Apple GarageBand Tutorial: Lesson 2 - Manual (Page 2)

2 Lesson 2: Working With Real Instruments
Connecting Musical Instruments to Your Computer
Some microphones can be connected to your computer using the audio in port, if your
computer has one. You can also connect microphones and instruments using an audio interface.
Some audio interfaces let you connect multiple microphones or instruments to your computer
and record them on different channels. Audio interfaces are available in a variety of formats,
including USB, FireWire, PC card, and PCI formats. If you plan to use an audio interface, be sure
your computer supports the format of the interface.
You may also want to connect speakers or monitors to your computer to hear your songs play
back with greater audio quality than possible from your computer’s speaker. A variety of
monitors and speakers are available, including speakers you can connect directly to your
computer's audio out port, through a USB port, or using an audio interface.
If you connect an audio interface to your computer, you set the audio interface as the audio
input device for GarageBand. Before setting the audio input device, be sure to install any
necessary driver software for the audio interface.
To set an audio interface as the audio input device:
1 Choose GarageBand > Preferences, then click the Audio/MIDI Interfaces tab.
2 In the Audio/MIDI Interfaces pane, choose the audio interface from the Audio Input pop-up
menu.
If you connect a microphone, an instrument, or other audio device directly to your computer’s
audio-in port, you set may need to configure input settings for it in the Sound pane of your
computer’s System Preferences.
To configure input settings in System Preferences:
1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu, then click the button for Sound Preferences.
2 In the Sound Preferences pane, click the Input tab.
3 Select Line In from the sound input devices list, then drag the Input volume slider to set the
input level.
Adding a Real Instrument Track
To record a Real Instrument, you can add a new Real Instrument track or record on an existing
Real Instrument track.
To add a Real Instrument track:
1 Click the Add Track button, or choose Track > New Track.
2 In the New Track dialog, click the Real Instrument tab.
3 Select an instrument category from the Category list, then select an instrument from the
Instrument list.
4 Select the input format by clicking either the Mono or Stereo format button, then choose the
input channel from the Input pop-up menu.
If the instrument you are recording has a single input, choose the Mono format. If the instrument
has left and right inputs, choose the Stereo format.