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rossasaurus
Lokahi
USA
306 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2004 : 12:34:22 AM
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Apple recently came out with an Audio software suite for Mac's that sounds pretty cool. And it's part of a package that's only $50.
http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband
I just wanted to hear from anybody here using it. What you like about it, what you don't. Easy to use, etc. ?
Also, I found this file-sharing site for GarageBand users which is FREE, and allows for sharing your own files with others. You still have to host your own files of course. Just another option.
http://www.macband.com
Give me a day or two and I'll try and post a file at.
http://www.macband.com~kihoalu
Ross
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Bwop
Lokahi
USA
244 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2004 : 6:31:28 PM
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E Ross, Howzit? I got this buggah on my computer, but I'm techno-challanged. All I'm looking for is a software mastering program that I can use to magically transform my live recorded tracks into something you'd want to listen to, but as yet I can't figgah how to import previously recorded songs into GarageBand. Any clues?? Thanks. |
Bwop |
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 05/13/2004 : 11:09:30 PM
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Hey you Apple experts,
Just got an iMac at home and I haven't used an Apple product since I used a friend's to write a few papers 11 or 12 years ago. That was an Apple classic, I think.
I have no idea what I am doing. You guys make any progress with Garage Band? How are you recording your acoustic guitar?
BTW, like piffle, my laptop is mocking me right now. |
Andy |
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 05/13/2004 : 11:13:33 PM
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Haven't tried recording the guitar yet, but you need to buy an adapter to bring any sound into the iMac. The cheapest route (and decent quality) is Griffin's iMic ($30-$40 I think). You can then record directly into GarageBand.
I have used GarageBand to do a custom mix of Patrick Landeza's Pilipuka with drums and sound effects (just for fun). It turned out well and Patrick loved it! It's definitely a cool app. |
Craig My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
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Konabob
`Olu`olu
USA
928 Posts |
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 05/14/2004 : 01:07:31 AM
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GarageBand is only $50 Konabob, and includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, and iDVD! (Granted, you can download 3 of them for free if you have the bandwidth.)
Not much good on OS 9 though, but worth upgrading to OS X for! |
Craig My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
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Karl Monetti
`Olu`olu
USA
756 Posts |
Posted - 05/14/2004 : 5:53:04 PM
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Yo jwn, at least wse don't have to keep track of two clicky thing-a-ma-bobbies!
I, too, am totally lost on this garageband deal. YOu bring it up and it says "compose a new song" Well, what the heck is that supposed to mean??? Write the music? Neva happen with this dinosaur. record out of thin air? Learn to play the little keyboard icon that pops up? As usual, they assume all users are 14 years old and can figure it out by blindly, fearlessly, maybe even knowingly punching enough buttos until something works. I'm chicken. And lazy. Just somebody TELL ME WHAT TO DO! Karl |
Karl Frozen North |
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Bing
Lokahi
USA
100 Posts |
Posted - 05/14/2004 : 6:47:55 PM
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Andy, you did the right thing. Don't listen to those PC guys. You are going to love it especially if you are into digital photos.
Craig, Do you like Garage Band better than Amadeus? Is it easier to use? |
Bing |
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2004 : 5:24:45 PM
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Andy, the Windows guys are either jealous or ignorant as to the benefits of a Mac, so ignore them! (And I say this as a professional software engineer who is proficient with both the Mac and Windows.)
Bing, I use both Amadeus and GarageBand and they both have their pluses and minuses. If you're just working with an acoustic guitar piece then Amadeus is your best bet. If you want to record a full multi-track arrangement, especially if you want to build the other tracks from someone else's playing, GarageBand is the way to go. (It's also great for adding electric guitar effects and amp emulations to a clean guitar track.)
