In this feature I ditch the recording studio and take a look at the best portable interfaces for GarageBand musicians who want the freedom to record anytime, anywhere.

The actual steps: 1) Connect your Firewire cable to your MacBook Pro. In most cases, this cable will come with your purchase of an audio interface, or a MIDI. 2) Usually, the port for the firewire cable is on the back of the Audio Interface. N- track studio vs garageband. Plug the other part of the firewire cable into the back. I’ve had GarageBand installed on one iPad or another for five years, and because my BR800 came with a 120-page book telling me how to work it while GarageBand didn’t, I’ve been somewhat scared of it all this time. Now I’m finding that all I needed was an iRig and a likeable Scottish chap explaining what stuff does. Here's the way you can.download Garageband for Windows. for free, this method works on Windows 10 hassle free. Install Garageband for PC using this 2020 guide. Feb 09, 2013 It comes with the cables to connect the guitar to your Mac and iOS device. Connecting the devices to GarageBand. Obviously step one is connecting the USB cable to your Mac. (Note: for best results plug them directly into your Mac; not into a USB hub.) After that, open GarageBand and go to Preferences and click on the Audio/Midi tab. Select your input device from the pull-down list. I’ve had GarageBand installed on one iPad or another for five years, and because my BR800 came with a 120-page book telling me how to work it while GarageBand didn’t, I’ve been somewhat scared of it all this time. Now I’m finding that all I needed was an iRig and a.

The beauty of an app like GarageBand for iOS is that you no longer need to spend ludicrous amounts of money renting studio time or wait until your ‘big break’ to write, record and release your own music.

If you want your DIY music to sound its best however, you’ll need to ditch that inbuilt mic on your iOS device and invest in an audio interface of some kind.

There’s tons of choice out there and it can be hard to work out what interface is right for you. I’ve brought together 3 of the best portable recording interfaces on the planet to help you narrow down your options.

Let’s take a look.

£74.99/$99.99

Compact, portable, and easy to use, the Roland GO:MIXER makes it simple to record high-quality audio with your iDevice.

With multiple inputs available, you can connect a mic, musical instruments, and media players and mix them all together at the same time.

The unit features the ability to combine five sources at once via inputs for a ¼” jack vocal mic (no XLR input or +48 V Phantom Power here), guitar, stereo keyboard, and two stereo line-level devices (such as music players, drum machines, etc.).

The quality is great, assuming you don’t clip/peak the audio. There is a dial for each main instrument input as well as a master volume dial to adjust as appropriate. The GO:MIXER also has a peaking LED which is useful to have.

All in all this little box is incredibly versatile, though the lack of XLR input or 48v Phantom Power would definitely prove limiting for some.

Tech Specs

Inputs: 8 channels
Outputs 2 channels
Connectors INSTRUMENT (L/MONO, R) jacks: 1/4-inch phone type
LINE IN 1 jack: Stereo miniature phone type
LINE IN 2 jack: Stereo miniature phone type
MIC jack: 1/4-inch phone type (no plug-in power)
GUITAR/BASS jack: 1/4-inch phone type (high impedance)
MONITOR OUT jack: Stereo miniature phone type
USB port: USB Micro-B type USB Bus PowerCurrent Draw40 mA
Accessories: Lightning to USB Micro-B type cable (50 cm, 1 ft 7 inches)
USB OTG Micro-B type to USB Micro-B type cable (50 cm, 1 ft 7 inches)

£81.99/$119.99

Focusrite has a great track record for producing extraordinarily high quality USB and Thunderbolt audio interfaces for Mac and PC. With the iTrack Solo Lightning, they’ve packed most all of the killer features from their range into this little box.

While it is smaller and lacking a few of the features of some of Focusrite’s more expensive units , the iTrack Solo packs enough of a sonic punch to hold its own against most other interfaces at this price range.

