[obcbeatle]

Hello:

Just wondering if anyone out there uses Garageband, and if so, how you are creating or modifying existing drum loops to fit your songs in GB? For instance, I can modify existing GB midi drum loops, but it can be painstaking. And I can create drum loops using my MacBook keyboard (but that's not really a realistic option). And I can download free drum loops off the web, but that is somewhat limiting. I'd really like to have more control of my drum loops so I can start/stop licks, create fills, etc. At the moment I know of no drummers locally and I have no proper midi device to interface to GB to create my own drum loops. So maybe that pretty much kills my best options for doing good drum loops in GB :-) I know there are a lot of GB tutorials online, but I've yet to find one that has any "golden nuggets" for how to create drum loops in GB. Maybe I just haven't found it yet. I'm not necessarily looking to produce professionally sounding drum loops. I just want to have some measure of control of the drum loop so I can create what I need to enhance my song recordings. Any advice/comments or pointers to web sites would be appreciated. Thanks!

PS: FWIW I'm using GB 08 and an Apogee Duet as my interface. And Pro Tools and other more robust audio recording rigs are unfortunately not an option right now, unless they're free :-)

[FunkDaddy]

Sorry to say, but painstaking or not, modifying the existing MIDI loops you have is likely your best option. I don't think there's any "golden nuggets" for drums in Garage Band.

[obcbeatle]

Thanks for the reply Mark. That's what I'm currently doing now, and I figured that was probably the only decent option till I can get a midi device...or better yet find a drummer. Just thought I'd ask the collective wisdom of this group in case I was missing something about GB, or about using drum loops in general. Most of the GB drum loops I like are not midi. But I can mod the midi ones for now. Or maybe scour the Internet for other free midi drum loops. I've been real lucky in my life in that most of the bands I played with (and recording sessions I participated) had really good drummers. And as a guitarist I enjoyed playing "in the pocket" with a good percussionist. It always created a great groove for writing. And it was lots of fun! Now I find myself missing that "groove getting" when trying to write songs by myself with drum loops and then recording with GB. Anyway, again, thanks for your reply. Much appreciated!

[ed_shaw]

I don't know what Apogee Duet is, but I have been working lately with drum and bass tracks generated by Band in a Box for MAC. Tracks compiled slip right into the timelines of GB. Isolate the tracks using the mute function. BPM in BAIB are compatible with the GB timeline. There is a very cool key trigger record function for percussion in BAIB that just might change your mind about tapping the keys. If you are careful to keep your timing consistent and give the files descriptive labels, you should be able to build up a collection of loops in no time, if that's your desire. Also, don't forget the good old microphone input, assuming you use an interface, as an additional content source. There are several ways out of the boring mechanical repetition trap.
I liked your record, even though my connection is too slow for me to make out the vocals.

[Paddy O'Furniture]

Hey Jerry,

I have GB 09...I'm not sure if what I do applies to that version or not.

What I do is choose a drum loop I like, then go to Master Track and adjust the bpm to the tempo I want. I'll play over the drum loop, then split and delete places where I want the drums removed. I'll add accents like Long Crash Cymbals or Single Kicks, which can be found in the same place as the drum loops.

I have an electric piano that I could use to make a drum track manually, but I've found it easier just to use GarageBand.

FunkDaddy, on 22 November 2011 - 02:13 AM, said:

I don't think there's any "golden nuggets" for drums in Garage Band.

So true. I'll take what I can get though.

[FunkDaddy]

Honestly, I think sometimes if you're doing a production on the cheap and don't really have the scratch for good drum samples/loops/MIDI, you might be better served to just try recording some handclaps and foot stomps and what not, it will give your track a more organic feel. Obviously depends on the kind of music but I notice this trend in a lot of indie acoustic music lately and I like it!

And embrace the drumloop! You don't have to always try and fake an acoustic kit. A nice steady electronic beat will add more to your song than a boring, poorly recorded acoustic loop with no fills. It sounds more "correct" when it's an electronic sound vs an acoustic sound.

