App to use on my laptop to record rhythm acoustic?

[Cecil6243]

Any suggestions for a free app I can put on my lap top to record my acoustic guitar to practice harmonica to, evaluate my playing, etc? And no I don't have an I phone. I'm probably the last person on earth that does not have any kind of cell phone. . I did get a hand me down I phone once, and drowned the darn thing on vacation getting out of my kayak.

I see a free app known as garage band.

Any I should stay away from?

[Joe F]

I have had great results with Audacity.

https://www.audacityteam.org/

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Cecil6243

Any suggestions for a free app I can put on my lap top to record my acoustic guitar to practice harmonica to, evaluate my playing, etc? And no I don't have an I phone. I'm probably the last person on earth that does not have any kind of cell phone. . I did get a hand me down I phone once, and drowned the darn thing on vacation getting out of my kayak.

I see a free app known as garage band.

Any I should stay away from?

If you're on a Mac ? GB and a USB mic, will certainly get you started

[MikeBmusic]

You won't get good guitar sound recording using the built-in mic on a laptop. hence Kev's suggestion of a USB mic. Of course, you won't get very good playback sound out of a laptop speaker either.

[pf400]

I'm looking for a laptop too. MacBook Pro is 3 grand. Wondering if I could get a cheaper one, say for 1800, and install Garage Band ? Or is Audacity just as good...the free version or the pay version? No cellphone or Ipad here either.

[Chipotle]

Either GB or Audacity would work fine (and both are completely free AFAIK). However, those programs just do the final step of capturing the audio on your computer. To get decent recordings, you still need a decent microphone and a way to get the digital audio into the computer.

A USB mic does both of those functions at once. Something like the Shure MV88 for iOS, or a Blue Yeti, would be good choices.

As for computers, you don't need anything superpowered for simple audio recording. Pretty much any laptop you can buy these days will be able to cover the basics. I do my tracking on a sub-$300 Lenovo with a 11.6" screen, although I edit later on a more powerful Windows computer.

And then as MikeB says, you need something to hear it back on! Get some decent computer speakers or headphones to plug in.

[KarenB]

Originally Posted by pf400

I'm looking for a laptop too. MacBook Pro is 3 grand. Wondering if I could get a cheaper one, say for 1800, and install Garage Band ? Or is Audacity just as good...the free version or the pay version? No cellphone or Ipad here either.

You can get a refurbished Macbook Pro 13" for about that price. And they all come with Garage band already installed.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Cecil6243

Any suggestions for a free app I can put on my lap top to record my acoustic guitar to practice harmonica to, evaluate my playing, etc? And no I don't have an I phone. I'm probably the last person on earth that does not have any kind of cell phone. . I did get a hand me down I phone once, and drowned the darn thing on vacation getting out of my kayak.

I see a free app known as garage band.

Any I should stay away from?

Hi Cecil

Audacity works great and has everything you need to do great records and edits of track - for FREE.

It's well laid out and and kept current. It is open source, and has been kept up for well over a decade and a half.

For a simple well laid out sound editor, Amadeus Pro (for Mac) is excellent. But unless you are needing quick-n-dirty editing functions, Audacity does the job.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by pf400

I'm looking for a laptop too. MacBook Pro is 3 grand. Wondering if I could get a cheaper one, say for 1800, and install Garage Band ? Or is Audacity just as good...the free version or the pay version? No cellphone or Ipad here either.

Hi pf400

I should have read 'deeper'.

If you already have a PC, you would need a USB interface for a mic, and the mic, which can be had for as little as $250 (a decent package of a condenser mic and interface).

For about the same money, as someone new to digital recording and editing, a Zoom H4n recorder would do you quite well and it would grow with you. For even less money, the Zoom H1n would get you up and running for $120 as a starter recorder. Mount it on a tripod or mic stand, set it 18" from the guitar (or aim it between the mouth and guitar if you sing too).

The Zoom recorders I listed have decent mics built-in, and record cleanly. You would learn about the room/environment you record in being as critical as the recorder, mic etc. without sinking hundreds/thousands of dollars into it to see if you enjoy it.

[Methos1979]

If you're not concerned with quality you can always just record yourself on Facebook Live or YouTube and play back that way. Just set the security to 'Only Me' and no one will see it. If you're looking to just jam along to pre-recorded tracks there's a ton on YouTube for free. That's how I practice soloing.

[pf400]

Thanks everyone...but I'm used to my old Windows Vista PC with its 17 inch screen. It's about done. Even with black friday, the MacBook Pro is not on sale.
I'd like to go high end, hoping for a long-lasting computer, and getting going with recording and sharing my music. I have a Zoom H1 sitting in its box and it's not userfriendly...I'm not good with tech. I thought that having a Mac with GB would be simple, but now thinking I might be wasting money going high-end. I don't play games online for example. I do want Skype, Zoom, and recording software.

[pf400]

Pushing my luck a bit...anyone have comments about this laptop? No media card capability...what the hesk does that mean? And USB 3.0...will there be a problem using the USB cables I've had around for years ?

https://www.staples.ca/products/2981...indows-10-home

[Dadog]

The latest Zoom H2n is an amazing bit of kit. this is a simple song recorded on one, playing and singing directly in front with XY mic setting. Worth a try.

[dnf777]

Originally Posted by pf400

Pushing my luck a bit...anyone have comments about this laptop? No media card capability...what the hesk does that mean? And USB 3.0...will there be a problem using the USB cables I've had around for years ?

https://www.staples.ca/products/2981...indows-10-home

At that price range, you might want to check sweetwater. They have some basic DAW computer packages, that get decent reviews. Since theyre tailored for recording, you may get more of what you need and less of what you dont for your money.

[DCCougar]

Originally Posted by pf400

I'm looking for a laptop too. MacBook Pro is 3 grand.

My iMac was considerably cheaper than that! And it runs Cubase just fine, so it'll do anything you want it to. Comes with garageband.