Just got a Mac

[stokedtoast]

I have a friend hooking me up with Logic Pro 8 and I'm thinking about ordering a drum program(maybe EZdrummer with the drumkit from hell expansion?) I'm also looking into Guitar Rig so I can test out different amps over my mac.. Anyway..

I'm fairly new to recording I had recorded some guitar tracks on my friends mac, but he had this device where you could plug your guitar into the mac. Like an adapter i suppose? If anyone knows anything like that.

I just need some advice on where to get started. My mac will be my main recording device.. any recommendations for programs or the like will be really helpful.

Thanks guys

 

[alecisonfire]

im a pro tools guy but thats just me. the cable your friend had is just a 1/4 to mini cable that runs into the mic jack most macs have. its okay for getting ideas down but it sounds pretty crap. its a cheap little thing though so id say its worth it to pick one up just so you can plug in and get an idea or riff down quickly

 

[stokedtoast]

Thanks for the quick response!

Well I'm down to record other ways.. I'd prefer to use the mic jack way but are there really good quality ones?

 

[alecisonfire]

you're best option to ease into it would be to buy a cheap interface like a line 6 toneport or something similar. i wouldnt recommend using that cable for anything serious

 

[stokedtoast]

I dunno if I want a cheap interface man. Is there any other program you recommend?

 

[Triple7]

The Line6 products are worth getting dude, I wouldn't recommend using a jack adaptor straight into the mac, the quality is shit. I am currently using the Pod Studio UX2, it is definitely worth spending 200 bucks on.

 

[B36arin]

A Presonus interface like the Firebox can be recommended. The best sounding guitar plugin for mac that I've heard has been Revalver MKIII Get the catharsis impulses and Revalver MKIII(expensive, but worth it), you should be set for guitars, if you're looking for plugin recording. You can get APTrigga to sample kick and snare, and get really awesome(superior to Toontrack) samples for free if you look around a little bit. You'll just have to cope with that cymbals sound like shit.... I've never heard any sampled cymbals that sound as good as real cymbals

Sorry if this was difficult to read, I'm drunk

To add a bit to that, you can get a very decent tone by using the Logic amp sim and Space Designer to simulate the power amp and cabinet stage of your guitar tone. But Logic 9 is totally superior to Logic 8, all the things that annoyed me with Logic 8 have been fixed in 9, and flex editing has been added as well

 

[alecisonfire]

depending on the coin you want to drop, i use an M-Audio fast track 8R which isnt crazy expensive as far as this shit goes but it definitely isnt cheap. i believe i paid somewhere in the area of $550 for mine. as recommended above logic is a beast of a program. basically all of the higher end DAWs are very powerful programs, its just a matter of becoming comfortable with them

 

[ddtonfire]

I have a Macbook Pro and I don't even bother with an interface. I run a mic or two into a mixer and run the output directly into the 1/8" inch input and it works fine and sounds great.

I have Logic 8, and for drums I use Superior 2.0 with the Metal Foundry plugin. They're great, but they can be quite the CPU hog. If you're just starting, DkFH is a good choice.

 

[ZXIIIT]

Sorry to wonder off, but I'm currently recording with a Mac too, I run my HD147 into the Line in jack on the mac and it sounds good, but I get this fizzy sound even on clean guitars, any suggestions?

 

[signalgrey]

its still probably too much for the soundcard

the Apogee duet is the way to go for mac interfaces and simplicity. and i also recommed Logic over protools. the newest logic is amazing and they have integrated a "guitar rig" type program into the app.

 

[ZXIIIT]

its still probably too much for the soundcard

the Apogee duet is the way to go for mac interfaces and simplicity. and i also recommed Logic over protools. the newest logic is amazing and they have integrated a "guitar rig" type program into the app.

I have never heard of the Apogee duet, it looks interesting, any sound clips?