Interfaces, mixers & preamps

Looking for some input concerning interfaces, mixers & preamps. Not real pleased with the acoustic guitar sound thru line in, haven't tried a mic yet but I think I would benefit from some type of interface. Need to be able to accommodate electric guitars, amplifiers and electric acoustics. Vocals are not necessary. My goal is to mix several guitar tracks with various tones etc. I would appreciate your input. I won't say $ isn't an object, but I need to determine what I need first. Would prefer a Firewire device. I'm sure I've left something out, so please ask questions. Thanks.

I've tried recording using my AudioTechnica large diagphram condensor mic first through my Behringer Mixer, and as an alternative through my ART Pro Studio Tube preamp. I find that the latter, which is amazingly inexpensive, produces a warmer tone, and with little or no noise. My Behringer seems noisy, so it's on the shelf for the time being.

Similar Messages

Mobile usb audio/midi interface with preamps isn't working with GB

I have a M-audio mobile usb audio/midi interface with preamps and fastTrack Pro software that i'm having trouble using with garage band.. I just got this Mac os x 10.4.10 and i'm unfamiliar with GB and how to get a audio signal to register from my mic through the mobile usb audio/midi interface to GB.
any suggestions??

http://www.bulletsandbones.com/GB/GBFAQ.html#selectinterface ??

Bus-powered audio interfaces and preamps

I'm hoping to take a PB G4 Logic system to South Africa to do some remote recording of music in a rural village. There's no electricity in the village. Wondering what options might exist and be appropriate for bus and/or battery-powered audio interfaces and mic preamps. I will be taking 4 mics with me and would like to be able to record to 4 tracks simultaneously.
Thank you!

Groovy, I do think it is an option worth considering if sound quality or DSP demands exceed the Traveler's mark, as I have stated.
ULNs are 4 lbs each, smaller, lighter, they may be battery powered, like the MOTU.
The Mobile I/O ULN2 has been designed specifically to be... erm... 'Mobile', and of superior quality.
The traveler is more affordable and would fit the bill, I never said it wouldn't.
You can say I am being the devil's advocate and offering the less voiced option-I don't at all think I am off the mark by offering a real alternative which is worth considering given the prerequisites. I would have no problem recording with this setup. It is an option for some people, and for some people the best one. Of course the traveler would be recommended in this thread, and I have stated in each post the condition that ULN2 is a very good option for superior quality. And if you get +DSP you get a great processor too, 80 bit mixing bus-there are things which for some people this option would be preferred. I never said it was the only option-but a good option for location. It IS worth looking into.

Can i use Marshall amp as audio interface/preamp to connect to Garageband(to prevent the feedback when connected to macs audio port)

I have been trying to connect my guitar to my macbook 1,1 for use with Garageband and Mainstage. As per the garageband manual i was connecting my Fender Strat Squire straight into my mac audio port using the 1/4-1/8 adapter. When i do this the sound quality ***** especially when i try to use some of the virtual amp settings that create distortion and cool effects. Basically anytime im playing my guitar in GB or Mainstage and im connected straight into the audio port i get a MASSIVE amount of feedback noise and no matter what i do with the noise gate or settings i cant get it to go away unless i turn the settings down so low i can barely hear the guitar. I know that you can purchase an 'audio interface' or 'preamp' like Apogee or M-Audio Fastrack or some of the many others and this allows for clean sounding recording. My query is basically this: i have a Marshall MG100 DFX that does appear to have an emulated line out port that the manual says i can use to "connect your amp directly to your multi-track recording machine". Does this mean i can just use my amp as my audio interface between my guitar and my computer? I seem to remember hearing before that this was possible but i want to be sure. I really dont want to spend $ on an audio interface as they are very expensive and i figure if my Marshall amp can work just the same ill stick with that for now. Any responses and advice will be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks for your time.
-J

Jkeeezy wrote:
can just use my amp as my audio interface between my guitar and my computer?
yes, you can try it
make sure you're using the line-IN, either way:
http://www.bulletsandbones.com/GB/GBFAQ.html#recordlinein
(Let the page FULLY load. The link to your answer is at the top of your screen)
also note that many of the amps just _are_ very noisy

Do I need an interface and what exactly is a preamp?

