garageband mixer?

joewherefast wrote:
hello. i am new to garageband and was just messing around with it a bit and it seems pretty cool, but... is there not a mixer gui? perhaps i have missed it somewhere, but are the only mixing options the little volume faders on the tracks? i need more control than that. thanks.
joe

That's right... there's no mixer Gui, just track view. In GB, the track view also serves as the mixer view.

However, there are more controls than just volume. You've also got pan and some other things, and if you open the disclosure triangle, you have access to track automation for a variety of parameters. There's also a Master Track for universal effects.

If you prefer a traditional mixing GUI and need access to many more parameters, you might want to consider Logic. GB keeps everything simple, but lacks the flexibility and options of Logic.

joewherefast wrote:
thanks matti, like i said, i haven't messed with it too much. i'm used to things like pro tools and cakewalk and a little bit of cubase.

By limiting its options, GB allows almost anybody to just get started with very little obstacles. It uses the same underlying sound engine as Logic, but the GUI is fairly static so there is little to learn and little to go wrong. However, if you're used to ProTools, Cakewalk, and Cubase, you might feel a little boxed in by its limitations. The new Logic Studio package is the other extreme... it's amazing how much stuff is crammed into it! Given your background and interests, it sounds like you might prefer Logic.

Just to throw a bit more in here - as an ex-Cubase user and now a Logic user I still use Garageband quite often - I also initially found the user interface apparently lacking, but nevertheless it does pretty much what anyone would want to achieve good quality multitrack recording and there's more to it than is immediately apparent.

If you're sure you want to get into serious recording, then Logic is the answer. But if you're not sure, I'd definitely give Garageband a try with what you're trying to do - as you engage with it, it becomes more impressive really.

joewherefast wrote:
Dude, really, I'm not trying to be a jerk. I had asked if there was GUI for a mixer for Garageband and you asked what kind of control I needed. I don't know you either or what you do, I'm not trying to be difficult. I just thought it was a simple question and would warrant a simple yes or no answer.

I record acoustic acts, usually 4-6 tracks tops with a Presonus firepod. I'm just wanting some way to make the mix down a bit easier, I have not really used Garageband to do this yet, because I have other software, but I thought I might like to try it.

Please, I will take any help you have. We seem to have gotten off to a bad start and that is my fault.
Joe

Ah, the vagaries of internet communication... not a perfect medium yet, even with all those smiley and other emotions to distinguish friend from foe!

In any case, I'm not sure of your budget, but one thing you might want to try is to get Logic in one of its forms, and experiment with it. You could always record using Garageband, and then bring your tracks into Logic for mixing.

Logic is just so much more hugely flexible for mixing that it's like comparing apples with space shuttles. On the other hand, Garageband is so straightforward, that even veteran Logic users often use Garageband for tasks that are better handled in Garageband without a boatload of options and potential pitfalls. I know some "serious musicians" who like to go back and forth or use them in tandem.

If you split up your workflow into recording in Garageband, and editing in Logic, that would also give you time to get familiar with Logic, and you might find yourself getting comfortable enough with it to record directly into Logic in the first place, and think of Garageband more as a sketchpad. In other words, Garageband may be your gateway drug to Logic. Or, depending on your mixing needs and the style of music you're working with, you might prefer recording into or working entirely within Garageband.

FWIW, the latest version of Logic, Logic 8 (which is included in both Express and Studio), has a more streamlined and user friendly interface than Logic 7. So it's not quite as daunting as it used to be. And just as Apple included additional features in the latest version of Garageband which makes it much more of a useful tool, they also beefed up Logic with some pretty slick new mixing capabilities as well.

i need more control than that.

like what?

i think i personally may need a bit more though.

and if you explain what that "little bit more" you want is, we can tell you if GB does or does not have it.

no offense taken, if you're not interested in finding something out, that's cool.

harder?

i am WAY over here. i have no idea who you are, what you do, what you want, or what equipment you've used. the question is simple. what controls are you looking for?