[Paddy O'Furniture]

I'll have to try these ideas out, Mark. It certainly couldn't hurt my music, as you well know .

[ed_shaw]

FunkDaddy, on 25 November 2011 - 01:32 PM, said:

Honestly, I think sometimes if you're doing a production on the cheap and don't really have the scratch for good drum samples/loops/MIDI, you might be better served to just try recording some hand claps and foot stomps and what not, it will give your track a more organic feel. Obviously depends on the kind of music but I notice this trend in a lot of indie acoustic music lately and I like it!

I think Mark is absolutely right on this ---wait, what am I saying; there are no absolutes. Some combo of tambourine, sticks, hand clap can come in and support the lines in ways that the digital generator does not. My goal is to gradually drown out the computer generated tracks, and when it has worked, been glad of it.

Here is a simple 4/4 8-bar A to D bass and drums where the drum track consists of two layers, each BIAB produced. If you hear a faint organ comp, it is an intentional but distracting track. This being a GB project, there remains full control.

Parade Music

Incidentally, the bass track that sounds like a tuba becomes exaggerated in this particular encoding. I knew that, but in haste to put this track up, the one I happen to be working with this morning, I forgot to turn it down. Hence the name, Parade Music.

[obcbeatle]

Thanks for all the feedback! Ed_Shaw...I will check out BIAB, and thanks for posting the sample. BTW...the Apogee Duet is a nice interface I use with my Macbook. It has (2) mic and (2) line-inputs, plus outputs.

Mark...(and Ed_Shaw) thanks for the input on using mic'd hand claps and other percussion instruments besides software instruments. I wholeheartedly agree! The Beatles did some great stuff with hand claps! Also, I know have some maraca's laying around somewhere :-)

Patrick...sounds like GB 09 is similar to 08 in regards to GB drum loops. Sounds like you're doing exactly what I'm doing. I've used both non-midi drum loops and midi drum loops in GB and both have worked pretty well. The other day I spent a bunch of time though modifying a midi drum loop and got frustrated because I just wanted to lay down tracks. I need to be more patient :-) I also started noodling with a bass loop. To-date I've been mostly using/mod'ing GB drum loops. I guess the more I noodle, the better I'll get.

Lastly...I think I saw another thread on BIAB somewhere in muse, so I'm going to check that out!

Thanks again for all the comments!

[redmond007]

You might look into plugins like Addictive Drums that generate midi drum patterns that can be edited and manipulated, not to mention they sound better than the loops that come stock with GB. I've also played around with midi drum loops you can purchase from companies like Groove Monkey, which are fairly cheap.

Honestly, the best advice I could give someone about midi drum loops is that the key to having interesting, complex patterns with well placed fills that suit your song is to layer multiple drum parts. Take 10 tracks of just drums, use automation, use audio loops on some tracks, play some by hand using a midi controller (usually the fills). The more work you put into it the better your results will be.

[FunkDaddy]

I like Groove Monkey MIDI for fills...their grooves I find to be fairly lacking though. Maybe it's just because I have a ton of ToonTrack MIDI to choose from

[ed_shaw]

No one wants to be the one responsible for launching another on a software learning curve, but I can honestly say time spent with BAIB is not wasted. It is designed in such a way that you'll be creating tracks immediately, and can go as far with it as your little legs will carry you. You seem to be on an energy roll, now. I don't mind proposing you send that energy in that direction. It is over $100, but it is also made for the laptop you are using.
I almost went for a $250 Alesis AR-18 drum machine. Then, I reconsidered and decided to exploit the "record drum track" function on BAIB. You just bring up the picture of the drums, mute whatever, record tapping the keyboard, and the track is now in melody. That's just one example of the capacity of this thing.
You can export individual or multiple tracks, using the mute. My basic GB project now has four BIB tracks, all synced to the grid. Be sure to set the right Beats, Key, and chord signature in the "new project" window. You'll figure out a filing system.
Remember that "tuba" bass from "Parade Music?" It encouraged me to over dub it with the six string. I had not done that before. A real bass is kind of useless into GB. But the regular electric guitar strings sound fine.
I hope I am not pointing you in a fruitless direction. Honestly, I've yet to produce a track that doesn't sound like crap, but I don't blame the program or the concept.