I do a lot of recording with GB. I own and have used the Presonus Firepod and the Tascam US-122 for past projects. But I am wondering if there are any other options as far as getting a strong audio signal into my computer.
Lately I have been just plugging a Shure SM58 straight into (with a 1/4 inch then an 1/8 inch adapter) the audio/input jack on my MBP. This is not working out bad but I cannot get a strong signal without "hiss."
Now, I could just go through the Firepod or US-122 but lately I have been hearing people talk about preamp. I know that both of my interfaces have preamps but I am sure that they are not very good. So what I am wondering is can I get a dedicated preamp to go between the mic and the computer skipping the interface? Or do I need the interface too? Ideally if I can use a preamp I would like it to be quite small.
Any suggestions?
TIA!
Message was edited by: [email protected]

Depending on if you're purpose is for commercial release or not, you don't need a preamp. I'll tell you this though even professionals who work in studios with recording consoles costing 6 figures use external preamps to plugin into their already excellent preamps. Why do they do this? For a stronger signal to noise ratio to get the loudest sound into their preferred choice of media without distortion. There are cheap options like the ART tube pre which is better than not having one but then you have a lug around another piece of equipment. The only decent one I've seen out there that is designed for portability and provides professional sound is the Apogee mini-me which is an interface with excellent preamps and AD/DA conversion.

Newb question - audio interfaces - advice pls

Hey all, new to making music in the uk and have got myself a tutorial guide to logic and just getting started...cant wait to start making music, it seems awesome...
have got myself a macbook pro and logic pro 8.
I have discovered i'll need a midi audio interface asap to play a midi keyboard into logic, could anyone give me advice, if theres any that aren't compatible with macs or any that are particularly good for my price range/beginner model?
I am not likely to record more than 2 instruments at a time for a long while, probably just a keyboard for the foreseeable future, as i will probably just dabble in hiphop/trip hop beats to begin with
(have tried to search the forum but get a bit bogged down with the terminology as am new to this!)
any advice would be welcome...I dont mind paying between 150-200 for this..
thx very much!!

I'm proud to say that i only regretted the purchase of my first guitar : ) every other piece of equipment has served its purpose wonderfully...
if you are going to buy something that only does one thing, make sure it does it well...for example, make sure that the guitar your using is comfortable and crafted well...
if you are going to buy something for various uses (i.e. audio interface) make sure that the features it possesses are applicable to your cause. Dont spend all that money on a audio interface with preamps if you can't sing, dont want to sing, and never ever will sing...much in the same sense that one wouldn't buy an iPhone if they already had a good phone, a good ipod, a good computer...the money pays for convenience sometimes...
in this particular situation concerning audio interfaces, the money you're paying only goes so far for features (preamps, inputs/outputs) the majority of the money after those features really goes for the sound quality. I bought my firepod on ebay for half price and it works like a charm...just know what you want to contribute to your songs by purchasing one
Message was edited by: dinkydkmgshred

New to Logic Pro 8 HELP PLEASE!

Hello,
I have just recentley purchased Logic Pro 8 and have been amazed with its endless posabilities. I currentley run a sinmple M-Audio USB interface in to my Macbook. I am looking to take my equiptment to the next level and am wondering if anyone has had experience with and could offer suggestions on what new recording gear to purchase.
I realize that I will need to take things firewire in to my G4. Any suggestions on Interfaces, Mixers, Moniters, Computers, Microphones, and any other software would be a great help to me.
Thanks in advance,
-Mike

Some more expensive suggestions:
*Get ADAM speakers, nearfield or midfield, the best monitors I've used in my life ( I use the S2,5A + subwoofer)
*The RME Fireface 800 is a great Audio Interface with very good preamps
*The U87 microphone by Neumann is a great condensor microphone which you can use for all sorts of tasks
*Not knowing what kind of music you produce/make it's hard to give advice on 3rd Party Plug Ins for sound creation and sound processing, if you're into sampling get Kontakt 3 by Native Instruments, Logic's EXS is sort of very outdated, also NI's Reaktor is a fantastic modular app providing you with all sorts of different synths/processors/sample manglers/delay/reverbs and stuff you've never even heard of, you can also build your own Instruments with Reaktor

Change the default event duration from 1 hour to 1/2 hour

In iCal, the default event is supposed to last for 1 hour. I want to change the default to 30 minutes. I know I can make the change event by event (which is cumbersome). I cannot find any configuration page to set the default event duration. Is there one?
(This seeming reality has been bothering me for years; but I'm considering migrating from Entourage to iCal/Address Book/Mail and some of what I feel are inefficiencies in iCal are blocking me from doing so.)

