How do I record with brand MacBook Pro?

pf400 · #1 03-05-2020, 10:11 AM

Great expertise here, thanks in advance. I'll be buying an new Macbook Pro laptop soon, which will come with Garage Band I assume. I see another thread here, however, where the member uses Audacity and Soundcloud. I'm willing to buy a Zoom recorder if that will help (I believe I will need something like that for a mic). Goal is to record fingerstyle acoustic guitar, add effects and other online instruments, store and share my music...quite a few songs actually. Hoping to post some music, finally on this forum.

keith.rogers · #2 03-05-2020, 10:30 AM

I don't know if OS X "comes with" GB anymore, but you can always get it for free last I checked and install it.

If you are using a computer, i.e., vs. a connected device like a smartphone/iPad/etc., at its simplest, there are 2 different ways to record, essentially - one is to record direct to the computer via a microphone->audio interface->computer route and the other is to record to a separate device, like a Zoom digital recorder and then copy the files to your computer for processing in the appropriate software.

Which one you choose may depend on your recording environment and how you'd like to be able to record. If you want to record anywhere, a digital recorder may work better; but if you want to set up a space in your house (e.g.) and have that be your recording space, a separate mic & interface setup might be a better way to start.

If you have GarageBand, I'd suggest learning to use that, or something like Reaper or other "DAW" application and skip Audacity. Audacity is a good editor utility (IMO), and using it for more than that puts you in a parallel path that makes getting help more difficult than a mainstream DAW.

GarageBand (and probably others) let you share directly to SoundCloud, though, for me, I prefer doing it via the site's own upload process which gives you more control.

reeve21 · #3 03-05-2020, 10:56 AM

Neil,

There are lots of ways to go.

I have a zoom. I learned how to transfer the files to audacity on my desktop. That was a little cumbersome, but I liked audacity and sent them to soundcloud from there.

My desktop is beyond its useful life so I bought an ipad. I still use the zoom, but as an audio interface (on my h4n I can choose between storage in the zoom or using it as an AI). Meaning I use its microphones to record into an app on the iPad. I never got the hang of garage band, so I use music memos for real simple stuff or multi track daw.

You could connect a zoom to your mac book and avoid the cost of a separate mic and audio interface, and still have the portability of the zoom when you want it. The mics on the zoom are good enough for my purposes, so I'm happy. Should you try to connect a zoom to an Ipad you need a camera connector cord and a powered data hub which will run you $50 or so. You can connect it directly to a computer by usb if your machine supports that.

Hope that helps.

FrankHudson · #4 03-05-2020, 11:57 AM

I'm pretty sure you need to get GarageBand via the Apple App store. It's free. And the recent versions are more or less "Logic Pro X Lite" and so you have an easy upgrade path to a very cost-effective full-on DAW with a great supply of built in virtual instruments if you get hooked.

One nice thing if you plan on adding "virtual instruments" from your DAW (sounds like you might) is to get a little plastic USB keyboard--even if you have no piano/keyboard skills. If you have piano/keyboard skills a somewhat better one would be a good item to get. I still use my tiny AKAI LPK25 fairly often for my one or two finger "hunt and peck" MIDI entry. For things where I pretend to be the "real" keyboard player that I'm not I like my Nektar LX25+ which also has trigger pads and more control knobs.

I have an older Zoom recorder, and yes they are nice for small and fairly rugged portability. Yes, I understand that you can also connect them as a recording source to record directly into GB or another DAW, though I've never done so.

The advantages of using an audio interface instead of the Zoom is that you can use a variety of mics and mic placements. For good or ill that allows a universe of choices at price points.

For just acoustic guitar recording, the tiny iRig stage gets use in my "studio B" (a tiny, untreated, home office) as a mic a good deal of the time.

If cost is an issue, a single microphone placed right can do a good job of picking up both vocal and acoustic guitar, or with a DAW, tracking the guitar and then the vocal in separate passes.

If you have a larger budget, others here know more and have better ears than I do to recommend things I think.

RodB · #5 03-05-2020, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrankHudson

.....The advantages of using an audio interface instead of the Zoom is that you can use a variety of mics and mic placements. For good or ill that allows a universe of choices at price points. .....

It is worth noting that Zooms (at least the Zoom H4 pro, H5 and H6) give you the ability to use the supplied attached mics or add a choice of external mics and therefore benefit from different configuration/placement.

KevWind · #6 03-05-2020, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pf400

Great expertise here, thanks in advance. I'll be buying an new Macbook Pro laptop soon, which will come with Garage Band I assume. I see another thread here, however, where the member uses Audacity and Soundcloud. I'm willing to buy a Zoom recorder if that will help (I believe I will need something like that for a mic). Goal is to record fingerstyle acoustic guitar, add effects and other online instruments, store and share my music...quite a few songs actually. Hoping to post some music, finally on this forum.

Agree with what has been said. Start with GB skip Audacity. And to clarify "Sound Cloud" is a song file sharing platform (or publishing platform if you will ) not a recording DAW

pf400 · #7 03-10-2020, 06:59 AM

The sales person at my local Apple store took time to explore my needs and persuaded me to get the laptop instead of the ipad, saying the Macbook Pro laptop has more capabilities. Bummer that there is only one port on the Macbook...I'll have to buy several "adaptors". I'll have to pay about 200.00 for a CD driver...she wasn't clear whether my cd player, or guitar amps, will be connectable to the laptop via aux.

I do have a Zoom H1, bought about 4 years ago, never used.

Thanks so much for the informative responses so far.

keith.rogers · #8 03-10-2020, 07:42 AM

The Tech Specs for the current Macbook Pro show two Thunderbolt 3 ports. There are docks/adapters out there from about $70-$250USD when I look around. I'd read reviews and consider which will suit your needs best. A single Thunderbolt 3 (or USB-C) to USB-A might be all you need to connect an audio interface, but a more elaborate dock with multiple USB ports and DVI could let you connect an external CD/DVD-RW device, interface and external display, for instance.

The quick reviews I saw of the ones that plug into both ports and are semi-attached noted that the connection became loose quickly, so I'd probably go with something at the end of a cable if you expect to plug/unplug everything to take your Macbook with you frequently.