[Lzi]

FunkDaddy, on 25 November 2011 - 03:32 PM, said:

Honestly, I think sometimes if you're doing a production on the cheap and don't really have the scratch for good drum samples/loops/MIDI, you might be better served to just try recording some handclaps and foot stomps and what not, it will give your track a more organic feel. Obviously depends on the kind of music but I notice this trend in a lot of indie acoustic music lately and I like it!

And embrace the drumloop! You don't have to always try and fake an acoustic kit. A nice steady electronic beat will add more to your song than a boring, poorly recorded acoustic loop with no fills. It sounds more "correct" when it's an electronic sound vs an acoustic sound.

Honestly, Mark, now you're impressing me. You are dead right. Hand claps and foot stomps can be a fantastic way to liven up a simple acoustic guitar/vocal recording. The only thing I might add is, further than only genre, this tactic might not work out so well unless the song has an up-vibe and is up tempo. It may work out on the right mid-tempo piece...Maybe. Think Anthemic pieces such as "We Will Rock You" by Queen. But yeah, even if you do use a sampled kit, you can still record some real hand claps and footstomps. Little details like this can make a record. Buy a tamborine, screw the sample you have of one, hell, buy two or three! Get some real hand percussion...A Djembe perhaps. A nice hardwood shaker? Leave those fake sounding samples right where they are. Yeah man, feed your creativity, I promise, if you do your records will thank you for it. Step outside of the digital box! Yeah man, I have a solid oak kitchen table that pretends that it's a kick drum sometimes...Once I bought an entire case of light bulbs so that I could drop them and record the sound as they exploded so that I could sample the sound and use it as part of a compound snare sound. When you get creative, it pays off. Follow your mind. I believe the biggest mistakes happen due to people not taking the time required to do anything that's more difficult than pulling up a pre-recorded sample. Man, if you have a microphone learn how to use it! They don't call this recording for no good reson man. Punching samples is not recording. Hang up the mic guys, make it work for you.

[m24p]

Don't discount the value of a table for percussion:
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=5mf7cQfhJSA (Song starts at 0:38)


Pomplamoose does some pretty good percussion:
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=z9KMgg7T_sg

They use regular drums, too, there may be some songs without any, I don't remember of the top of my head.

Shakers and the like can be really good, and they are cheap.

So basically, what FunkDaddy said.

[obcbeatle]

redmond007, on 29 November 2011 - 03:12 PM, said:

You might look into plugins like Addictive Drums that generate midi drum patterns that can be edited and manipulated, not to mention they sound better than the loops that come stock with GB. I've also played around with midi drum loops you can purchase from companies like Groove Monkey, which are fairly cheap.

Honestly, the best advice I could give someone about midi drum loops is that the key to having interesting, complex patterns with well placed fills that suit your song is to layer multiple drum parts. Take 10 tracks of just drums, use automation, use audio loops on some tracks, play some by hand using a midi controller (usually the fills). The more work you put into it the better your results will be.

Again...thanks everyone for your feedback. Much appreciated!

Redmon007...thanks for the tip on layering drum tracks. I do that with guitar tracks often and oddly enough, I hadn't even thought about doing it with drum tracks. I guess sometimes I have so many tracks it gets a bit unwieldy for me :-) But I need to do a better job of managing tracks anyway. I'm a pack rat when it comes to the # of tracks in a project, which can lead to problems once you reach a certain threshold. Also, I'm going to start learning and using automation. Thanks for mentioning automation.

