Garageband Mixing and Mastering Question: Please help!!

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njs2011

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Garageband Mixing and Mastering Question:

Hello all, I have been using Garageband solely because it is very easy to use although I have been considering an upgrade to Logic Express. Anyhow, I was wondering..

My Equipment:
Behringer Xenyx X1222USB Mixer
iMac (Garageband)
Shure SM58s
Shure SM57s

Now I want to get into recording but whenever I record into Garageband I can only get 1 track (My Mixer). I was wondering if there's a way to display all my tracks from my mixer into Garageband so I can edit each track individually?

Also, I was wondering how to successfully master my tracks.. My goal is to get the BEST sound possible with the equipment I have. So any tips you may have on what to do with my gain, compression, EQ, AUX, FX, PAN, Volume, etc. would be great!

Note: I am trying to record my acoustic guitar (1 SM57 over the soundhole and also a direct line in to the mixer) as well as my vocals (1 SM58 with pop filter).
Do I have the right equipment to make high enough quality recordings to be able to record albums with??

Thank you SO much for taking the time out to read this and I'd be incredibly grateful if you could help me out! Thanks a TON! :-)

Here's a sample of one of my recordings with this equipment:
youtube.com/watch?v=QOqjZllu4Rs
 
It looks like your mixer is capable of sending two individual tracks of audio to your computer at one time via USB. In GarageBand, once you make a new track, there should be a right sidebar that pops up. If this sidebar doesn't pop up, you can press the "i" button in the lower right corner to make it come up. At the bottom of this sidebar there should be a place to set your track input in the form of a drop-down menu. This menu will probably have something along the lines of "Mono 1" and "Mono 2" listed. These are your two tracks that can be sent to the computer. To record both mono tracks at the same time, you must make two audio tracks in GarageBand, set each track for a different mono input, and hit the red "record" dot button on each track. Now you need to tell your mixer what inputs to send to each mono track. You do this by using the pan knobs on your mixer. Paning a track all the way to the left will send the track through mono 1 and panning hard right will put the track through mono 2. If you only pan slightly to one side, the track will exist in both mono inputs (slightly less in one than the other). Hope this helps!
 
First things first, Hi and welcome to the forum, haven't seen ya around before, I was just looking at your video and you're not 1,000,000 miles away, from the way you put you're question i'm making a couple of assumptions first of all that you're recording to one stereo, (or possibly mono?) track and recording with just the desk.

The first thing I'm gonna say is you need SOMETHING to monitor when you track, a set of cheap as hell headphones so you can set up a click track then just record the guitar on its own,

as guitarplayr82 said you're gonna need to pan to get multiple tracks out of the desk use say mono left for guitar mic, right for pre-amp out to desk,

once you have your take as perfect as possible then worry about the vocals

also your gonna need a pop filter cause you're having issues with plosives (popping sounds on some letters, P B T D etc.)

3rd you're not, going to be able to master on that equiptment no matter what you try, mastering is a really hard process and many of the posters here will tell you you need a tuned room great monitors a host of effects and more i suggest tho you do some light reading on it as mastering is not what you wanna focus on but good to have a bit of knowledge on. they're are engineers who work just on mastering.

last but not least, I wish you the best of luck and if you have any questions at all feel free to pm me
 
Wow thanks a lot! I didn't know I was able to record 2 tracks at once. However, if need be, are there any other mixers / possibly pre-amps out there that can I/O 4-6 tracks+ simultaneously for multi-track recording and perhaps in the $500-below price range? I do have a firewire as well as USB so either one would be good for me.

Also, for the comment about the mastering.. Does this mean I should solely focus on recording and mixing? Like, no mastering at all or do I need to pay someone? My goal is to record a full album once I figure out how to do that, and possibly try to sell them so I want the best quality I can get without spending a boat load of cash.

Thanks a lot for all this help guys it's very appreciated!
 
Yes there are loads with more than that number of I/O's they're called interfaces not mixers, Mixers are for mixing lol, and yeah mastering is a strange beast, hold on I'll get you a link to some decent i/fs

Interface Comparisson they're all usb but gives you an idea of what you can have and for your "buck"

There are Firewire and I can't recommend that site enough, always ask here and in your local store tho before buying one sometimes "12 inputs" could be 1 midi 1 s/pdif 1 ADAT and 2 Mics and you'd be no better off than you are atm. they can be tricky.

