Playing real instruments with software instruments

Hey, I've been using logic for years but have never tried playing with a real instrument until now. When i connect my guitar Logic recognizes it and changes the driver to unknown USB device, but there is no sound since built-in input isn't selected and the instrument records but i can't hear it until i switch it back. How do you play real instruments with software instruments? Should be pretty simple. Thanks.
- Sean

Okay… the way Logic works is to use the same device for both Inputs & Outputs (there is a way round this, but let's not go there just now. First person to say 'Aggregate Device' gets thumped!).
So when you choose your device (usefully known as "Unknown USB Device") in Audio MIDI Setup, this means that you are no longer using your Built-in Inputs & Outputs — because that's the alternative.
Which means you won't hear anything through your speakers connected to your Mac. To hear an Output, you would have to connect your monitors/headphones/etc. to your device.
Furthermore:
_Auto Input Monitoring_
If Auto Input Monitoring is switched on, you will only hear the input signal during the actual recording—before and afterwards, you’ll hear the previously recorded audio on the track, while the sequencer is running. This helps you to judge punch in and punch out points when punch recording. If Auto Input Monitoring is switched off, you will always hear the input signal.
_To switch auto input monitoring on, do one of the following:_
• Choose +Options > Audio > Auto Input Monitoring+ from the main menu bar (or use the +Toggle Auto Input Monitoring+ key command).
• Control-click the Record button in the Transport, and turn on the +Auto Input Monitoring+ setting in the pop-up menu.

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Playing real instruments

When I connect my electric guitar to my MBP via the input jack on the left hand side I cannot hear the amp simulation until after recording and only during playback. In other words, I have to imagine what the guitar sounds like while playing and hope that im doing it right. I have connected the guitar directly to the computer as well as connection through my Fender amp with the same results. I want to know if there is a way to hear my instrument play in Garage Band during the actual recording. I would like to be able to connect the guitar through the amp as I have better control over the sound than using the simulators in GB. Any input will be greatly appreciated.

I have been where you are, and i love that you use the same method i do, it is so cheap. (you are just using a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter right? i got mine at radio shack for less than 5 dollars.)
and there is good news, you don't need a special unit for this. there are a few things you have to do.
first, make sure you have "monitor" turned on. it is on the right of the screen.
it is in the box above the details area where you change effect parameters.
then on the input, make sure you have channel 1 selected. channel 1 is mono and if it isnt selected then all the sound is on the left headphone or speaker and it is really annoying. (maybe you already know this, or you like the sound on the left, but just in case)
when you are using this method, and also depending on how powerful of a system you have, there will be a pretty noticeable lag (or latency as they call it) from the time at which you are playing your guitar to the moment you hear it being played back on your system. any effects you are using worsens this. but the good thing is that garage band sometimes will forget about that. it really just goes in and out, but a great way to ensure really fast latency is dedicating your system to garageband, and dedicating garageband to one track.
another thing... if you create the track and then just turn the monitor on, usually it wont work. you have to record for a few seconds, stop, and then you will hear your monitor.
this should solve your problems as far as hearing what you are recording.
but let me mention some other things, just to help you through the process of learning GB.
garage band is really finicky. for example, if you have 2 tracks with matrix reverb playing at the same time it creates a very loud static noise. one day i discovered that if you lock one of the tracks this solves the problem because it isolates it and the effects aren't, for lack of a better term, bouncing off each other.
these weird little quirks are throughout garage band's programming. there are always things you have to just figure out in garage band, i guarantee there isn't a section in the manual about using a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter.
good luck with garage band my friend, and if you have more questions feel free to ask, i logged on today to ask a question of my own so im still an idiot.

Why is it that I can no longer play Real Time with Bill Mayer on my IPad or IPod.

My IPad and IPod Touch software are up to date. This is the first time I have not been able to download; I've been listening to podcasts for several months.
Thanks, Juanita

The latest three episodes, released 20 June, do not play: there is no file on the server. This is his problem, not yours.