Typically any such defaults are configured outside of Logic via a utility that came with your Audio Interface.
Example: if you have a Motu Audio interface you use the Motu Audio Setup Utility to set the default Stereo inputs and outputs... which are then used by Logic via Coreaudio.
Not knowing what Audio Interface you are using (or mixer..) I would suggest you read the documentation that came with it.. and see how to configure it to what you need.
Note: Some cheap and/or badly supported interfaces/mixers simply don't provide a utility to enable/change default settings... in which case you are stuck with what they set as the defaults themselves.

PowerBook internal audio in jack...

My powerbook audio in jack produces an extremely low line level in GB when I plug in my guitar directly. Is this normal?? I just wanna plug directly in to the machine seeing as I don't have money right now to afford myself an audio interface and preamp...what's the catch...? is there some setting I must change to acheive a higher signal??
help!! please!!

Thank you...I am at school right now and cannot test your suggestion...but I am sure that it will work because my preference was set to internal mic, not line in...so thank you very much...I will give you a point or rating or whatever it's called....lols

Phantom power for a USB mic

I'm interested in a USB mic made by SE Electronics USB mic (2200A). It has zero latency because it has a built in headphone jack. The only problem is that it requires 48V phantom power. The only phantom power units I've seen online don't have USB or even 1/4" inputs. (they're all three pin mic inputs) How do I get phantom power for a USB mic?

it doesn't need an external poser supply when used as a USB mic.
I'm assuming you mean "power" supply? And that the mic in question only needs phantom power
if used with a 1/4" adapter going into an interface or preamp, but if directly plugged into the Mac USB port, it needs no other power supply? The salespeople at the store know nothing!

Preamp racks/Firewire interfaces - your opinions please

For some time now I've been looking at getting the MOTU 896, as it appears to be a great deal and of great quality. However, the more I look at the forums I've noticed that everyone seems to love their presonus stuff a whole lot.
So now for your opinions. . . does anyone have any good info or experience with either one of these? Which do you guys like better? Or are there any other interfaces that you'd pick over either of these two? Thanks a lot.

Its tough, and its all about budget. I wanted to record 16 channels in a live setting, so I went with two firepods. So far, a pretty good experience, though i've had some problems with digital artifacts at random times. Tech support has been pretty good, but we haven't fixed the problem. I've recently discovered that it might be the longer fw cables i bought a while back, not sure yet.
That said, I'm planning on purchasing an Ensemble once it ships with working drivers and someone has tested it. This way, I'll have 4 apogee pre-amps, 4 line inputs (one firepod in hardware mode will feed this) for a total of 8 apogee A/D convertors, then daisy chain my other pod for an additional 8 channels, also clocked by the Ensemble w/ SPDIF. It should make the pods sound even better.
From what I've read on these boards, I would definitely go with RME, Metric halo, or possibly the Ensemble. Haven't heard good things about the 896 pres.
Regardless, you will probably need more pre-amps if you are recording drums, so something like the Presonus Digimax FS or LT will probably be the cheapest option. It really depends on how many pres you need exactly.

Help choosing an Audio Interface Please

I am new to the mac world, and GB'08 is my first exposure to computer-based recording. I have been using the internal mic to record guitar and vocals, but want to upgrade so I can get better quality. I am not a pro, and am not looking to spend a bunch of money on this. I currently have a Tascam US-122, but although I have th most recent driver (and it shows up in system pref, GB, etc.) I cannot get it to work properly. I'm ready to move on.
I have found 2 devices that I think would be sufficient for my purposes, the Miglia Harmony Audio Interface (firewire) and the Imic (USB). Does any one have any ecperience working with either of these? Preferences? Other recommendations?
I have the imac 20", 2.4ghz, 2gb RAM with Leopard OSX.
thanks.

