# Garageband recording live drums?



## parksung (Feb 9, 2006)

how many of you have used Garageband to record a drumkit in a studio? good results? another dumb questioN?? just deciding whether or not it's feasible to use it for live drums in the studio, resulting in buying a MacBookPro, iBook or iMac...


----------



## okcomputer (Jul 18, 2005)

If I am not mistaken, you will be limited to a stereo recording of the drums at best. You will have to create a mixdown of all the mics on the drums and then input the stereo signal into the Mac.

This is unless you have a multi-channel external soundcard of course...


----------



## thejst (Feb 1, 2005)

My estimation is that you can record up to four tracks at once (kick, snare, 2 overheads) at a resolution of 44.1 kHz (CD quality). 

You have to have a soundcard or breakout box that can accept four inputs, as most macs with a line in will only have a stereo input (2 channels, Left+Right)

To be honest, unless you really have no other choice, I would find an alternate solution to using GarageBand, it's okay, but will offer limited options for mixing and bouncing. 

Just my 2 cents. Try Logic Express, or cubase se if you can. They aren't all that expensive, for what you get. And I know...Money is always tight. 

James


----------



## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

If your computer can handle it, Garageband can record up to eight inputs at once if your audio i/o box has eight sends:

http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/features/recording.html

If your musical pursuits are modest at this time, I would suggest giving Garageband a whirl but getting an audio interface that is supported by Logic (most are if they come with OS X drivers). Like, what the hell? Garageband is _there already_ on your hard drive; it costs nothing to put it through it paces.

Beware of at least one major hassle in Garageband: It does not allow for tempo changes within a song. You can set one tempo for a song and that is it. Now, if you are doing all-live recordings, this may not be a problem. But, if you want to add any sequencing or keyboard parts within Garageband to your live recordings -- and if those song have tempo changes or are rubato in nature -- they will have to be done out of sequencer time. This means that you can't do any quantization of parts and editing the midi parts might be tricky.

BUT, you can record to a click from Garageband and simply fall out and then back in of its tempo when needed, flying without "the net" of the sequencer grid only when you need to. Certainly, a song with constant tempo except for a retardando ending could be done like this.


----------



## zarquon (May 24, 2005)

Macaholic said:


> If your computer can handle it, Garageband can record up to eight inputs at once if your audio i/o box has eight sends:
> 
> http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/features/recording.html


Just to be clear, GB will allow (if you have the i/o for it ) up to 8 channels (_Stereo_ or mono) to be recorded at once.

Z.


----------

