Record With My New Imac Options

[bubblingpeter]

hi there,
last week i tried the new powerbook g4 of a friend of mine, fell in love with that wonderful creature, i decided to try out a program for guitar from native-instruments (guitarrig),i noticed that worked pretty well and with almost no latency, but the input volume was anyway to low, and when i tried to turn it up the guitar went in orrible feedback.
so i just ordered an iMac g5, that i guess should go way better on prestations, but i really don't know if it's going to work the way i want.
do i need an amplifier for my mixer to get the sound into the computer with a good recording level?
I don't know much about the internal soundcard either.
thanx for your opinions.
greets Pietro

[ourmanflinty]

The stereo input on your machine will take line level on a mini jack..with the right lead from your mixer you should get a good level, but it depends on what kind of features your mixer has..Group outputs? Auxilary / Effect sends? Direct outputs?
You may be happy with the sound of this 16 bit stereo input, if you need more quality you will have to buy an ' interface '

[bubblingpeter]

thanx for sharing some idea...
i have a small mixer (without pre-amp) that i plug to the computer with rca cables.
i've always been a windows user, and few years ago i bought a CREATIVE SOUNDBLASTER PLATINUM, and i have to say that i never had a problem with it.
the thing that i want now is to write music, record (guitars and voice), and mix it on a better level.
and then i have another question...
trying the guitarrig on the pb g4 i noticed that when it's not on, doesn't come any sound into the computer until i don't open it... how is it possible? do i really need a preamp for my new mac if i want to play without a software?
and in the personal settings, am i able to split the internal mic with the line-in without record them both?it would be awful otherwise..
thanx
ciao

[Psychoprick]

In the System prefferences (the white square with apple logo in your dock) you can select input/output and levels under the sound item. Hope that answers a question.

Further:
For me was my line-in good enough for guitar but absolutely not for a mike. So I had to buy me some gear.
Had some advice in this thread

The built in mic is for speech and is good for that but not for singing etc...

Hope that helps.

[shawf]

Hi all as a general suggestion if you are trying to get guitar into anything be it a computer, mixing console,or interface, i would recommend the use of a DI and or preamp, the DI will turn
your guitar output signal into a balanced signal into your mixer and match the input impedence which will avoid HUM(50 HZ BUZZ).

If you are inputing your guitar into your computer you need to use a preamp there are a few around some with a valve for a warmer sound and that nice valve distortion when you crank it up, it's not like digital distortion, you can record anything in analogue up to about +6db VU go over -12 in digital and you are already running out of head room.

Take care
Flash