“ I figured it's a Mac, and so it will be easy and I should have about everything I need already.”

“Those two rules will save you a lot of frustration, I mean a lot.”

“Less frustration.”

I started my song a week project going into recording on the Mac as a virgin recorder.  I figured it's a Mac, and so it will be easy and I should have about everything I need already.

First, what I already had.  I had GarageBand, which about every Mac user should already have on their Mac, a Shure SM58 mic (which I later figured out that the SM58 was defective), several acoustic and electric guitars, and the desire to record.  I first thought I'd just buy a XLR to mini jack cable for the SM58.  When I started recording the vocals they sounded like crap.  It wasn't very loud or crisp, it just sounded horrible.  I went out and bought a Samson USB mic.  I re-recorded the vocals and loved the sound I was getting.  That is, until I heard other people's recordings with different mics.  I did tons and tons of EQ tweaking with every song.  Listen to the first few songs in the Song a Week Project section for a taste of the Samson mic.  I tolerated it for a while, then couldn't take it anymore.  I bought a Studio Projects B1 for less than I spent on the Samson.  It sounded exactly what I had been looking for all along.  Listen to songs 12 through present for a taste of the Studio Projects B1. This brings us to rule #1.

Rule #1:  Buy a nice Condenser Mic.  A real one, not a USB one.  You can get a quality one for around $100-$150.

Around the time I was dealing with the disappointing USB mic, I was dealing with disappointing tone from my Eric Clapton series Fender Strat.  I tell you what guitar I was using so you will know I wasn't using some cheap guitar.  Garbage in-Garbage out, right?  I was using a 1/4" standard guitar cable end to an 1/8" cable end going straight into the Mac.  It worked, and I thought it sounded ok, until I heard other recordings of people.  I bought what's called an audio interface.  See, I thought since I was using a Mac, I didn't need an audio interface.  After all, an audio interface is just a sound card.  I figured that since Macs come with a nice sound card already, I didn't need another.  I bought an M-Audio Fast Track for $100.  It had a plug in for a 1/4" guitar plus an XLR jack for a mic, should I ever get a different mic (which I did, the Studio Project B1).  Also great about the Fast Track was it had built in phantom power which condenser mics require.  Suddenly my guitar had depth and power in it.  It was great.  Another thing I added was Guitar Rig 4.  It isn't a rule, but it has a lot nicer guitar sounds in it than the ones built into GarageBand.  Listen to to first two songs of the Song a Week Project.  I know at least those first two I used just the cable.

Rule #2:  Buy an audio interface.  You don't have to buy a fancy one, but you need one.  Really.

  Another mistake I made was thinking I could just play the bass lines using MIDI.  Well, you can tell it's MIDI and not a bass.  Buy a cheap Bass.  Less frustration.  Listen to the first two songs of the Song a Week Project.  I know I had to use MIDI on at least those first two.  I'm not going to call this one a rule, because the type of music you may be doing might not even need a real bass.  But, It really is worth it.

The last thing that I added was better drum sounds.  I got EZ Drummer.  The differences are night and day between it and the built in GarageBand ones.  If you listen to the first few songs you'll notice it sounds like a drum machine.  Those are without EZ Drummer.

Those are some tips for you.   Use them and make music.  You'll thank yourself.

David

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