I use two regularily RME Fireface 400 that at work and Lexicon Omega Studio that one at home,

that says 8 input, (my one) I can record 4 tracks at once (plus midi) and the one at work since we have an ADAT machine I have 16 tracks otherwise we'd have 8 -10 something like that anyway

You're also gonna have to get, if you don't already have, a decent set of monitors for your mix to sounds its best.

you want to record a full album? fair play :) but its gonna be a steep learning curve but VERY worth it, Its one of the best things I ever done in my life its so fun to watch 3 chords turn into a piece of art

But yeah start looking around here and ask as many questions as you need to I'll be sure to help when I can, and you'll have a great album, and don't forget tweak :D

As for the mastering, send it off. it'll save you a lot of heartache if your only starting and try buy a book or two I have two that I always fall back on they're great.
Home Recording for Musicians for Dummies
Modern Recording Techniques
I've older editions but still great books.

Hope I could Help
 
I've been checking out different audio interfaces since I am now thinking of selling my mixer considering its only got 2 outputs at a time. Here's what I found, although I'd like some feedback on both of them, not only what you guys think if it would be good for what I'm trying to do but also I'd like to know the number of outputs into a DAW that I could record. (Simultaneous multi-track recording)

zzounds.com/item--TASUS1800

zzounds.com/item--MDOFTULTRA8R


Thanks a lot!
-Nick
 
I'm saving up for the fast track ultra myself atm i love them, never used the tascam, from the looks of it its only 2 outs and tbh I wouldn't rush so quickly to sell your mixer you might want to use it later on like when you get some midi sound modules / multiple out puts from an interface but i supppose if you got to that stage you'd be looking at a new mixer anyway
 
I can give advice on the 1800.

Yes, 16 simultaneous recording tracks are possible with it. Out of the box, you could use 10 mics at once, as it has 10 60db gain preamps. Two of them can also be used for line level or HighZ guitar. 4 more inputs are line level, and the last two are digital inputs. There are only 4 outs. These are sent back out from your computer to feed monitors and 2 for sending to whatever outboard gear. The outs on an interface do not mean how many tracks you can record. It is the inputs that typically determine that. There are however exceptions. I'm pretty sure any USB1.0 interface is limited to 2 tracks at once. USB2.0 devices can reach 16.

I personally haven't found a better deal for 16 simul tracks than the Tascam. Though it depends on what your needs are. I don't use a mixer or have much need for outboard gear, so the outputs are not a necessity for me. I do run a compressor and various preamps to run the other line inputs and digital ones.
 
Well I'm trying to record my acoustic guitar and vocals and possibly drums in the future (all at the same time). Guitar - 1 line in to mixer, 1 SM57(XLR). Vocals - 1 SM58(XLR). Drums - (Not exactly sure yet, but I know there are at least 3-5 mics i'll need for that.) And I want to record all of these simultaneously into my DAW. (Multi-track Recording as I mentioned earlier.)

The mixer I have now can only record 2 tracks at one time. I'm looking for something that can get me possibly 8+ XLR Inputs and 4+ Line Ins (1/4 Jacks I'm guessing?)
And I want to be able to have all of these inputs as separate tracks in my DAW. Thanks!
 
EZDrummer would probably be a better investment than a set of drum mics for your set up at the minute, its about 100 euro and you can get kits to suit your particular style needs I find it very easy to get my head around and I also have a set of drum mics. so why not just go for a 4 in - out interface and save yourself the cash ?

Plus you're gonna want some nicer mics and a set of monitors before you get up to drum micing :P
 
njs2011 said:
Well I'm trying to record my acoustic guitar and vocals and possibly drums in the future (all at the same time). Guitar - 1 line in to mixer, 1 SM57(XLR). Vocals - 1 SM58(XLR). Drums - (Not exactly sure yet, but I know there are at least 3-5 mics i'll need for that.) And I want to record all of these simultaneously into my DAW. (Multi-track Recording as I mentioned earlier.)