Lastly. Can anyone highly recommend a cheap midi device for drums? I should probably start a new thread for that question, but just thought I'd ask. I'm still wavering between the BIAB concept and a midi controller. Tough decision when you're on a budget and can't do both. Meanwhile, I have 2 nice mic's and some odds and ends for more organic percussion creativity :-)

PS: If it matters for the midi controller, I use the Apogee Duet as my interface into GB. 2 mic & 2 lineins.

[FunkDaddy]

Depends on your budget but I would check out Maschine/Maschine Mikro. Very good "pad" interface and comes loaded with a bunch of samples already. Might be more useful if you're into urban/neo soul type music but I've always loved the fusion of acoustic folk music with urban percussion. I've had my eye on a Maschine for a while and with the release of the Mikro version, it's jumped up a few spots in the waitlist as it's significantly cheaper.

Give it a look-see: http://www.native-in.../?category=1773

But if you just want the controller...Akai, Alesis, Korg, etc they all make pad controllers at plenty of pricepoints.

[Lzi]

I have worked with 2 devices which both work extremely well. The venerable Akai MPC 2000 and the Roland 8800. The AKAI is quite a bit more "touchy" in terms of glitches and what not, The 8800 operates much more smoothly however, though the MPC is a 16bit machine and the 8800 is a 24/96 machine, there is simply something magical about the AKAI MPC tone. If you are on a tight budget you could check into an MPC 500. I see these used quite a lot, and for not much money either.

I did a thorough check out on the new AKAI MPC 5000 which is a 24/96 machine. Some say not-so-good things about this revision. I thought the 808 kick smple I pulled up sounded like God speaking, it almost took my head off! MPC pads are the tops. My midi controller has drum pads but, they feel like toys compared to an MPC. An MPC is a very creative tool. If Urban sounding drums/percussion is your aim Funk, look into an MPC. I've done rock drums with an MPC which sounded fantastic however, I miked the drums and created my own samples. You'd be surprised how many metal drummers cannot keep a steady double kick pattern up for more than a few seconds.

Urban drums/acoustic guitar is something I have been speaking with Quintescence about doing for quite some time, we just haven't had enough time. I love that idea though Funk, I can hear it in my head.

If you are going to venture into the hardware world of digital drumming, look no further than AKAI. An MPC is also an editing monster.

[FunkDaddy]

To each their own and in a roundabout way they all do the same job, but I just feel like the MPC's and MV's are relics compared to the flexibility and expandability of Maschine. The simple software/hardware marriage skyrockets Maschine above all of it's competitors. Unless I've missed a recent update to their line...Akai has fallen behind the times.

[FunkDaddy]

If you aren't interested in learning how to play drums (I assume, since in the original post you said you don't know any drummers, you don't know how to play them yourself) don't bother with an electronic kit. Even a basic drumbeat will take you a long time to get down steady. It's harder than it looks

[Lzi]

Have you ever worked beside someone who really knows how to play an MPC like an instrument Funk? Truth is, a sample is a sample is a sample, play it directly into the digital box and the only thing that makes much difference is bit/sample rate because, how the sound which was originally sampled sounded in the environment where someone sampled it, is exactly how it will sound when played back through whichever sampler you choose to play it through. Once it hits the circuitry of the sampler, the sound is inside of the box, and despite what anyone tells you, all you can do once something is inside of your DAW is shuffle digital files around. The original sound which you recorded is always there no matter how many plugins you put on it. Where a difference can be found is in either one or two places. First who has their hands on the samplers pads? A sampler when used to the best of its cap[abilities is being viewed by whoever is using it as if it is an instrument, and not merely a machine. At the end of the day it all comes down to workflow with machine. An instrument is a very personal thing. Many guys play Stratocasters, this is why every one of my guitars has modifications so, that, the sound I get from them is my sound. Samplers are no different, and many guys have their MPC's modded, totally tweaked out so...Kind of hard to place a stock MPC unit up against a stock whatever sampler because, it is the same as saying because, my $400 Mexican Stratocaster looks exactly like a '62, it is also going to sound exactly the same. Man, that'd be considered a crazy statement by most guitarists, unless of course, it's the kid who own the Mexi Strat LOL.

