You can connect real instruments, such as electric keyboards and guitars to your Mac for use in GarageBand. Using real instruments with GarageBand produces not only better sound, but realistic practice, as you finger the actual instrument and not an on-screen keyboard/string set. You can connect a real MIDI keyboard through a USB cable (on.
You can connect real instruments, such as electric keyboards and guitars to your Mac for use in GarageBand. Using real instruments with GarageBand produces not only better sound, but realistic practice, as you finger the actual instrument and not an on-screen keyboard/string set.
You can connect a real MIDI keyboard through a USB cable (on most newer gear) or a MIDI adapter (on older equipment). You can connect other MIDI instruments, including guitars, woodwinds, and drums, and record onto a real instrument track in GarageBand. Click the red Record button when you’re ready to rock. Move the playhead to just before where you want to start jamming.
MIDI is geek shorthand for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, a standard that has been around for years.
If the high-quality instrument you have in mind is your own singing voice, connect a microphone (in lieu of the Mac’s built-in microphone) to an audio input port on the computer.
Open System Preferences, click Sound, click Input, and then select Line In. Drag the Input volume slider to an appropriate level. Choose Vocals and the instrument that most closely matches your singing style, such as Epic Diva, Helium Breath, or Megaphone. Garage Band will tailor the effects to your voice.
Don’t worry if you don’t know how to characterize your singing voice; one of your other options is No Effects.
Good microphones are also useful when you’re recording podcasts. If you choose to use a microphone not for singing but for recording your speaking voice, set the option to No Effects (unless you’re going for a comedic effect).
To add the instrument to a recording, click the Create a New Track (+) button, choose Track→New Track, then select Real Instrument and click Create.
Choose an input source (stereo or mono), depending on how the instrument is connected to the Mac. Select Monitor from the pop-up menu to be able to hear the instrument as you play it, with or without feedback.
Record software instruments
Before you start recording, make sure you connect a music keyboard to your computer and create a software instrument track to record to. You should also familiarize yourself with how to use musical typing and the onscreen keyboard.
During recording, any adjustments to knobs or other controls in the Smart Controls area are recorded as region-based automation. You can Use automation in the Piano Roll Editor to edit the Smart Controls Recording later.
Record a software instrument
Select the software instrument track you want to record to.
Move the playhead to the point in the ruler where you want to start recording.
Set the metronome and count-in to hear a steady beat while recording.
Click the Record button in the control bar (or press R) to start recording.
Use your MIDI keyboard, Musical Typing window, or onscreen keyboard to play some notes.
The recording appears as a new MIDI region on the track as you record.
Click the Stop button in the control bar (or press the Space bar) to stop recording.