Garageband problems please help

[CommieJay]

ok so heres the deal, i've been trying to use this progam for over a year and i cannot get my tracks to sound good, particularly my guitar. i am just trying to do lo-fi.

i am using macbook first gen with the internal mic. every time i record my tracks sound like they're under water or very bassy with no definition, i hear a lot of static, lots of peaking when there should be none, and a lot of scratchiness (none of this sounds like this when i'm just playing) i thought maybe it is just that i am using a bad mic but i know a guy who is using the same set up as me and getting far better results.

if you go here ( MySpace.com - michou - Windsor, CA - Folk / Indie / Acoustic - www.myspace.com/michoulondon ) and listen to the songs only half conscious or rocks in the dryer those songs are the sound i am going for and as i said earlier i am using the same set up as him and getting no where the same results.

[Phlipper]

Maybe there's a problem with your mic, rather than the setup? Just a thought

[brandondrury]

I'd ditch the internal mic immediately. I'm not sure how a person could make a real record with one of those. It COULD be done, but it would be an extreme, unnecessary challenge in my opinion.

I'd get a real audio interface and a mic that I could actually position, if nothing else.

Just in case you don't want the "throw money at it" solution, post a clip of one of your recordings and maybe we can help.

Brandon

[shaft]

but i know a guy who is using the same set up as me and getting far better results.

Different guitar (pick-ups), different cable etc.?

But yes (to previous) response: you should be using an audio interface - computers were never designed for direct rec input. There is no noise gate protection. I use an Edirol FA101 for 10 channel input (about $400). But you can get much much cheaper with single or dual inputs.
O