What this comes down to man is simple, it is like one guy loves Les Pauls, and the other loves Strats. Both feel and sound different but, no matter how incredible an instrument is in terms of workmanship, it always comes down to who puts their fingers on the strings. Samplers are no different.

You state that The Mashine is better than the MPC. OK. In objective terms, as purely concerns Sonics, please tell me why. The rest is a playability/workflow issue and none of this is objective at all, that'd be like someone saying Strats rule, Les Pauls suck or vice-versa LOL. Truth is, a sampler is only as good as the samples you feed it, and the hands which touch the pads. The rest is, well, B/S. Simple. Do microphones sing? Nope. What makes a mic great is so much more who is singing into it than most will ever realize. A great singer into a 57 sounds fantastic. A lousy singer into a U47 still sounds like a lousy singer. All of this magic everyone chases is not located within gear, it is in the performer or, it simply isn't happening. Regardless of whether or not they use one instrument or the other. Songs/Performances/Technology...It never works in any other order. If you get one of these three puzzle pieces in the wrong order you're doing it wrong. If the tech stuff is the lure you choose to bite on, you get what you get. Chasing tech-based stuff leads nowhere. Now, trust me, I know there are 1,000,000 over excited home studio owners out there that believe they have found the holy grail but, the truth is simple...You either write good songs or you don't. You perform them well or you don't. Great gear/Crappy gear...Both will tell you the very same story concerning the quality of the writing, and the skill level of the musicians. If the song is bad, the performance horrible, will technology be able to save it? Should technology save you? It's all dog dung if it's not a well-written and well-played song.

The magic of Eric Clapton's sound is not found within the guitar, it's not an amp, and it's not the combination of both either man, it just doesn't work this way. Eric is the man, screw a Strat, even if it's the first one ever made. Eric makes the magic. Give Eric a Squire Strat and listen to what comes out of the amp. The same magic. Only Eric sounds like Eric. Give Dr. Dre an MPC, an 8800 or The Mashine...Do you really believe it is going to matter which sampler Dre chooses to use? Give Dre an MPC 500 and he will amaze you, I'll guarantee you this. Gear is witchcraft, it is voodoo but, neither is magic, only a means to get there.

Yeah...lots of guys get there with an MPC. One instrument or another is spiltting hairs but, the MPC's reputation speaks for itself. Going the new, improved, easier route you can't get better french fries than sliced potatoes, hot oil, and salt can create. But the person who is making the fries matters a whole hell of a lot.

[FunkDaddy]

I didn't say Maschine sounds better. Like you said, a sample is a sample. I said the hardware/software marriage brings Maschine to a whole other level. It takes everything that's good about the MPC/MV hardware and makes it more intuitive and easier to edit, chop, screw, warp, etc. Relics may have been a harsh term but they are most definitely behind the times. You're right, it is all about who's on the pads, never said it wasn't. They both do the same thing, like I said...but I'd take the easy expandability and interface of Maschine from the overlords of software sampling over the Akais any day. Call me a sucker but as soon as I heard Glitch Mob was using Maschines, it sold me, that was the final seal of approval I needed.

