My friend Mugs recently asked me: 'So I have a Mac - what do i need to record?? Tell me please!!'
So I set up this email for her and thought it would be also a fun Blog.
How to Record to your Mac
or, The Home Studio Production Chain of Addiction
1. Your mac.
Ok, you got that. Sweet! What kind of MAC do you have? You can find out by checking out it's specs on the Apple Product Page.
I have a MacBook Pro.
2. An Audio Interface.
These range from inexpensive to crazy, but you do want to get a decent one so the quality is good. I recommend one within the $150-200 range. Get a USB if possible, as Firewire is past it's prime. Do you have a firewire port on your MAC? How many USB's do you have?
I have a PreSonus Firebox and it works great. I've used it in the past to hook up a variety of instruments to my laptop and record them with Ableton (I was in a 'band' in Seattle). It was fun to see Ableton's CPU measurement bar actually go past 5%.
3. A Mic (with XLR Cable, of course)
4. Recording-Editing Software. This is where it gets fun.
You can do a lot with Garage Band, which your MAC should have come with. If not, you can use Audacity, which is a free recording software. That's what I use mostly because it's a lot like SoundForge, which I used to use on PC (and sadly isn't available for MAC). Audacity is a little clunky. One thing to note is that you can't save to MP3. You have to export it as a WAV file and then use iTunes to create an MP3 version.
5. MIDI controller
When you're ready to do more, get a MIDI controller. There's tons of types, and it'll depend on what you want to do. Piano? Drums? Mixing? Ok, maybe you need to pick some Production software first.
I went in for the M-Audio Axiom 49, but they were out of stock at the time I went. So I got the 61 for the price of the 49. So now I play air guitar on 61 Keys.
5.5. USB Port Hub
Oops, too many USB's to connect? No problem. Just get a USB Port Hub. Spend the $25 on the 7 Port one. They fill up fast, especially with the iPhone and that fancy USB mug warmer.
6. Recording-Editing-Production Software. This is where it gets REALLY fun.
So here you have a few directions to go:
1-- I've read that Logic Express is a great next step after Garage Band. That's great, because most of the big big producers use Logic. Apparently it has far superior sound over Reason. Apparently. And it's only like $100 for the express version, so you can work your way up to Pro.
2-- Ableton. This is really the shit for a LOT of stuff. If you find that you're doing a bunch of live recording of vocals & instruments, get Ableton. If you're wondering how people make electronic sounds with Ableton, that's from VST's, which are basically software plugins that hook up to Ableton to be the instruments (synths, drums, etc) that you're looking for. Mostly. Ableton has it's own instruments (Impulse is the drum machine) and lots of people use them. But I didn't like them. Or maybe I just didn't get it.
So I went with ...
3-- Reason. Which is a big, huge container for a bunch of VST's. Aka, virtual instruments. I like it because I'm very visual, and the instruments (VST's) look like actual hardware instruments would, set up in a rack, with cables in the back that bounce. It's all very cute.
7. Good quality studio monitors
Yeah, baby. Now you're itchin' to hear what your creations REALLY sound like.
I have the KRK RPG5G2 Rokit G5 5Ln Powered Studio Monitors, which after a lot of research seemed like the best quality for the cheapest price. Plus Zoe had some, and I had my first real breakthrough with them. You could say they popped my cherry. Sentimental value, I guess.
8. A Musician's Ear
Sweet, you got your monitors all hooked up, you're listening to your hot track! Um. It sounds like shit, doesn't it? Yes, that's because all the sounds are out of tune. If you aren't one of the lucky 2% that were blessed at birth with a Tuner's Ear, then get a software program called Mixed in Key. It will show you what all your sounds are and comes with an easy-to-follow Number Wheel. Yes, use it. Trust me. Life is better here.
9. Subwoofer (Optional)
I learned that Mochipet just bought a Sub three months ago and he's been producing for over 10 years. But if you really wanna hear, oops, I mean feeeeeel all your layers, get a sub. I have one. My roommates love it!
10. Work with other Producers
I've learned a lot from books, YouTube, DVD tutorials and other articles, but I really jump levels in my learning process when working with other producers. For example, BassPop just came by my studio a few weeks ago and helped me understand something about Basslines that I'd read a few times but never really got. The more we work together, the faster we all learn & the more creative ideas we can generate. More creativity means more great music. And the more great music that is available, well, that's all the more we get to dance to ;)
BTW, This blog was alternatively inspired by Mugs' question about recording, DJ Denise, a long-time producer's comment to me that she loves seeing females producing & J.Phlip's recent statement in this Beatportal article about Female Electronic Music Producers:
"I'm seeing more and more women on dope lineups - right up there with the dudes. But there still aren't very many female producers. Are there more women out there who want to sit for hours and hours and make bass and beats and spend their money on Ableton and a synth rather than a sexy new pair of jeans and those dope new Givency platform wedges? I guess we'll have to wait and see." - J.Phlip
Good thing that J.Phlip, Denise, Mugs & I have some killer Thrift Stores in SF!
