Gearheads, unite

#1

Ok, so I’m in the process of making an album. I have 7 songs that are more or less written. I have a few more developing and have an outline for the whole 12 song LP.

So far the demos are sounding better than I expected in Garageband. But… I need a USB audio input to capture clear recordings.

I’m looking at some of the basic choices for between 100 and 200 bucks. Which brand is most reliable. I don’t need anything fancy. This is my debut album and will only be offered online. I’m just gonna put it up on Band Camp for free and people can give me money if they want.

#2

Here’s a demo in threw together. Sounds ok but you can tell I’m just playing through the built-in speaker.

Garageband is awesome though

#3

I’ll buy it. Put up a link to your Bandcamp site when it’s ready. How would you describe your music? What’s it similar to? Any influences?

#4

I’ve been trying my damnedest to eliminate the residue of Ryan Adams in my playing, but I look more to Conor Oberst, Elliott Smith, Jeff Buckley, Nick Drake, Cat Stevens, Bob Dylan etc

#5

I don’t know if these Dropbox links are working…

#6

That’s not gear, that’s tech. I’m a moldy oldie so I record analog. Your link doesn’t play for me.

#7

I want to get into analog but I’m a newbie so I’m starting with Garageband

#8

I like all that stuff with the exception of Cat Stevens. I don’t have an opinion on Cat Stevens as I’ve never really given any of his stuff a listen. And in my opinion, sounding a little like vintage Ryan Adams (1995-2005) isn’t a bad thing. Just don’t pick-up any of his fucking, personality traits.

#9

It’s a great program. Especially for solo artists.

#10

Listen to Jack Parsons by mbauer1981 #np on #SoundCloud

Ok seems like Soundcloud is a better medium for sharing. This is pretty raw. I need to amp it up and get rid of the heavy mouth breathing but it’s slowly coming together

#11

Whoa…look out Meade

There’s a new sheriff in town

#12

Meade/Anti-Meade (name of my second album)

#13

Cool stuff! I do all of my recording on my laptop (MacBook Pro) in GarageBand, and I get beautiful sound out of this microphone, if that’s what you’re looking for:

Very easy to use, just plug it in before you open GarageBand, and you’re ready to go. Can also plug in your headphones so you can hear what things sound like.

#14

I have a Martin acoustic with an EQ so I need to start using that. Can you use distortion pedals with an acoustic guitar?

#15

There’s only a headphone input on the back of the mic, so you probably can’t utilize external effects. I suppose it comes down to taste/experience (the latter of which I’d say is low for me), but I always get the best sound when recording the acoustic unplugged (Epiphone EJ200 and Dove, and now Gibson J45).

As an example of what the mic can do, here’s a Springsteen song I recorded with that mic and the Gibson recently:

(not trying to hijack your thread!)

#16

Wow. That’s just not good.

#17

It doesn’t matter. There are brilliant musicians who get nowhere and die in a gutter. There are also lackluster musicians who suck cock and go straight to the top. The world is fucked and I’m the real Joker, baby!

#18

Listen to NUDE by mbauer1981 #np on #SoundCloud

#19

Also, I’m fairly certain that you are tone deaf.

#20

Get a Scarlett interface that fits your budget, or if not, a Tascam 2x2 might suffice. Both work well and are reliable. Buy new tech if can.