Maschine:


MPC:


I ain't mad at the MPC

[obcbeatle]

After reading all the informative replies since my last post, I got to thinking about how little I really know about recording and the use of a midi device for creating music and loops. For instance, I really think my music could benefit from me using a midi device to create my own drum loops. But I also would like to be able to add keyboard (synth, piano, etc.) loops and samples to my music as well. It got me to wondering about a midi device that does drums and keyboard sampling equally well. This may really mean I need (want) 2 midi devices. So I really need to do my research. I may well be able to create my own synth and piano samples from within Garageband, I just haven't figured out how yet. I spend a lot of time trying to get my guitars and vocal mic'ing like I want when recording. I really need to focus more on the learning how to get drums and keyboard music into GB. I can noodle on a piano enough to help me write songs and could even picture myself laying down some basic keyboard tracks into GB. In fact, once I write a tune on my guitar I go to our piano and figure out the chords to listen. It is a great way to get a whole different perspective and feel for a song. I sometimes end up modifying the song tempo, chord progression/phrasing or melody after noodling with it on the piano. Unfortunately our piano is very old and mostly out of tune (not really fixable) so I can't record it thru my mic's :-( Anyway, as part of the discussion of this thread noted, it's not so much the midi device into the DAW, but what kind of talent is tapping the pads or keys. So I guess I'd be inclined to research a midi device that is inexpensive and was versatile enough at creating drum AND keyboard samples (if such device actually exists). And also research software solutions a little more.

FunkDaddy, thanks for posting the Maschine and MPC Youtube links. That's what got me to thinking of the possible power of a midi device to do more than just drum loops! Also, you are correct, I currently don't have access to a real drummer. And I miss that a lot as I spent many years in bands and I loved playing guitar with a good drummer! I've played drums a little before, like during rehearsals when the drummer would let me sit at his kit while I gave him my guitar :-) I could keep a decent beat, and develop some simple fills, but I knew I was out of my element. And I've played around with a midi device some years ago to try to create some simple drum loops. You are correct, it was NOT an easy thing to do :-) I think the only thing I have going for me is maybe a good inner clock for rhythm. Better than my ability to create good melodies /harmonies. I play guitar (my main instrument) very rhythmically, I think. So maybe if I practiced I could eventually create some decent drum loops thru a midi device. And if I had a natural sized keyboard (for synth or piano) I know I could comp chord progressions and melodies on the keyboard. I will check out the Maschine to get a better understanding of what you mean by a good hardware/software marriage.

Burnin Sven, I will check out Addictive Drums and EZ Drummer. I've seen a separate thread here on Addictive Drums too. Thanks for the info.

Lzi. I will check out the MPC 500. Thanks for the feedback.

I guess the bottom line is I still have a lot to think about now, including my budget :-)

[FunkDaddy]

obcbeatle, on 11 December 2011 - 01:06 PM, said:

I will check out the Maschine to get a better understanding of what you mean by a good hardware/software marriage.

As you'll see in your research, Maschine refers to both hardware and software, developed to work together. The software is sold separately as well. As far as I know, there are no other combinations like it, the compatibility is unmatched. I believe integration is the word And you're talking software from the kings of software sampling in Native Instruments, so you know the software isn't lacking. Maschine interfaces flawlessly with all the Native Instruments uhm instruments. Another big selling point for me personally as I've invested in quite a bit of NI software.

I'm not knocking the Akai MPC series, they are beasts, but in my opinion, Maschine is the future. Your mileage may vary. At well under $400 for the Mikro version though (basically the full Maschine with just a few less knobs) it'd be one of the first things I check out

[obcbeatle]

FunkDaddy, on 11 December 2011 - 06:08 PM, said:

obcbeatle, on 11 December 2011 - 01:06 PM, said:

I will check out the Maschine to get a better understanding of what you mean by a good hardware/software marriage.

As you'll see in your research, Maschine refers to both hardware and software, developed to work together. The software is sold separately as well. As far as I know, there are no other combinations like it, the compatibility is unmatched. I believe integration is the word And you're talking software from the kings of software sampling in Native Instruments, so you know the software isn't lacking. Maschine interfaces flawlessly with all the Native Instruments uhm instruments. Another big selling point for me personally as I've invested in quite a bit of NI software.

