iMic for recording music?, I want to record something on my g4! Options

Hi,
I'd like to record audio from my keyboard to the g4, would the griffin iMic be a solution?
I'm on a g4 with mic input but, as you know, the PlainTalk plug works only with mac microphones and not with other audio equipment.
Thanks

[goon]

I have a Griffin iMic USB audio interface, and have used it only a little so far. I have a G3 iMac OS 9.2.1, running Digital Performer 3.02 & PTFree. The iMic plugs & plays with both DP and PTFree [I didn't have to install or configure anything, really], and the 24 bit depth makes tracking a little easier than it was with SoundManager (16bit) -- I can have more dynamic range without worrying so much about clipping.

The latency is going to be pretty high, so plan to monitor your input signal outside of the computer -- split the input signal and run it to your monitors and the iMic in parallel. If you monitor the signal that comes back from the computer through the iMic outputs, it will be delayed quite a bit, so mute the tracks you are recording in your audio sequencing application, and route only the previously recorded audio to the iMic's outputs, then mix with your input monitor signal to get a so-called 'cue mix.'

You will need at least a 4-channel mixer to do this. I am just using an an old Tascam 4-track cassette recorder as a mixer. Since it is only for monitoring, the sound quality of the mixer is not very critical.

If your keyboard outputs MIDI, then you might want to get a MIDI interface as well. Then you can use software synths and do all kinds of other fun nerdy stuff.

Good luck,
goon

[skinnywhitegeek]

For professional quality hard disc recording, I'd suggest a professional-quality sound card, like that MOTU firewire device, and then you can get really hardcore professional microphones to run into it.