform. And there are plenty of external fader boxes if you want to have physical controls (I get by with the four faders and eight knobs on a percussion controller). And +1 on Metric Halo stuff - I haven't seen the 2882, but I love my ULN-2; it would be perfect for live stereo classical recording. One possibility would be to get a ULN-2 and a stereo mic pre with digital output (SPDIF or AES/EBU), which you could then connect to the ULN-2. Good luck!