you may use your Mac to record late - night jam sessions , snatch work - in - progress tunes hum into a microphone , turn the MIDI data transmitted by a keyboard or bone pad into something deserving listening to , and capture LP and convert them into samples . But to do any of these things , you ’ll involve to cautiously debate the case of stimulation gadget that will best suit your needs and help you get high - quality sounds into your Mac .
Microphones
For musical matters , a Mac ’s establish - in mike is a severe choice . It offers too fiddling faithfulness and picks up far too much room noise . Headset mics are n’t much better , since they ’re not very various ( try using one to immortalize a guitar ) , and the headset microphones that people often use for Skype and iChat calls or podcasting do n’t provide broad enough faithfulness . When you need to show a vocalization or official document , a real microphone is the only way to go . You have a couple of option in this regard . The most convenient is a mike that plug like a shot into your Mac ’s USB interface . In most character , these microphones do n’t call for any extra software to work .
Using a USB mike was once a compromise — there were n’t a tidy sum of them around , and those that were available did n’t offer the form of calibre professionals postulate . That has changed .
Today you have your pick of a variety of mellow - quality USB microphones from such manufacturers asAudio - Technica , Blue Microphones , Marshall Electronics , Rode Microphones , andSamson . They tramp in monetary value from around $ 100 to $ 300 ( I look back a smattering of these USB mics in July 2008 ) .
It’s convenient to be able to control the input gain, as you can do on a microphone such as the Samson G-Track.
It ’s commodious to be able to manipulate the input profit , as you could do on a microphone such as the Samson G - Track . Audio quality is , of track , your key concern , but there are other features to consider as well . For example , you ’ll avoid some cable clutter if you choose a microphone with a headphone port wine that lets you supervise not only the sound come into the mic , but also your Mac ’s audio frequency ( useful when you ’re overdubbing a part , for example ) . Marshall Electronics’USB.009($300 online ) and Samson ’s G - Track (; $ 130 online ) both offer headphone ports and bring home the bacon a way to monitor audio from the mic as well as from the Mac it ’s plug into .
Having a control knob to adjust a USB microphone ’s stimulation mass , orgain , is helpful in that it ’s less hassle than having to dig down into the Mac ’s organisation preference or an covering ’s preferences . Rode ’s Podcaster (; $ 230 online ) and the antecedently mention USB.009 and G - Track let you to control input gain .
But there are times when USB microphones and OS X 10.5 do n’t cooperate . When using a USB mike , you may from time to time run into bursts of atmospherics . To keep off this issue , prove the following solution .
Many multiple-input audio interfaces require that you control the interface via software.
Audio Interfaces
Alternatively , you may habituate a mike with an XLR connector that plugs into a USB or FireWire port . These audio interfaces , made by companies includingM - Audio , Mark of the Unicorn(MOTU),Digidesign , andEdirol , feature at least one audio stimulant and , in some case , MIDI in and out port as well .
Many multiple - input sound interfaces require that you control the interface via computer software . Audio user interface generally involve a separate software driver . Some admit an covering or orientation pane for control the mapping of the user interface . For good example , M - Audio ’s Fast Track Ultraeight - interface USB 2.0 interface ( $ 350 online ) requires you to open up its preference superman within OS X ’s System Preferences to control the gimmick ’s gain , cooking pan , and output . I can control my honest-to-god MOTU 828mkII audio interface either like a shot on the equipment or on the Mac through the fellowship ’s CueMix DSP app .
The reward of these multiport interfaces is that you’re able to habituate them to immortalise multiple channels at once — a dance band full of cat’s-paw or even four hoi polloi participate in a podcast ’s roundtable treatment ( see our podcasting usher for more info ) . And recording multiple stimulant at the same clip does n’t command a gamey - end sound software — Apple ’s GarageBand will do the trick .
Choose a different input source for each GarageBand Real Instrument track.
Choose a different input source for each GarageBand Real Instrument cut . To do so , launch GarageBand and open its Preferences carte . tap the Audio / MIDI yellow journalism and choose the audio user interface in the Audio Input come out - up carte ( and in the audio Output pop - up menu as well if you want to supervise audio from the user interface ) . There ’s no need to configure MIDI stimulation separately . GarageBand will mechanically observe any machine connect to your Mac that bear MIDI inputs .
Close GarageBand ’s preferences and take Track : New Basic Track to create a new hardware cat’s-paw track . go on add up tracks until you get as many empty one as you necessitate . pick out a track and choose Track : Show Track Info . In the Info panel that appears , choose your first input from the Input Source pop - up carte — Stereo 1/2 ( MOTU 828mk2 ) , for exercise . keep pick out other tracks and choosing appropriate input for them . When you ’re quick to memorialise , just press the red ikon next to each track to enable recording , and then press the master Record button at the bottom of the window . GarageBand will memorialise each disk - enable track one by one .
Microphone Interfaces
Not everyone needs a large audio recording port . Some hoi polloi may object to their bulk and the expense of buying one , or may find that they want just a single microphone input . A more portable option is a USB adaptor that secure directly into a microphone via an XLR connector . Soundtech put up theLightSnake Microphone to USB Cable ( $ 40 online ) , a 10 - foot cable featuring a female XLR connector on one oddment and a USB connector on the other . With this cable you’re able to plug an XLR microphone straight off into your Mac and record — no additional software involve .
Regrettably , the LightSnake cablegram does n’t supply phantom power — the current some microphones require to operate . If you need phantom magnate , however , there are other options . CEntrance’sMicPort Pro($150 online ) is a 24 - bit , 96kHz USB mic preamp that provides 48V phantom great power . Blue Microphones’Icicle($60 online ) costs about half as much , but offers 16 - moment , 44.1kHz audio only .
Off the Record
Those interested in pull samples from LPs or archive their cute record aggregation need to find ways to move audio from turntable to Mac , and turntables present a unique problem . Unlike other audio root , they use a extra kind of filtering — call an RIAA Equalization Curve — that requires the lazy Susan to act as through a gimmick ( a receiver or preamplifier , for model ) design to plow with that filtering . There are a few alternative for recording euphony from turntable .
The least expensive is to locate an auxiliary turnout on a stereophonic system receiver plugged into the turntable , and run a stereo system RCA - to - mini - plug adapter cable between the receiver and the Mac ’s audio stimulant interface . Choose that input in the Sound druthers pane and capture the lazy Susan ’s yield with any audio editor in chief ( include GarageBand ) .
Another option is Griffin Technology ’s $ 50iMic USB Audio Interface . Although you’re able to employ the iMic with just about any audio author ( a tapeline pack of cards or mike , for case ) , it has a special gift for recording directly from turntables , as the Mac software included with it — Final Vinyl — is smart about the RIAA Equalization Curve .
Finally , you may eschew go - between box all by purchasing a USB turntable . These turntables are offer by Audio Technica , Ion Audio , Sony , andNumarkat price ranging from less than $ 100 to $ 300 - plus .
