Off Topic Mac Recording

[sambarugh]

Hey all,

Hoping we have a few Mac heads around these parts that can chip in here. I'm close to purchasing a 21.5" iMac for various reasons - a big part of which is recording. I currently have a couple of JP's going through a Line 6 Spider MkII 112 - so not the most powerful amp technology but pretty good.

Now I haven't used Apple's since college and have never recorded with one, so I'm hoping there are some Mac users that can share some experience on the subject. I'm not going for 100% professional results here, just good tones on an easy to use interface.

Thanks,
Sam

 

[Phazer]

Hi.
I'm a mac user and for my recordings I use logic studio 9 and m-audio fast track pro.
I connect my mark 4's recording out to the fast track pro and pull out the master volume in order to enable silent recording, the in logic I use logic's cab and mic simulators and the sound is very good.
For software I would highly recomend logic studio 9, but if you're used to pro tools you'll have no trouble using that on mac.
If I were you I would get an Apogee Duet probably.

 

[Stratty316]

If you are just putting together demo's or something like that. Garage band is perfectly fine and fairly easy to use. Its standard in iLife which is standard on all Macs. For a guitar player its cool cause it has built in effects... now they don't sound as good as a nice live set up, but for demo's and stuff they work great.

Mac is an easy platform to use and you can update to other recording programs as you need to...

 

[Colin]

I have a 27" iMac with the quad core i7 processor. If you do order an iMac make sure you get the 7200 rpm hard drive or faster. Most likely you will also need a second hard drive as most recording software recommend that you don't record to your main OS drive. I'm a Pro Tools guy they have some new interfaces that will work with Logic, Sonar etc worth looking into Avid | Pro Tools LE Systems, Pro Tools Mbox Family

 

[the24thfret]

Can't go wrong with Logic. It's fantastic. Even the "express" versions.

 

[Norrin Radd]

Heck - Garageband is actually pretty darn good. I use it for all my stuff - but I don't get overly sophisticated with what I'm doing either. I sure do like it though - great program - and free with new iMac, right? Why not give it a try?

 

[jakedawgwhite88]

Garage band is what I use to practice licks etc lay down a rhythms with drum tracks and you can loop it so you have and infinite loop and practice to your heart's content.

 

[sambarugh]

Thanks everyone for your input.
It was hard to tell the capabilities of Garageband during my short time at the Apple store but it seems like it can be a useful tool.
I definitely have a more focused direction for my research after your comments. Keep them coming!

 

[LawDaddy]

For those using GarageBand, what interfaces are you using? I have a Pod X3 Live, and can't quite get the hang of getting good tones out of it into GB.

 

[ScoobySteve]

Eleven Rack with Pro Tools. Awesomeness ^10

 

[tommyindelaware]

macs are sooooo much more crash free.
logic express is the bomb.
it's very complete & immense bang for the buck, freeing up your cash and time to focus on whats really the most important thing needed.........good mics and how to use them.

 

[bazxkr]

Yeh, what Tommy says is right. The stable running of a MAC compared to Windows PC based systems is immense. And let's face it, you wanna produce music right not become a PC buff so having a reliable set up is the bees knees. Had a iMAC for over 2 yrs and never had the system hang. My two windows desktops and two laptops are always up for a reboot on something or another.

Like any guitar rig, the first priority in any tech setup is reliability.


Cheers

Baz

 

[knguro]

LOGIC!!!!!!! it will give you soooo many options in order to get a good mix, about interface, any M-Audio interface will be the best, if not any Line6 TonePort.

 

[beej]

I'm a big fan of Reaper. Very powerful, and no license is required to use it. It can do anything the more expensive packages can do, and usually quite a bit faster.

Runs on PC and Mac.

 

[adouglas]

A BIG +1 on Reaper. Just do it.

 

[Tung]

Hi.
I'm a mac user and for my recordings I use logic studio 9 and m-audio fast track pro

If I were you I would get an Apogee Duet probably.

+ 1 on the advice here. Logic is great and Apogee or M-audio will be a great set up for you.
I've been using Mac forever, it's the way to go for music recording.
I'm on Cubase VST now but will be upgrading to Logic and Pro Tools. With my small Mackie board and some Shure SM57s, I can even record a whole band live.

 

[GoKart_MoZart]

I love garageband for demos, composition, and just messing around. It sure beats my old tascam cassette 4-track...

 

[hbucker]

I agree that Garageband is excellent for demos and such. With patience and a willingness to tweak, you can get some pretty darn good mixes with it.

Last year we recorded a song in my basement, on Garageband and won a radio contest with it. It was played on the air and sounded really good. Educated ears could hear some weaknesses. But ultimately, it was fine. 26 tracks and a fair amount of tweaking with the mix and I had no apologies. Still demo quality. But a very good demo quality.

 

[NorM]

Deck from Bias Software
12 channel firewire mixer

I'm done

 

[Colin]

Protools has just released 8 SE. This may be a cheaper option to look at as well.