Real Instruments Tracks Not Playing

In one of my songs, the real instruments do not play. However, I can hear the reverb and echo for these tracks. The tracks still respond to editing. The drum loop and Software Piano play just fine.
Last night, all tracks worked properly, even after deleting a real instrument track. I saved and shut down for the night.
After booting up today, the remaining real instrument tracks have only very minimal volume; really, just a faint whisper. Track info remains the same and I can see some real instrument track monitor activity, but that's about it for the real instruments.
In response to some earlier advice, I created a new Real Instrument and/or a Software Track and see if they are soloed. Nothing, no "hidden" soloed Track.
The real instrument tracks remain silent, though fully editable.
Any assistance would be great.

I went into the master track to see what's going on.
Ducking option was not highlighted, so I clicked on it just to see what would happen. It unlocked all locked tracks, but not the real instruments for some reason. Then, I removed Ducking option.
All real instruments have returned. Problem resolved.
It was something to do with Ducking.
Each day I learn something new. Life is good.

Unable to play back real instrument tracks

greetings - i've been working on a song in Garage Band for a couple of years. the back story is that this file has grown to 2.5GB in size (all my other GB files are a lot less). it has about 10 real instrument tracks and 6 software tracks. Yesterday while working on the file a strange thing started happening; the first (of 3) software piano track started playing back intermittently with a bunch of reverb; i had not requested that it have reverb. i tried removing reverb, i tried soloing and unsoloing, muting and unmuting, and sometimes that would get rid of the reverb. so that was anomaly #1 yesterday. Finally, after finishing the session and saving/ closing the file, i wanted to make a backup copy so did command-D. Possible anomaly #2: when the original file and the backup file names appeared in the window, i renamed both; then i realized that the Mac was still in the process of copying the file; so i don't know if that renaming introduced a problem. Once the backup was finished, i opened the file (and the backup file, subsequently), and the REAL instrument tracks (plus the first midi piano track i laid down) NO LONGER MAKE ANY SOUND. the software drums, flute, and pianos 2&3 play back; the vocal sounds like the reverb is playing back but not the original track (i assigned basic female reverb to the vocal track). Everything visually still seems to be present in the file - all the details of instrument, level, pan, etc. but i'm getting no sound from the real instrument tracks or the 1st software piano track. i have TRIED all the suggestions for optimizing performance given in GB help. i am stuck and truly hope my arrangement will once again sound! many thanks in advance for any suggestions; Matthew Allen
<Email Edited By Host>

guitarworld wrote:
the first (of 3) software piano track started playing back intermittently with a bunch of reverb;
try toggling the Ducking menuItem, that's solved some similar issues
(and you can safely ignore the post about 8 tracks, it's not relevant)

Using real instruments to control software instruments

I recently bought the Apogee Duet to play my guitars and keyboard directly into Garageband (and soon Logic Studio). My problem is that I haven't been able to figure out how to control software instruments using real instruments. For example, is there way for me to connect my Piano Keyboard through Duet into my computer, but use it to play software tracks like strings and horns, etc? I would like to do this without using MIDI, since I just spent $500 on the Duet. Is this possible, or is the only way to control software instruments through an external instrument by using MIDI? Thanks so much for any help....

Assuming your keyboard requires an external MIDI interface (some have MIDI interfaces onboard), you can pick one up pretty cheaply - for example, M-Audio's Midisport or Uno are decent and inexpensive.

Real Instruments play beyond end of repeated loop

I've tried every google-fu trick I could think of to see if anyone else has had this problem.
I record a real instrument (say an electric guitar riff). I drag/repeat/loop it 3 or 4 times. It plays properly.
Then at some point I select it, and move it left or right.
The part starts at the right time, but will repeat an extra time beyond the visible onscreen loop. Once this glitch occurs, neither resaving, shrinking/re-repeating, moving it around and then back to where I want it make the track end when it's supposed to.
The only way I've found around it, is to end the repeat early and let the erroneous repeat play out, or just end the repeat entirely, and use cut'n'paste instead.
This happens to me *all the time*... anyone else seen this or have a resolution?

