MacBook Air - Recording Electric Drums

Hi Pete,

I would look at those as two separate tasks:

MIDI: you can either plug your set directly into the computer using a USB cable (likely), or if neccessary, you might need to buy a simple MIDI interface, like the M-Audio UNO.

Audio: best is to get an audio interface, plug the audio outs of the drums into that, and the interface into the computer. Here's a bunch of popular USB audio interfaces:

http://www.sweetwater.com/c695--USB_Audio_Interfaces

I use a TD-4 and GB. From what I have seen, avoid using a MIDI to USB adapter. Best to get yourself an Audio interface that has a 5 pin MIDI connecter. Then its as easy as plugging the kit in, choosing the software drum kit from GB's library and away you go.

You actually can record both the audio out of the TD brain and the MIDI in to GB at the same time as well. There might be some benefit for you to do both.

The TD-4 brain has a 5pin MIDI out connector and two 1/4" L/R outputs as well as a 1/8" headphone out. Using the MIDI connection produces no sound, just instructions for a software instrument to follow in order to create the sound. You can get Audio out of the brain by getting a cable that takes the L & R 1/4" outs an blends then into a single 1/4" stereo jack. This would then plug into your audio interface. Likewise you can just go out from the head phone jack with a single cable with an adaptor that goes from 1/8" to 1/4".

GarageBand allows you to record 1 MIDI and up to 8 Audio tracks at one time. In this case you would create a green software instrument track and load a drum kits from GB's library.

For the audio, you would load a blue real instrument track and set the inputs to match the channels on the audio interface.

You would then enable the Multitrack option in GB, record enable both tracks, then hit the global record button in the transport bar.

I don't know much about USB audio interfaces. I use a Presonus FireWire unit. They have just released a new USB interface that seems to be getting very good reviews.

The Apogee Duet come highly regarded. http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/duet2.php

The general consensus is to stay away from M-Audio's entry level interfaces, and for the home/hobby recording person, you get what you pay for. Take you time with your choice of interface. There is nothing worse than buying twice.

gjmnz wrote:

From what I have seen, avoid using a MIDI to USB adapter. Best to get yourself an Audio interface that has a 5 pin MIDI connecter.

Why avoid a MIDI to USB adapter?

If you need one, you need one, no?

An interface that includes a 5 pin MIDI connecter in it is just incorporating the MIDI to USB (or MIDI to Firewire) adapter internally.

I always figured, better to have the adapter on its own rather than use the adapter built into the interface so no one device is overtaxed. Could be unnecessary though.

The Apogee Duet come highly regarded. http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/duet2.php

Thinking of getting one myself, but since it doesn't have MIDI onboard, you'd need to use an external MIDI adapter with that if using it with something like the TD-4 (which I've never found to be a problem).

MattiMattMatt wrote:

Why avoid a MIDI to USB adapter?

I make this statement based on responses I have seen on this forum regarding MIDI drum kits and and GB issues. Every single time someone posts with an issue of 'not working'... they are using a 5pin MIDI to USB adaptor. There seems to be more problems with Yamaha kits, but it is still a pattern I have observed. I admit though to not testing it myself, so I have no first hand experience with this kind of cable. Since I have never had an issuse playing my TD4 using a standard MIDI cable into either my Presonus FireStudio Mobile or my Alesis iO/14, I am assuming there is an advantage to hooking up the kit the way I have suggested. I am very happy though for someone to correct me with a different experience. 🙂

MattiMattMatt wrote:

I always figured, better to have the adapter on its own rather than use the adapter built into the interface so no one device is overtaxed. Could be unnecessary though.

When it comes to MIDI and IN's, OUT's & Thru's, I cannot remember the theoretical limit to daisy chaining, but its much higher than the average user would need to be concerned about. Its my understanding that any 'taxing' would be a softeware DAW and a computer system spec issue rather than an audio interface that was designed to handle multiple in's and outs anyway. IMHO, I do not think it is something that the average home studio or recording enthusiest would need to worry about with a modern audio MIDI interface.

MattiMattMatt wrote:

The Apogee Duet come highly regarded. http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/duet2.php

Thinking of getting one myself, but since it doesn't have MIDI onboard, you'd need to use an external MIDI adapter with that if using it with something like the TD-4 (which I've never found to be a problem).

Whoops, I missed that 😊 Not sure what I was thinking there.

I am assumng your Macbook air only has USB, find a dealer who can demonstrate this http://www.presonus.com/products/Detail.aspx?ProductId=63 and allow you to return it if it does not work to your satisfaction.

gjmnz wrote:

MattiMattMatt wrote:

Why avoid a MIDI to USB adapter?

I make this statement based on responses I have seen on this forum regarding MIDI drum kits and and GB issues. Every single time someone posts with an issue of 'not working'... they are using a 5pin MIDI to USB adaptor. There seems to be more problems with Yamaha kits, but it is still a pattern I have observed. I admit though to not testing it myself, so I have no first hand experience with this kind of cable. Since I have never had an issuse playing my TD4 using a standard MIDI cable into either my Presonus FireStudio Mobile or my Alesis iO/14, I am assuming there is an advantage to hooking up the kit the way I have suggested. I am very happy though for someone to correct me with a different experience. 🙂

Post hoc ergo propter hoc! 😎

Zooming out, MIDI adapters are used all over the place without problems, like audio cables. Like audio cables, sometimes they break, and there's this one MIDI adapter on amazon for $5 that's a piece of garbage no one should ever buy, but generally they're just another piece of standard reliable unsexy audio equipment that's as ubiquitous as extension cables.