Michael
I am a singer songwriter who uses GB to do my songs. I bought a 10 input Behringer mixer for $70 and the iMic for $30. I run the guitar and mic into the mixer and the tape outs (Y Card - two RCA outs to 1/8" in) into the iMic. I get really good sound. iMic is a 2 way device so you can monitor also. Also, I converted all my bands old cassette recordings to MP3 using the iMic. And those recordings sound really great. So I speak from experience that the A to D converter in the iMic is pretty good. I owned a studio in LA back in 80's so I know the difference good sound and bad.
Another idea would be to buy a $50 Behringer mixer and run your audio into the audio in jack on your computer. Have never tried this but I am guessing it would be better than using the internal Mic (the worst possible scenario).
And the good thing about the iMic is....it just works and it is cheap. So later if you get money you can spring on a "pro" interface like the Apogee Duet.
The absolute key to getting a good sound is to have a "hot signal" going into your computer so you don't have to crank up the input gain and introduce a bunch of noise. The Behringer mixers come with XLR inputs for your Mic with ok gain. I actually plug my Mic into a Symetrix preamp to make the signal "hot" and then feed it into the Behringer.
Good luck!!

Using a USB2.0 Mixer with Audio Interface in GB '09 vs a A/I ?

Hello,
I am posting re: using a USB 2.0 Mixer (example Allen&Heath Zed Series with or without effects, Mackie USB mixers, etc, to use
rather than a Audio Interface (Which I have done in the past, though one I have did not keep drivers updated past OSX 10.5
Leopard, I have bought and returned a Firewire 400 and a USB 2.0 Audio Interface(s) in the past 10 months, so No recording
I can use a Podxt to get Guitar in via USB but not XLR mics (Vocal or Amp mic's) I have read and read and spoke with people
and get a variety of answers, I am inquiring is this a workable way to get both 1/4 HI-Z inputs (Guitar or Bass) XLR Mics
and line ins to the mixer and USB 2.0 to/from my iMac? I am just looking at going in a different direction, and using Garageband
the Audio Interfaces I had bought both had on screen mixer-routing (which drove me crazy and to me un needed)
Prior I used a bus powered Tascam US-122, I do want extrenal power (and both Audio Interfaces did that I bought and returned)
I just need a basic sound in-sound out etc, with decent preamps , I have Mics, Guitars, Monitors, MIDI Keyboard, etc
just lacking the source in, (I also wish to avoid headphone monitoring due to ear issues which I do not desire to further
aggrevate, I hope this makes sense,
Thanks,
diamondblues

foxyroxyD wrote:
digital piano - midi in/out - audio interface - usb - Macbook.
check the cabling:
http://www.bulletsandbones.com/GB/GBFAQ.html#controllertointerface
(Let the page FULLY load. The link to your answer is at the top of your screen)

New-MIDI and Audio Interface

I am new to garageband but not new to the mac. I used to use Cakewalk on the PC for my sequencing about 15 years ago. I have a 12 powerbook 1.5. For MIDI I was looking at the MOTU FastLan. What about Audio? Can I use the line in on my laptop or do I need some kind of USB or Firewire interface?
As the interface is USB fast enough or do we need firewire?

If you are cash-strapped, you can use the line in on the Powerbook; however, you may need a preamp to boost the signal into the PB. I can use my electric guitar straight in, but a mic wouldn't work. I agree that you should probably just get a MIDI/Audio interface from the start, especially if you don't have any preamps of mixers laying around that can boost a signal. The consensus around here seems to be that Firewire works better overall and stresses that CPU less than USB. Lot's of people swear by the Tascam US-122 (USB) though. I'm saving for the M-Audio Firewire Audiophile or the Firewire Solo.

What mixers I/o controllers work well w logic ? Similar to Digi 002

What mixers I/o controllers work well w logic ? Similar to Digi 002
I'd like to work on a control surface w good mic inputs and maybe motorized faders like the 002 for pro tools

Do you have a frame of reference for the mic pres? I have an M-Audio 410 firewire and I don't care for the mic pres or for the two segment metering. I am not bashing, I like my M-audio controler and the 410 is great for the money and the drivers have been very stable. But I'd like to know if the pres are better on the Project Mix and if the metering is better. For the bucks it is a nice controller, but I really need better pres first, so does this seem to have the same mic/instrument preamps as the other M- Audio interfaces? Or is it an upgrade in all categories?

Interfaces, mixers & preamps

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