Thanks for the suggestions. I can't remember deleting any tracks... however, how would i check for "hidden" tracks?
The funny thing is i can hear the effect returns for the real instrument tracks...tracks that are heavily reverbed i can hear a faint echo of the track. and like i mentioned the drum loop and software piano still play fine.
And, I also see monitor activity in the real instrument tracks when i play the song. Everything looks normal, but of course, the sound isn't there.
Thanks again for your help!
Message was edited by: Ike the Longshoreman
P.S. I just tried Unsolo all tracks and Unmute all tracks... still the same problem.

Real Instruments Not playing - effects are

In one of my songs, the real instruments do not play. However, I can hear the reverb and echo for these tracks. The tracks still respond to editing. The drum loop and Software Piano play just fine.

Thanks for the suggestions. I can't remember deleting any tracks... however, how would i check for "hidden" tracks?
The funny thing is i can hear the effect returns for the real instrument tracks...tracks that are heavily reverbed i can hear a faint echo of the track. and like i mentioned the drum loop and software piano still play fine.
And, I also see monitor activity in the real instrument tracks when i play the song. Everything looks normal, but of course, the sound isn't there.
Thanks again for your help!
Message was edited by: Ike the Longshoreman
P.S. I just tried Unsolo all tracks and Unmute all tracks... still the same problem.

How Can I Turn A Software Loop Into A Real Instrument Loop?

My primary reason for wondering about this is that one of my songs requires a windchime sound throughout...but not too much of one. Just a touch of windchimes. The Orchestra Kit has a few pretty good windchime sounds BUT the natural sustain is too long for what I want. If figure I can get my wisp of a windchime if I can convert my miniscule software loop into a real instrument loop then whittle it down to the sound I want.
How can I make this conversion?

Well, Hangtime...You were absolutely right (again!) about messing around with the notes preferred over dissecting them.
I got an absolutely gorgeous windchime sound from applying a couple of carefully auditioned filters and then messing around with the volume at the end of each note. It actually turned out better than I had imagined. It turned out so very nice that I gave it a well spaced looping rhythm and now the windchime is throughout the entire song and the song is better for it.
My dissection effort didn't get a natural sounding windchime effect at all. I trashed it almost immediately.
hugs

Problem playing .mid file with QT Player on an external MIDI instrument

Hello,
I am trying to play a .mid file with QT Player (so I can play it from various softwares as Keynote) and send it out on an attached MIDI device (thru M-audio or Tascam interface). Unfortunatelly, I can only choose "QuickTime Instruments" from the pop-up menu in QT Advanced Preferences. I tried with several configs (G4, G5), several MIDI interfaces, and last flavor of both Panther and Tiger with QT 7.0.4. I configured MIDI setups normally and I can play on exernal instruments from Logic or other sequencers.
Any idea why I cannot see my devices from QT directly ? Thanks,
M

Hello,
I have tried with a Tascam US-428 with 10.3.9 and QT 6 (latest) and 7.0.4 hooked to a Akai S3000. I also tried on a G5 with a MOTU interface (all last software versions). At home, I have tried with my Ti550 running 10.3.9, QT 6 (latest) 7.0.1 and 7.0.4 and also with my Sawtooth (10.4.5, QT 7.0.4), both with a M-audio Uno interface hooked to a E-mu Proteus expander.
All configurations behave the same. They are working fine with various sequencers (Logic, PT, some freewares) but interfaces never show up in the advanced preferences of QT.

Real instrument track to software track?

