Recording Vinyl Records In Garageband, Using record player attached to mini Mac Options

[drewthescot]

Can you record through your record player your vinly 45's and Albums using Garageband?

[gdoubleyou]

Depends on the turntable, if it's from a regular home stereo system. You will have to get some sort of impedence matching device to deal with the RAIA output.

Some of the DJ turntables actualy have line outs that can be directly connected.

Radioshack, or Sweetwater.com should have some devices that will work.

[drewthescot]

Whats does a Raia Output mean?
Drew

[gdoubleyou]

In the olden day there were only ceramic stylus cartridges available, you will have to research if your turntable to see if it's ceramic or magnetic. Then get the proper interface or adaptor.

If your stereo system has line outs( not where you hook up speakers) you can simply buy an adapter cable with stereo mini jack, and rca connectors. The amp or reciever will have the proper preamp to output via line outs.

[mortalengines]

Raia was a standard for impedence that all vinyl playback devices adhered to. you can use the line outs from your stereo (maybe called the "tape outs") but purists tend to really just use a Phono preamp or a "phono D/I type box (Rolls makes one for about 60 bucks & alot of mixers have them as well) as the stereo can impart unwanted "color" or "noise" to the signal on the way to the computer)

[drewthescot]

I can record because my record player is going through an amplifier.So When I learn to use Garage Band I'll be recording my vinyl.
Drew

[gdoubleyou]

Should take you about an hour to learn Garage Band, to find the Garage Band communities go here.

http://www.macjams.com
http://www.icompositions.com

[drewthescot]

HOW DO YOU PLAY A RECORD THROUGH GARAGE BAND WITH YOUR AMPLIFIER?
DREW

[mortalengines]

Okay, assuming your stereo amplifier has 2 RCA outs (stereo right & left) you now need some kind of interface to get the signal into your computer. This is entirely subjective & up to you as far as what to buy. PreSonus & M-audio both make excellent firewire interfaces that start at around 200 bucks. If you want to go even cheaper than that, there are some USB interfaces that would probably do the job just fine. If I were spending the money, I would look at getting a cheap firewire type interface (possibly one with RCA inputs even but most music stores would be able to get you some RCA to 1/4" TRS adapters for cheap as well). Now, having said that, If you want to go REALLY cheap, you could get an RCA to 1/8" stereo adapter (again available just about anywhere) & run it into your "audio line-in" port on your mac. You will probably hate the results though.

I have never really played with GB but you will probably set a audio track to "record" (you may have to make sure that your mac's input is selected as an audio source in the "preferences" drop down menu if you don't get a signal immediately after "arming" your track to receive incoming audio).

This post has been edited by mortalengines: Sun 30 Apr 2006, 00:56

[drjuju]

The Presonus Inspire firewire interface, sitting on my console next to the big old DW-8000, has a stereo pair of RCA inputs that can be set to RIAA EQ for turntable input. Special little button on the GUI for that specific purpose. Sez "Phono" right there on it.

I'm a geezer myself, and while I hold the Presonus Inspire to be a sort of rough and ready tool for my digital scratchpad, it would do this job and others like it nicely. I've got no vinyl, but I do have a whole generation of pretty-good-quality casette stock and a venerable old Tascam rackmount 122 that's still quiet enough to act as a preamp for the office stereo in addition to its trascription role in moving my stuff from tape to disc and CD/DVD.

My recordist, the guy who treats me like a popstar and has all those pretty tube mics and stuff, who's making my new CD happen, uses the Firebox which, in case nobody's noticed, gets all the attention at Presonus. There's a number of reasons for that and I kick myself (figuratively, of course) for not coughing up the few extra bucks for a nice, quiet black box. I get really, really tired of the audio mess in my inspire. Sometimes it's like a bad shortwave signal in there. Sometimes it's wonderfully clear. I sent it back to Presonus who said they could find nothing wrong with it and were returning it to me...in a new box with a new power supply and CD packet and gosh...lookee here...it's even got a new serial number on it!... If they'd have just emptied out all the crickets and birdies chirping...