Is Garageband really enough?

[nicholaspaul]

Gotcha - on all fronts.

I'm hoping to get a better audio interface too, since my Audiophile USB has been giving me grief : latency, and crashing my Mac. So perhaps its a good step to just jump into PT.

In the meantime, yea, I'll probably be griping with garageband. I've tried it a couple of times, and while impressed with the guitar sims, I found myself constantly going "where's the ____" - but I'll get over it. Hopefully Live will give me enough stuff to mess with and get creative - thats the thing,really, just being creative.

[drago]

Live seems to be slowly taking over the DJ and electronic crowd, but I'm not sure if its set-up would be beneficial to someone recording rock music. I find its whole user interface to be confusing as hell when trying to do anything that isn't loop-based. Not recommended for audio recording.

Pro Tools is the industry standard as rockerdude pointed out. I wouldn't say that its an easy program to pick up just by messing around in the program. In fact it would probably be pretty damn difficult. But if you take the time to learn it, its easily the most powerful and rewarding system out there. That said, all of this probably isn't really worth it if you are just a musician looking to record your owns tuff as a hobby. A nice thing about this one is when you buy a Digidesign audio interface, Pro Tools comes with it.

Cubase as a pretty simple easy to use DAW that can pretty much do whatever you want it to do with the right plugins. I would never use it personally just because it feels cheap, the plugins it comes with are useless, and I'm more accustomed to Logic and Pro Tools. Brandon seems to get pretty good results with it though, so if you like this one best then go for it.

Logic 8 is such a fucking sweet program. Its easy to use, especially if you are used to Cubase, and it comes with heaps and heaps of world-class programs and plugins. And since its made by Apple, it interfaces easily with the OS as well as other Aple programs. For what you get, $500 is insanely cheap. I'd recommend this to anyone who doesn't want to drink the digidesign kool-aid and keep their hardware options open, or to anyone who doesn't want to take the time to learn the ins and outs of the Pro Tools software.

Garageband is awesome for what it is. Of all the free DAWs, this is easily the best. But if you are serious about recording or even if you want to do much more than simply pressing record and setting levels, I suggest upgrading. I mean it records your shit just as good as anything, but your options when mixing and editting are next to none.

[nicholaspaul]

So basically, Cubase for easy-to-learn and compatible with other hardware, Protools for longevity and professionalism.

If I'm going for Cubase or Logic, is my (yes I know it's not the best) Audiophile USB the next thing to upgrade? How important is the interface? Does the interface just shove the 1's and 0's to the software? I have preamps that I'm happy with.

And as far as levels go, I would say I'm in the serious amateur type of thing. More than a hobbyist, but not a pro.

[rockerdude]

The Pro tools 003 Controller Interface and the le software with a bunch of great plugins is only like 2250.00 if you have a Mac then your good to go.

[nicholaspaul]

um.. a bit out of my budget! Remember, I'm going from an M-Audio Audiophile.. lol
That's one reason I was considering the MBox 2, under $500, everything included. But if I don't want the learning curve (hey, I'm a busy guy ... ) then I might go with Cubase and... I dunno, the Focusrite Saffire.

By the way, I do loop based rock type music, so Ableton Live is a great option

[heart attack joe]

My first post.... in the form of this reply to a string that is exactly what I have been thinking about. Okay, so I have a Mac/leopard, etc. I also own an Mbox and run Protools, (but haven't upgraded my software there for some time)....

I intend to do midi multi tracking using Alesis QS8 building rhythm tracks along with piano/organ, etc. However, my main inst. is trumpet & vox. I will install multi track horns (section stuff) and multi vox trx on top of my sequenced stuff.

I am at a crossroads. My intention has not been to produce air-play quality recordings at home, but more to use my gear as a fabrication shop to build arrangements and ideas.

What direction should I go??? Garage Band?? I just bought a little Zoom h4 that came with Cubase, but I don't know anything about that. My Protools experiences have been good but slowed down by the interface/menus.

In the back of my mind, since I am a compulsive perfectionist, I start thinking that since I am going to polish the stone at home I might as well think of my product as needing to be broadcast worthy. So that might axe Garage Band as an option, though i like what i have seen there in simplicity and intuitiveness.

Any comments would be appreciated. I am a long time pro musician, but haven't really applied myself to techno recording since fifteen yrs back, so my ideas are still pooping green, unable to roll themselves over, even.

What works really really good for throwing together the scenario I spelled out above?

Another thought: my Alesis synth is very hard for me to operate with it's postage stamp sized screen and terrible menus, etc. Maybe that should be upgraded so my creative juices don't coagulate while I'm trying to figure out my next patch???

I thank and love anyone who takes pity on this poor soul... Heart Attack joe

[yamahagrand]

I owned the PT 003R. I bought it record practices and a few demos but I found that I spent far too much time "fooling" with it than laying tracks down with it. In my novice opinion, it has a steep learning curve. I sold it for nearly what I paid for it and bought a Zoom MRS-1608CD. Hooked a foot sw. to it and while the band is jamming I hit the foot sw. and off it goes. It has only a fraction of the editing capability that PT has but for ease of use and catching those inspirational moments it's fantastic. Additionally, I did not think I would use the rhythm section or FAST capability but now that I've had time to try it out I am impressed with it's ability.

In many ways, I miss PT now that I want to get more serious about laying down something more serious but the ZOOM is still decent for the time being.

[Hippofish]

I actually really like Garageband for recording my songs and my band. It's VERY easy to use and does everything I need it to do. If you are trying to record the next Dark Side Of The Moon, then it might not be enough for you, but if you are using a home studio that doesn't have $5,000 wall treatments it might be enough.

I also have used Sonar 6.0 and sometimes I will spring for Logic Pro 8 which is another industry standard and I don't think it sounds much different or does anything better or worse than Garageband. One thing lacking in garageband is the ability to really tweak things. If you want ABSOLUTE control over your recording, then go to Logic Pro or Pro Tools or something like Cubase in my opinion. My friend has Pro Tools and honestly it seems like overkill for a home studio in my mind. A lot of the recordings he does out of his studio compared to mine with Garageband don't sound any better to me.

It's all about choice man. Choose what you love and stick with it. If you feel comfortable with Cubase then go for it, if you like Pro Tools more power to you. I think software, "Sometimes" can be more about a comfort zone rather than features and quality.

I know a guy who makes some fucking awesome recordings with his 8 track 1/2 tape machine with minimal effects and microphones, but his passion for using that old gear makes him strive for ultimate success and it shows.

Go with what you are comfortable with. You'll get decent recordings if your passion level is high and you are willing to make it work.

Michael

[heart attack joe]

From what you are telling me, Garage Band is going to be a contender for the route I'll take.

I like your comment on comfort zone. That can be applied to everything from geography to race, religion, etc. ha but I'll attenuate those inputs 600 db at 10~1500 hz for sake of keeping this string on subject.

We like what we are used to. That having been said, its good to hear from someone who has been there that there are flush toilets and a place on the corner to but cigarettes. That was more what I was axing... thank you for the support. I'm really excited to get going.

[harkowitz]

if your looking for a interface musicians friend has the presonus fp 10 for $399

8-input
firewire
class a pre-amps
switchable phantom power....