Anyone familiar with using garage band and a USB desk?

[ubit]

During this lockdown I have become increasingly bored with just noodling away with my guitars and basses. I decided that I wanted to try to record some ideas. I tried Audacity but after finding out that it would only allow two tracks I canned that. I have a Mac in the music room which is old and slow but I completely wiped it and  took it back to factory settings. I thought I would use it just for Garage Band. I have a Peavey mixing desk which has a USB connection. I thought this would be ideal for connecting to the computer. So far I am getting nothing and I am at my wits end as to what I am doing wrong. I click add track and play through the mixer but can't hear any of the sampled effects or amps and my playing doesn't record. I know it must be something simple. I have noticed that I can only hear the recorded drum tracks if I unplug the USB to the desk from the Mac.

Does anyone have any experience of using this kind of set up? I feel such an idiot because every tutorial I watch just says plug in and record and none make it clear. When I connect the USB I get a message saying  audio device selected. When I unplug it I get a message saying chosen audio device unplugged. What am I doing wrong/not doing?

[Woodinblack]

Firstly, Audacity does let you have as many tracks as you want, although it is not great at it.

On the garage band front, it sounds much more like an input source issue. Assuming that your Peavey mixing desk actually outputs / inputs on USB (and I know nothing about peaveys), you have to tell the mac where the inputs and outputs come from, ie, which device.

Under GarageBand->Preferences (menu), the second one across is 'Audio / Midi'. For it to work you have to have the input set to the peavey desk. It sounds like you have the output set to it (why you don't hear the output when it is plugged in). If you want the output through your speakers, you need to set the output to something else, such as 'Built in output'.

Then when you have the input there, say 'New Tracks' from the track menu, one of the audio (mic or guitar), and under there it lists the inputs you have. Select one of those and it should appear in the track when you are playing. You can tick the 'I want to hear my instrument as I play and record' if you have it coming to a different output

[ubit]

Thanks mate. I did have another go and realise that although I had the USB plugged in, I had forgotten to push a tiny button that says tape USB to mix. When I prodded this I could hear what I had recorded with the amp and effects but when I was playing it was just clean guitar. At least I have sussed out how to get it to work. I will just have to muck about a bit more. Thanks for your help mate.

 

Just checked. Both input and output are set to the desk. I can still record a clean guitar track and when I play it back it has the particular amp effect on it. I can't understand why I can't hear the effect for rehearsal as advertised.

Edited June 1, 2020 by ubit

[ubit]

Lots of feedback on the guitar amps as well. Gawd knows how to get to grips with this beast!

 

[P-Belly Evans]

I feel your pain. My story of mac woe is probably worse. My wife upgraded the OS on the mac  (only to Sierra) and kept the old OS on an external hard drive for her design purposes. Anyhoo, sierra has no input options at all 😳, just external mic, which is no good to me. I used to use my line six pods for connectivity but no more. It is a real faff to swap and change the OS. Trawled the interweb but seems to be a quirk with sierra. Can only put ideas down on my jam man xt looper now. 

[ubit]

Im on Catalina on my good Mac but the old one will only go as far as Sierra. I don't think that's the problem though as I just downloaded the latest version of Garage band today.

[Woodinblack]

2 hours ago, ubit said:

Lots of feedback on the guitar amps as well. Gawd knows how to get to grips with this beast!

 

If you have feedback it means what feedback always means - your output is being routed back to your input. Get rid of the 'listen when playing' if your output is the same as your input and the device routes it back - obviously, I can't say, I don't know how your mixer does it, its fine on my X18 as I put 16 inputs to the input and keep the stereo USB output on other channels

[ubit]

10 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

If you have feedback it means what feedback always means - your output is being routed back to your input. Get rid of the 'listen when playing' if your output is the same as your input and the device routes it back - obviously, I can't say, I don't know how your mixer does it, its fine on my X18 as I put 16 inputs to the input and keep the stereo USB output on other channels

Yeah, I realise this but I don't want to play acoustically without effects as you can't put the same feeling in when you are not hearing the finished article. I suspect I will have a lot more mucking about with this before I master it's nuances.

[Woodinblack]

Just now, ubit said:

Yeah, I realise this but I don't want to play acoustically without effects as you can't put the same feeling in when you are not hearing the finished article. I suspect I will have a lot more mucking about with this before I master it's nuances.

That is fine, you just have to make sure your output isn't going back to your input, so either route your output to a different destination (like speakers) or ensure that none of your output is getting to your input, which has to be possible on the mixer (I assume, it is on the behringer).

[ubit]

I have sussed it out now. My input was far too quiet. Thats sorted now and all is good. Great tool Garage Band. Only trouble I find is getting a straight 4,4,2, drumbeat. Gonna have to use the drum machine I think.

[skidder652003]

Download MT powerdrums, it’s free and allows you to easily and quickly build drum tracks with its groove option, it’s listed on under virtual instruments when you add a new track

https://www.powerdrumkit.com/

Edited June 8, 2020 by skidder652003

[ubit]

5 hours ago, skidder652003 said:

Download MT powerdrums, it’s free and allows you to easily and quickly build drum tracks with its groove option, it’s listed on under virtual instruments when you add a new track

https://www.powerdrumkit.com/

Will try it tomorrow thanks. Does it go into Garage Band no hassle?