Karl, GarageBand lets you build a song out of existing sound snippets, or loops, many of which are provided with the program. In a sense, this does let you compose a song out of thin air. You can also use it to record your own playing, either through a MIDI instrument or a regular acoustic/electric instrument. The program's strength is its ability to build multi-track arrangements from a variety of sources, whether prerecorded by professionals or recorded live by yourself. I think it comes with a tutorial...you may want to walk through it to get a better idea of what's going on. |
Craig My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
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Mainkaukau
Lokahi
USA
245 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2004 : 9:08:14 PM
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quote: Originally posted by cpatch
Andy, the Windows guys are either jealous or ignorant as to the benefits of a Mac, so ignore them! (And I say this as a professional software engineer who is proficient with both the Mac and Windows.)
Well, at least I know I'm not jealous. My problem is ignorance. To record my music I use a "Hitachi" Laptop, "Sonar XL" software, a "Digigram VX pocket" soundcard and a "Shure" microphone with phantom power. My (recording) problem is that the volume of my replay is very soft. Can you/anyone please tell me if the problem is with my computer, software, soundcard, microphone, the working relationship of all these components or my hearing.That you for your time. Alohas. |
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Karl Monetti
`Olu`olu
USA
756 Posts |
Posted - 05/16/2004 : 01:06:53 AM
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Craig, You mean I have to READ THE DIRECTIONS??? Dang! Mahalo Karl |
Karl Frozen North |
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Karl Monetti
`Olu`olu
USA
756 Posts |
Posted - 05/16/2004 : 03:13:15 AM
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Craig, Well, I tried. Yes, indeedy, there is an online tutorial for Garageband. Doesn't help me at all. Wasted a good hour trying to figue it out. Think I will stick to outsmarting my friends old Tascam 4 track. At least I can understand the language they use. Except for communication, I hate computers. Thanks for the information anyway Actually, I may try once more....my 20 year old son should be back in town Monday, see if he can figure it out. He likes these things (computers that is).
Oh, by the way jwn, he WAS a fanatic PC user until forced to use my mac here this summer. Now he likes it better, easier to use, quicker, simpler. None of it makes a hoot to me. We have mac because my wife is a teacher and the schools use mac, so this is the only kind I have ever known. I do know we never get any viruses, though. Karl |
Karl Frozen North |
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Konabob
`Olu`olu
USA
928 Posts |
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 05/16/2004 : 11:45:04 PM
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Yes, it's all good. I learned how to turn the iMac on today... no kidding.
But my laptop continues to mock me in defiance of this Apple in the house. Not sure what is going on there, but I better call IBM soon so I can get some work done.
On a separate topic, I played around with Garageband today. Not with any microphone so no guitar but with the built in computer instruments. I think I may have composed the next theme song to Beverly Hills Cop IV. |
Andy |
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 05/18/2004 : 12:53:21 AM
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quote: Originally posted by admirable
p.s. cpatch, you ain't the only software developer 'round here... but what's that got to do with anything?
Beats me...but I thought it made me sound like I knew what I was talking about. Apparently not! |
Craig My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
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`Ilio Nui
`Olu`olu
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - 05/18/2004 : 6:46:47 PM
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Ah, the platform wars. It's impossible to go very far on any music forum without getting into them. I'm not a software engineer, but I am a recording engineer. Through the years, the Mac has been the state of the industry, but to the credit of many creative programmer/musicians out there, PC programs have caught up on many levels. Cool Edit Pro, Sonic Foundry and even ProTools have made signiicant advances. The problem isn't the software as much as the signal path. Most native converters just aren't that good or don't have preamps that work at the +4dB level. I've set up a number of friends with DigiDesign MBoxes on both platforms, using ProTools LE and have had good success. One, from a money standpoint. Second, from a quality of recording standpoint. Third, you can bounce your mixes to almost any soundfile format (aiff, wav, MP3) for file sharing or offsite editing. Of course this isn't the only way to go, but it is a way. This same thinking applies to GarageBand. I don't particularly care for it that much because I do more linear based songs and not loop based, but you still need a reasonable signal path. Garbage in, garbage out.
admirible:
Way to get back to the Aloha Zone. I too tend to write in a manner that can sometimes come off terse. In fact, I loved you line "...I'll try, try again, to live aloha". That's all we all hope we can do. Can I use that line in a song?
Aloha nui loa,
Dave |
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