Zooming in, the main problem I think that people tend to have hooking up drums to GB via MIDI is that standard drums broadcast on MIDI channel 10, and GB prefers MIDI channel 1. Yamaha drums may be particularly persnickety about MIDI channels, but not for want of an adapter. Certainly if someone is using the piece of crap $5 cable from Amazon, that could always be the problem, like any bad cable... bad MIDI cables, bad USB cables, bad Firewire cables, etc.

Re M-Audio, even if you don't like their entry level audio interfaces, their MIDI interfaces are rock solid, used in million dollar studios. Same with MOTU. I used to use MOTU MIDI interfaces but now use M-Audio, which I prefer, including their cheapest UNO which is around $30 and their more tricked-out Midisports. Never had a problem with them. Don't know anyone who's had a problem with them! Pretty much plug and play.

If you have one interface for both audio and MIDI and it works fine for you, God bless! That's an elegant solution. All you've done though is stuff the MIDI interface into the same box as the audio interface. You haven't gotten rid of it. Separating it out so that your MIDI and audio interfaces are separate isn't a technical disadvantage, if anything it's an advantage since you're processing two different types of information in two different pieces of equipment, each optimized for its particular task.

Plus, since a lot of audio interfaces don't include MIDI jacks, you have to do that anyway (like for the Apogee Duet). And since MIDI is increasingly handled on USB rather than cables MIDI cables anyway, with the 5 pin DIN connection gradually dissapearing, the need for MIDI jacks on audio interfaces - or for standalone MIDI interfaces - is diminishing.

MattiMattMatt wrote:

I always figured, better to have the adapter on its own rather than use the adapter built into the interface so no one device is overtaxed. Could be unnecessary though.

When it comes to MIDI and IN's, OUT's & Thru's, I cannot remember the theoretical limit to daisy chaining, but its much higher than the average user would need to be concerned about. Its my understanding that any 'taxing' would be a softeware DAW and a computer system spec issue rather than an audio interface that was designed to handle multiple in's and outs anyway. IMHO, I do not think it is something that the average home studio or recording enthusiest would need to worry about with a modern audio MIDI interface.

That may be true. The issue though isn't one of chaining, but of simply using dedicated interfaces for audio and MIDI. For example, I have an RME Fireface 800 interface that can handle both audio and MIDI, but I've never used it for MIDI. I run all my audio through the Fireface which is its main purpose, and then I run my MIDI data through Midisports. Don't want my Fireface getting distracted by MIDI when it should be thinking about audio! (the logistics of my setup are really what drive this).

But it would probably work just fine - as you said.

I think the bottom line is that a MIDI adapter in an audio interface, or in a MIDI interface, isn't a weak link. It's just one of those things - you get whatever makes sense for your particular setup.

gjmnz wrote:

MattiMattMatt wrote:

The Apogee Duet come highly regarded. http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/duet2.php

Thinking of getting one myself, but since it doesn't have MIDI onboard, you'd need to use an external MIDI adapter with that if using it with something like the TD-4 (which I've never found to be a problem).

Whoops, I missed that 😊 Not sure what I was thinking there.

It's a good suggestion:

You could plug the Duet into one of the USB ports, and a UNO into the other USB port. Plug the drums MIDI out into the UNO, and the drums audio out into the Duet.

MattiMattMatt wrote:

If you have one interface for both audio and MIDI and it works fine for you, God bless! That's an elegant solution.

MattiMattMatt wrote:

I have an RME Fireface 800 interface that can handle both audio and MIDI, but I've never used it for MIDI.

I would have thought that with the RME pedigree, you would not have any problem with using it for both audio and MIDI.

Out of curiosity, have you run into such an issue like this in the past? I have never heard of this type of interface 'confusion of duty' before.

MattiMattMatt wrote:

Zooming in, the main problem I think that people tend to have hooking up drums to GB via MIDI is that standard drums broadcast on MIDI channel 10, and GB prefers MIDI channel 1.

Not sure what you mean here. My TD4 transmits on Channel 10 and has since day 1. If GB prefers MIDI channel 1, then it must have some coding to deal with messages sent from different channels, or at least channel 10.

gjmnz wrote:

I would have thought that with the RME pedigree, you would not have any problem with using it for both audio and MIDI.

That could be, I've never actually tried it! I have a few different setups, and with the Fireface, it doesn't really make sense to use the audio interface for MIDI as well. The MIDI instruments are physically in a different direction, so it's easier to cable them separately.

gjmnz wrote:

Out of curiosity, have you run into such an issue like this in the past? I have never heard of this type of interface 'confusion of duty' before.

I haven't. I might have read some things on the internet a while ago about someone having an issue, but it may be that there's absolutely no reason at all to avoid using a multipurpose interface for everything it can do at once. I like dealing with my MIDI chain separately from my audio chain, but it may not make a difference.

gjmnz wrote:

MattiMattMatt wrote:

Zooming in, the main problem I think that people tend to have hooking up drums to GB via MIDI is that standard drums broadcast on MIDI channel 10, and GB prefers MIDI channel 1.

Not sure what you mean here. My TD4 transmits on Channel 10 and has since day 1. If GB prefers MIDI channel 1, then it must have some coding to deal with messages sent from different channels, or at least channel 10.

I'm not sure why yours is working or why others had problems. It may be this is no longer an issue. I know that in the past, when some people's channel-10-MIDI drums weren't registering in GB, changing the channel to 1 helped.