The mixer I have now can only record 2 tracks at one time. I'm looking for something that can get me possibly 8+ XLR Inputs and 4+ Line Ins (1/4 Jacks I'm guessing?)
And I want to be able to have all of these inputs as separate tracks in my DAW. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Well then, 1800 sounds like it will suit your needs.

Good advice from Gaz. EZD is a staple for me in recording basic drum tracks and getting songs written. Also, it makes it easy to create a basic drum beat in replacement of the standard 'click' track. I myself though, use Steven Slate Trigger to replace the samples that EZD gives, if actually using in a mix. Not that EZD samples are bad, just a bit familiar and redundant, once you use it for a while.
 
So if I used EZDrummer would that automatically record straight into my DAW? Also, what would be a good interface to record 2 guitar line ins, and 4 xlr inputs with 4+ tracks into the DAW?
 
EZD is a VSTi. A virtual instrument. It does not need to go through the interface. It is software that runs within your DAW.

Your second question has already been answered by me. :)
 
EZD Uses a midi track and each note triggers a drum sound its rather powerful if you focus on it but as the name suggests easy from the get go. you can record your own midi drums with a keyboard / electric kit or just use the samples they give you, I also use it as my click track 99% of the time. And as I said with the expansions you can get a kit that suits you're style, if you think the drums get to samey (it really does happen)

But if you went that route the behringer might even do you for a while more, cause you'll have the drums PLUS your guitar and vocals and you can add Bass etc later. Might help save the cash so you can take your time review loads of interfaces and find something to suit your needs better.
 
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Thanks for all the help! Sorry for all the questions though.. So for the Tascam 1800 it says 4 simultaneous outputs. Is that outputs for monitors or does that mean I can only record 4 tracks into the DAW at one time?
 
njs2011 said:
Thanks for all the help! Sorry for all the questions though.. So for the Tascam 1800 it says 4 simultaneous outputs. Is that outputs for monitors or does that mean I can only record 4 tracks into the DAW at one time?
Click to expand...

It means you have 4 audio tracks coming out of your DAW, so you could just use two for monitoring or (ideally in my book) route them to your desk for the final mix and then you can mix using outbound effects aswell (if you have them)

4 out puts to tracks 1 - 4 on your mixer track 5 for synth etc fx sends and returns and then cr outs to your monitors main outs to two tracks on the interface
 
GazEcc said:
It means you have 4 audio tracks coming out of your DAW, so you could just use two for monitoring or (ideally in my book) route them to your desk for the final mix and then you can mix using outbound effects aswell (if you have them)

4 out puts to tracks 1 - 4 on your mixer track 5 for synth etc fx sends and returns and then cr outs to your monitors main outs to two tracks on the interface
Click to expand...

Wait now I'm confused lol.. So I have 4 audio tracks coming out of my DAW? I thought they were coming out of the Tascam? And the rest of that I don't really understand..

I'm just wondering how many tracks the Tascam can record simultaneously into the DAW.. Like for instance if I were to record with 3 mics (XLR) and 2 guitars (Line-Ins) Would I be able to record all of those tracks at one time and see each track individually in the DAW?
Thanks.
 
Ok man, like I said before inputs are typically what you are able to record as individual tracks in your computer. The Tascam 1800 will get you 16 simultaneous tracks. Out's from an interface, are just getting signal to an external device 'AFTER' it has been recorded, or from whatever is sent from your computer (Youtube audio, media player, MP3's etc..)
 
Oh alright that makes sense. But then shouldn't the mixer I have now be able to record more than 2 tracks at one time? I have a Behringer Xenyx X1222USB - 16 Inputs (6 XLR, 4 Line-Ins)
 
No man, it is a mixer with a USB connection. Mixers and interfaces do not share the same rules, or objectives. A mixer is typically used to 'mix' multiple inputs to 2 tracks. An interface is just what the name implies, it connects analog sources to your computer. The inputs are a direct connection/interface to your DAW(computer software).

I am in a session right now, texting from my phone. I can get more details later, but you already have the info you need. Do some Googles if you need to. Laytz!

Jimmy
 
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