I'm not knocking the Akai MPC series, they are beasts, but in my opinion, Maschine is the future. Your mileage may vary. At well under $400 for the Mikro version though (basically the full Maschine with just a few less knobs) it'd be one of the first things I check out

I just took a pretty good look online at the Maschine, and I agree it looks very robust. I'm hoping to try one out during the Xmas holiday when I'll be in the big city and can try one with my own hands :-) Also, just a quick note...today I figured out how to record a keyboard software instrument onto a track in Garageband! Pretty simple stuff for everybody else, I know but I just never made the time to do it, and now I'm psyched! I created a pop organ track by just playing on my MacBook keyboard and it sounds good enough to put in my next song. Now I'm going to try to figure out how to use Automation in GB... Thanks for the help!

[obcbeatle]

I just took a pretty good look online at the Maschine, and I agree it looks very robust. I'm hoping to try one out during the Xmas holiday when I'll be in the big city and can try one with my own hands :-) And hopefully an MPC. Also, just a quick note...today I figured out how to record a keyboard software instrument onto a track in Garageband! Pretty simple stuff for everybody else, I know but I just never made the time to do it, and now I'm psyched! I created a pop organ track by just playing on my MacBook keyboard and it sounds good enough to put in my next song. Now I'm going to try to figure out how to use Automation in GB... Thanks for the help!

[obcbeatle]

Burnin Sven, on 13 December 2011 - 06:20 PM, said:

For keys and drums you can just get a cheap usb keyboard like Garagekey. Im sure GB will see it and what ever instruments you can load in GB you will be able to play from it. Im not sure how GB handles audio instruments but if its anything like in Logic its gonna be a walk in the park to get it going with a usb keyboard. They have a really good price on Logic Pro on App Store now so it might be worth looking in to also.

Im broadcasting on justin.tv from time to time so I can show how some of the stuff you do in Logic works live. Come to think of it might even be possible to do it live in google hangouts if more people would want to check out and chat about how Logic works. I have Logic studio 8 though not the new Logic 9 version but the difference is not so big between them.

http://www.justin.tv...ockeyplayerever

My spoken English is not so hot thought but I guess its possible to understand me lol

Hi Burnin Sven. Thanks for mentioning this! It got me to wondering, I currently run all my audio devices thru my Apogee Duet which is connected via firewire to my MacBook, then recognized by GB. The AD has two xlr inputs and two 1/4" line inputs. I'm guessing someone makes an inexpensive keyboard like you mention (Garagekey) that has an 1/4" or xlr input. I'll check it out! So it sounds like, when I create a GB software instrument track, like for the midi Pop Organ (w/ Musical Typing enabled) for instance, I could use the Garagekey type keyboard for playing the Pop Organ, advantage being the Garagekey has a real piano type keyboard layout so that I could just play it like a regular piano? Plus I wouldn't have to mash my MacBook keyboard keys anymore :-) The same being true for creating drum loops, and GB makes the toms, kick, etc. available on the Garagekey, as long as Musical Typing is enabled? I guess the Musical Typing menu item is what is confusing me. Maybe if I plug in a midi keyboard into the AD, GB will just see it as a Real Instrument vs a Software Instrument and I don't use the Musical Typing menu item anymore (like when I plug in my guitars and mic's). I guess the bottom line is I need to borrow a midi keyboard to see how AD and GB recognize it. I should have purchased one years ago! Thanks again for the info!

[Lzi]

obcbeatle, on 11 December 2011 - 01:06 PM, said:

After reading all the informative replies since my last post, I got to thinking about how little I really know about recording and the use of a midi device

HERE is the beginning of all wisdom.

LOL I've been a recording musician since 1979 and I still feel this way.

"In the beguinner's mind there are many possibilities, in the experts mind there are few."

---Shunryu Suzuki

You don't want to be an expert. Remain a beginner always, you'll discover more from this place. Knowing is not understanding. One tip...Listen three times more than you think.

It is all in the ears.