Mixer to Mac

Alright so I just got my incredibly awesome Yamaha MG 16/4 sound mixer. I plan on using it to record my friends bands and my brother playing drums. I normally use Garageband and my iMic to record the output of a mixer. But I know there's got to be something better out there. What software (If any) do you use with your sound mixer?

there is something better out there, but it´s not software. It´s a better soundcard. One thats made for recording music.
I see you´ve got an ibook, so you should go for a firewire or usb2 one. And for recording what you say youre gonna do garageband will probably still be good enough.

Sound Mixer

johninc said:

Alright so I just got my incredibly awesome Yamaha MG 16/4 sound mixer. I plan on using it to record my friends bands and my brother playing drums. I normally use Garageband and my iMic to record the output of a mixer. But I know there's got to be something better out there. What software (If any) do you use with your sound mixer?

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I use garageband too but I want to get Final Cut Studio.

final cut studio is nothing like garageband. One is for editing video and one for audio. There are tons of better software choices out there, but the fact is you dont need anything better. Especially if youre new to audio recording and editing. A mixer like yours will not mix digitally into garageband thus allowing a tracked recording. All inputs will be mixed into a single track. With digital audio interface (outboard SOUND CARD and audio inputs) you can have it tracked in a program like garageband. To sum it up, just use garageband

all you need to do it use the direct out on the mixer in the you iMic.. you dont get the choice of digitaly mastering each independant track. but of course you can adjust every thing on the mixer.

Yeah I adjust it all through the mixer. Several people recommended Logic Express.

i would just record each instrument individually. in garage band... the mixer will come in handy when recording the drums....

It's funny how many people think that right away they need the biggest and the best. I use Cubase for heavy tracking and recording my band and jazz demos, but I still turn to garageband for all the original music ive recorded for a dvd or animation, as well as all my original music demos. If you want to get Logic Express that would be a great choice, but I was told when I first started recording to use what you have until you've grown past it. The interface in garageband is perhaps the simplest of any audio recorder out there. If you do get Logic Express, I can guarantee that you wont be using any features that garageband doesnt have. But also remember that if youre recording everything through an outboard mixer into a single input, it makes less of a difference what program you are recording into. It's just a single real audio track with whatever mastering you want to do to it.

xthisisRomancex said:

i would just record each instrument individually. in garage band... the mixer will come in handy when recording the drums....

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Yeah I'm probably going to record each track individually and then adjust them in GarageBand.

Just wanna help...

You know you can try a Mackie software. You can try a lot of softwares. It's really up to you. Use garageband first and eventually you'll learn more. All the people who wrote comments here are also right. Just experiment with it because if you want a better sound quality you need better mics(eg.SHURE), better mixers, speakers and subwoofers etc... etc...

SHURE SHURE?!?!?!?!?

o ok maybe there good but I bought some Nady's which were rated highly and were said to be almost as good or just as good as the SM58. I've used the SM58 many times and I gotta say my Nady's sound nearly as good.

Unless you're going for pro, Garageband is going to give you as good of results as you put into it. Good music in, good music out. My only concern would be multiple track recording on an iBook. I have the same laptop you have and it can struggle at times with too many tracks going. So unless you're recording one or two tracks at a time, you may want to beef up the the RAM brotha!

I run Tracktion 2 and a Presonus Firebox on my Powerbook. Works great, I can do a full band live(minus vocals).