The mic preamp used here series are nothing short of phenomenal, giving you clean and clear recordings every time. There’s also +48 V Phantom Power available, so you can use a studio quality condenser microphone to really push the quality of your recordings to the next level.

Super-low latency brings confidence to your performance, letting you record and monitor with software effects in real time.

New gain controls and a sleek metal chassis underscore its industrial design – this thing can take one hell of a beating!

Tech Specs

1 microphone input – XLR, 1 Instrument input ¼’ unbalanced, 2 Gain knobs,
48V Phantom power switch, Direct monitor switch
2 unbalanced monitor outputs – RCA Phone, DEVICE LINK port (to connect iTrack Solo to iPad)
USB 2.0 Port, Kensington Lock slot
Supported sample rates 44.1 KHz, 48 KHz, 88.2 KHz, 96 KHz – Mac and PC 44.1 KHz, 48 KHz – iPad
In the box: iTrack Solo, 1.2m USB cable, 1.2m “DEVICE LINK” cable (to connect to a Lightning iPad), Getting started guide, Registration card, USB power supply (US only)
Compatible with: iTrack Solo Lightning: Any iPad with Lightning connector, Standard iTrack Solo: iPad (1st gen), iPad (2nd gen) and iPad (3rd gen)

£127.99/$149.99

iRig Pro I/O is a pocket-sized full-featured audio and MIDI interface that gives you 24-bit/96kHz recording studio quality sound everywhere you go with a few additional essential features for mobile recording.

Its designed to be “plug and play” and easy to use with all of your gear — studio mics, vocal performance mics, guitars, basses, keyboards — whatever it is, iRig Pro I/O can probably handle it. Garageband for ipad mini 1.

It features a new 1/8″ stereo headphone out with preamp and level control, making it compatible with even the most recent iOS devices. Plus, when used with the optional DC power supply, the unit will charge your iPhone or iPad while in use for unlimited playing and recording time – super handy!

The Pro I/O also features a new MIDI Out jack that gives you even more flexibility and control over your outboard MIDI gear.

Despite it’s small size the iRig Pro I/O has it where it counts, packing the features you’d expect from a full scale audio interface into it’s sleek form factor.

Tech Specs

High definition 24-bit/96kHz audio plus MIDI interface for iPhone, iPad, Mac, PC and Android devices
Connects to everything, yet easily fits in your laptop bag, gig bag or pocket
Neutrik™ combo input for guitar, microphone or other instruments with a professional quality preamp, phantom power and gain control
iPhone 7 ready with integrated headphone output with volume control
Powered via USB bus, two AA batteries or the optional iRig PSU 3A (PSU simultaneously charges iOS device)
Detachable Lightning and USB cables included for connection to iPhone, iPad, Mac and PC (MFi certified)
Comes with a Velcro strip to secure iRig Pro I/O to a mic stand
Comes with over $/€550 worth of full version Software & Apps

There you have it, that’s my top 3 favourite portable audio interfaces for use with GarageBand for iOS.

Connect Guitar To Iphone

Is your favourite on the list? What did I miss out? Leave a comment and let me know, or come and join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

More then ever, it has become easier to lay down your song ideas while on the move. With GarageBand for iPad, we are also closer then ever to having a full professional recording studio in a very thin

Garageband Guitar Input

More then ever, it has become easier to lay down your song ideas while on the move. With GarageBand for iPad, we are also closer then ever to having a full professional recording studio in a very thin package. And at a price of $4.99, who can complain? For those who are just starting out, here's a first tutorial on recording guitar to get you and your iPad rocking.

Setup and Equipment needed

First off before even starting the application, you should get the hardware you need to enable you to record your guitar to your iPad. There are two basic input types you need to consider:

Guitar Input for Electric Guitar and Bass (IK Multimedia iRig, Apogee Jam, AmpKit Link)
Mic Input for acoustic guitar (IK Multimedia iRig Mic, Blue Yeti Pro -- requires Apple's Camera Connection Kit)

L to R: IK Multimedia's iRig, Blue Yeti Mic, Apple's Camera Connection Kit

Guitar Amp

Launch GarageBand for iPad and plug your guitar into the iRig. On the left of the screen is a ' 1/4' jack' button which lets you add a noise gate. Handy for those distorted tones. Next to it is the guitarist's best friend: the Tuner.. no excuses for a flat g-string!