Hi,
is it possible to convert a real instrument track back to a software track? Since Garageband has a real instrument tuner built in, it should have everything needed built in to recognize the notes of the real instrument track.
That would be even cooler in real time: imagine striking some notes on your guitar and hear a piano sound in realtime ...
Any ideas?
Tom
Other OS

yeah if you use melodine or some other software you may be able to.
but not inside garageband. apple currently don't support that...
converting software track to real instrument just means that creating audio file it's same as recording instruments yourself.

How to convert a real instrument file into a software instrument loop?

Thanks.

You can't convert real instrument to software instrument.
But you can have your real instrument make into a
real instrument loop.
In edit chose add to loop library (translation may not be accurate I use GB in french)
Your audio section must be higtligthen
Message was edited by: Vince Burn

Need help with Garage Band 11 and my TASCAM interface recording Real Instrument

I am using a TASCAM US-122 interface with garage band 11 on a mac at 32 bit running osx 10.6.6. Garage Band preferences / audio input and output set to TASCAM (which means it recognizes it) , but when using Real Instrument for the TASCAM and the track is armed , etc... the record function works when started except "no sound" from the device I am running thru TASCAM is being detected.
I am getting sound out of the TASCAM and simply running an AKAI mpc beat as a test. I am sure there is something simple I have yet to do but not sure what it is in Garage Band.
Can you help ? Thanks. GARY

with the real instrument track selected...
make sure the info pane is showing on the right (click the little "i" on the bottom right to open it; "Real Instrument" should be highlighted in blue on top).
On the bottom of the info pane it says "Input Source" and "Monitor."
Make sure the Input Source is set to the Tascam channel you're using (the channel, mono or stereo, that you've plugged your MPC into).
And if you want to hear it as you record, make sure the Monitor is set to ON.

Using real instruments on Powerbook G4

Hi,
I've been using garageband on my ibook for over a year now and thought that I would try using it on my sister's PowerBook G4. The program works fine with software instruments, but when I plug my gutiar into it and try to use other real instruments with it it does not record a thing. This is weired because the program fully registers that a real instrument is plugged in and looks as if its recording while I'm playing what I'm playing on it. So, why is this? Is there any way I can fix this problem? How would I do it?

I think I understand what you are doing and what the problem might be:
"Then I open garageband and start a new file. Then I change the instrument setting from software instruments to real instruments."
When GB opens it has a software piano track that it displays by default. You create a new track. The screen comes up and you set it up as a Real Instrument Track. When you create a new track it will be enabled for recording and a little red button will light up showing that that track is enabled for recording, as long as that track is selected.
"Then I delete the software track and begin to try and record a new basic track."
When you select the software instrument track to delete it, you are deselecting the track you just created and GB turns off the track-enabling button on that real instrument track. Try not deleting that default software piano track and see if that helps. It certainly doesn't hurt to leave it there.
"Then I push the record button and start to play. As I'm playing I'll see the line moving and the color changing purple or red or whatever color it turns, I don't remember which indicating that I'm recording something."
That is the part I don't understand, because it shouldn't be creating any sort of colored region, but the line does move. That's my best guess, anyway.

Setting Real Instruments Problem

I have a problem setting the task info dialog box for real instruments. Although I select Real Instruments on the setup, the task info box shos only choices for software instruments and , I think, master task. Therefore, the box where the input settings are made, is blank. Nothing I do aleviates this problem. If anyone can help me, you can reach me at [email protected]

I think I know what your going through. I had a similar issue with setting up my guitar. If this info is not related to your particular problem simply disregard it as I am no expert on GarageBand and am learning like you. The problem I came across was that I could not get my Instrument to be recognized as the source of sound for the new track I added. To fix this I simply added a new "basic" track rather then simply a new track. GB then recognized my guitar and allowed me to record my instrument, only I couldnt hear what I was playing until after I had turned "monitoring" on found in the information window on the right hand side of the screen. Then by setting the input to channel 1 I avoided making sound come from only one speaker. Maybe you already know this but I just feel like being helpful in my n00b sorta way. GL

Playing real instruments with software instruments

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