[skidder652003]

2 hours ago, ubit said:

Will try it tomorrow thanks. Does it go into Garage Band no hassle?

yeah pretty much, its loading it that can be a bit of a learning curve. It'll be labeled under Plug-ins  - AU Instruments -  Manda Audio 

[ubit]

I find the pre set drum pattern are all a bit fancy for what I need. I have found the more I muck about with the beats that you can simplify them to a degree by moving the ball around from loud-complicated-quiet-simple and removing or putting in certain percussive effects. I just need to spend more time on it.

[ubit]

Right, latest problem. Bass and drums down and sounding great. For some reason now when I try to record the guitar, I get silence right up until the recorded bass starts and then the bass comes through distorted. It's like the distortion is bleeding into the other track. Anyone know what I am doing wrong? I have turned the bass gain on my desk right down. No difference. Even if I don't play a thing on the guitar, as soon as I hit record on the guitar track the bass track starts, distortion.

[ubit]

19 hours ago, skidder652003 said:

yeah pretty much, its loading it that can be a bit of a learning curve. It'll be labeled under Plug-ins  - AU Instruments -  Manda Audio 

I might be really thick here but I have downloaded it and just can't find it. I have found plug ins but that's it. I just don't know how to find my way around this yet I guess.

[skidder652003]

1 hour ago, ubit said:

I might be really thick here but I have downloaded it and just can't find it. I have found plug ins but that's it. I just don't know how to find my way around this yet I guess.

no you're not thick, I had the same problem

When you click on the plug-ins there should be the option of AU instruments, it's in there usually!

TBF Garageband doesn't have the easiest of access for plug-ins

Edited June 9, 2020 by skidder652003

[ubit]

46 minutes ago, skidder652003 said:

no you're not thick, I had the same problem

When you click on the plug-ins there should be the option of AU instruments, it's in there usually!

TBF Garageband doesn't have the easiest of access for plug-ins

I must have done or not done something somewhere as it is not there. I will search a bit more on Youchoob for tutorials. Trouble is, most of the tutorials are dealing with situations unlike mine. I am using Garageband through a mixing desk with a USB. No one else with a tutorial is doing this.

[Nicko]

I downloaded MT Power Kit yesterday.  I'm using Cubase and Windows, but I assume the same rules apply

1. Make sure the DAW is not running

2. When you have the download ZIP copy the two files from the downloads folder o the VST instruments subfolder in the DAW programme folder.

3. Open the DAW.  This should then search the VST subfolder for all available instruments.

4 (on Cubase) create an instrument track and select MT drums from the drop down.

 

[ubit]

2 hours ago, Nicko said:

I downloaded MT Power Kit yesterday.  I'm using Cubase and Windows, but I assume the same rules apply

1. Make sure the DAW is not running

2. When you have the download ZIP copy the two files from the downloads folder o the VST instruments subfolder in the DAW programme folder.

3. Open the DAW.  This should then search the VST subfolder for all available instruments.

4 (on Cubase) create an instrument track and select MT drums from the drop down.

 

I am using Garage Band on a Mac. Garage band isn't available on a pc, so the rules may differ. Thanks anyway mate.

[Woodinblack]

18 hours ago, skidder652003 said:

no you're not thick, I had the same problem

When you click on the plug-ins there should be the option of AU instruments, it's in there usually!

TBF Garageband doesn't have the easiest of access for plug-ins

All audio plugins should be in /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins (I think it might be in application support in previous systems). All AUs in there should be visible to all applications that use AUs anywhere on the computer.

[Nicko]

2 hours ago, ubit said:

I am using Garage Band on a Mac. Garage band isn't available on a pc, so the rules may differ. Thanks anyway mate.

Yep,  have never used a mac but assumed you would still have a program file folder of some kind.

[ubit]

I somehow managed to get it on to my Mac. More by accident than planning. I went into the hard drive and found it tried to play it and it said there is no application to open this software, so I went in and allowed access to all applications. It then appeared in Garage Band under, as said, plugins. I got it open and now have no idea on how to use it. I managed to get a drum pattern playing, closed it and tried again and there is absolutely no sound coming from it now. Gawd knows what's wrong. Every tutorial I see has nothing to do with my set up i.e. a Mac and Garage band. Im just going to have to muck about a bit more because it certainly looks just like what I want as Garage bands preset drums are playing shuffle type beats and I just want a straight one two beat.

[Woodinblack]

6 minutes ago, ubit said:

I somehow managed to get it on to my Mac. More by accident than planning. I went into the hard drive and found it tried to play it and it said there is no application to open this software, so I went in and allowed access to all applications. It then appeared in Garage Band under, as said, plugins. I got it open and now have no idea on how to use it. I managed to get a drum pattern playing, closed it and tried again and there is absolutely no sound coming from it now. Gawd knows what's wrong. Every tutorial I see has nothing to do with my set up i.e. a Mac and Garage band. Im just going to have to muck about a bit more because it certainly looks just like what I want as Garage bands preset drums are playing shuffle type beats and I just want a straight one two beat.

Oh yes, there is that, if you download something from the internet now with the latest systems, you have to give it permission to run so it isn't something dodgy.

With the built in drums do you not have the option to set it to just use straight beats? I must admit if I am doing something specific with drums I would import a midi drum track and get it to play, or use the loops.

[pineweasel]

If you just want a straightforward drum pattern, create a Software Instrument track and choose a drum kit. You can then record a part, either by playing on a keyboard (if you have one attached) or open either Keyboard or Musical Typing from the Window menu. Double clicking on the recorded part will open an editor allowing you to make adjustments, quantise, etc.