In the middle, you can select from different amp combinations and even save settings of your own. You can also swipe the amps to keep the same preset settings and try these settings on different amps.

On the far right is the 'pedals' section. Here you can add up to 4 pedals, change their effects level and remove pedals. To get back to the amp section, tap the 'Amp' icon on the right of the screen. One nice thing about GB for iPad is that you can change the amps settings after you've recorded your part and even create your own presets for future recordings.

Audio Recorder

If you want to record acoustic guitar, you can use the iPad's built in microphone but I would recommend looking at Blue Microphone's 'Yeti Pro' or Apogee's upcoming 'Mic' to add a professional sheen to your recordings. When you first open Audio Recorder it gives you a VU meter to check your audio input levels. A noise gate is also available by tapping on the '1/4' plug' icon.

Once you record a take, you can then add processing to the sound from a preset selection that include effects and voice transformers. The effects also give you sliders for compression, reverb, chorus, etc. depending on the effect you choose.

Recording Tips!

First and foremost.. PRACTICE! GB on the iPad does not allow editing like GB on a Mac and you don't get features like Flex Time, multiple takes, pitch correction, etc. Also, you will have to play the parts at the tempo of the song unlike those who slow a song down, record their part, and speed it up after. While some would look at this as a detriment, I look at it as positive growth for musical skills and it ultimately gives you a better understanding of your song. After all, becoming a better musician is a life long process and not a means to an end.

After recording an electric guitar you have plenty of options to affect the tone as the amps have EQ and FX pedals to compress, etc. If you want to record feedback on the electric guitar, you will need to connect the output to your speakers and boost the main volume. But.. be careful as each amp/guitar has it's own characteristics for feedback and some are just plain uncontrollable ear-piercing squeals. Layering guitars also has the usual big sound but also eats up tracks so planning is crucial.

How To Connect Guitar To Garageband Ipad Pro 2

Also, when planning your song parts, take into account that GB for iPad does things in 'sections' and only up to 10 sections. While this may not seem like a big deal, you will want to figure out the parts/sections of your song beforehand. For example, song intro, verse 1, pre-chorus, verse 2 with added guitar, pre-chorus with organ, Chorus, verse 3 with less instruments, bridge, intro, Chorus, Chorus 2, End, etc. You can put the 'Sections' into 'Automatic' mode which gives you whatever amount of bars you want i.e. Record intro and verse 1 together.

How To Connect Guitar To Garageband Ipad

When recording an acoustic guitar or instrument, be sure to try different takes with your USB microphone or iPad mic on different spots and distances from the guitar. Mic placement is very critical to get a decent sound. For example, placing a mic close to the sound hole of the guitar can add unwanted bass frequencies. Although with the iPad mic I found this to be the best spot.

How To Connect Guitar To Garageband Ipad Pro 1

Also, there are No EQ Frequency bands to allow you to fix things after recording. For a brighter tone, consider newer strings or a harder pick. If using the iPad's mic, make sure your room is as quiet as possible, because it'll pick up every little sound as the signal to noise ratio is not great. Another trick is to use the Guitar Amp settings for EQ control. I found the most natural to be the Clean Combo setting with the gain off. As you increase the gain, it adds some crunch to the tone. This way you can EQ somewhat and even add some nice compression and chorus. Even playing with the Noise Gate setting gave some interesting results. Metal Acoustic! Experimentation is key.

How To Connect Guitar To Garageband Iphone

Stay tuned for more GarageBand for iPad tips and tutorials on recording synths, pianos, etc. and vocals!