Technology... Geez

I'm in a bit of a love-hate relationship right now.

For the past 35 years or so, I've made a living in the technology field, and have enjoyed 99.98% percent of it. So it seems reasonable to say I love it. I've also been entranced with the guitar since I was about 16 years old, so you could say I love it, too.

Now the two are racing toward each other at breakneck speed in my life, and I can't say I love it. Let me explain.

My guitar instructor has suggested I record myself playing, making backing tracks so I can accompany myself. First, it will allow me to practice using the chord forms he's wanting me to play, as well as keeping a slow, regular rhythm. Hearing myself in playback will let me hear where I struggle to mute strings, or mute strings that should be clear. It also lets me work on soloing over the backing tracks, working on being creative as well as recognizing the chord changes.

But dammit, all of a sudden I'm faced with a lot of new, unfamiliar technology and having the need to put it all together. Quickly.

I'm a Mac user. So that means I have Garageband. I also have Cubase, as the result of buying my Line6 amp. Before I moved to my new home, I had bought Apogee ONE for the Mac. I think I have everything I need.

Garageband intimidates me. It has settings up the yazoo, and I have no idea what they do. Apogee ONE is easy enough to plug in, and it includes its own software, Maestro. I've got it set up, but I can't hear anything. It seems to want headphones, Garageband sees the ONE, but somehow if I try to record, I get nothing to play back.

Yes, I need to read the manuals. I guess I'll be doing a lot of reading this weekend, as my next lesson is Monday...

My local Guitar Center had free Garage Band lessons every Saturday at 10am. I learned a lot. Is something like that available near you?

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Originally Posted by Don

My local Guitar Center had free Garage Band lessons every Saturday at 10am. I learned a lot. Is something like that available near you?

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The closest GC is over an hour away. But thanks for the idea. Maybe I can find something on YouTube.

I'm still using tape! I despise technology crap!:mad:

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Originally Posted by OldStrummer

The closest GC is over an hour away. But thanks for the idea. Maybe I can find something on YouTube.

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Wow! I have 7 GCs within an hour drive from me! YT is the way to go to learn pretty much anything these days. Good luck!

All of the good players that I’ve ever worked with did it the same as I did...we just got together with our friends and played/shared ideas. Our technology was putting a 45 on a turntable and playing a section over and over until we figured out what was being played.

I run a weekly jam session where old friends and new, young players get together and exchange ideas.

We used to play six nights a week in a club; play a Sunday afternoon jam session at our club; drive across town and play a jam session at another club; eat dinner and drive back to our club and play our four hour Sunday evening gig.

It’s all about honing your skills on stage and learning from your peers. It’s really great being a musician.

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Originally Posted by Old Ranger

I'm still using tape! I despise technology crap!:mad:

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That was my first idea. Then I remembered I no longer have a tape recorder.

??!?

I put everything aside to go to my guitar lesson and when I got back, thought I'd make things more comfortable and organized. So I moved the computer, brought the ONE to the table, plugged it in, and then...

I disconnected the cord from both my guitar and plugged in my XVive ('cause you know, I like to move around when I play), switched from the internal mic to an external (which I don't have, but I only want guitar) and wouldn't you know it? The dang thing works!

I recorded a bit of backing material - a simple 12-bar blues - and played it back, and now I've got the basis for playing and accompanying myself!

As I type, I'm downloading a slow blues in G7 from 10minuteGuitarJams.com. Sometimes I may not want to hear myself play. :biglaugh:

I love my iPhone and can’t do without it anymore, but regarding music, I’m a bit old school myself.

having been a classical player, I used to just get the partiture for each tune and after some practice I was good to go.

Nowadays I still like to read my music, but of course: I usually use tabs, they’re what’s around for rock and pop music most of the times.

I also try to use my ears and my own intuition while doing my own version of each song.

If I am stuck in a passage that I really can’t figure out then I’ll try to watch a video of someone else playing/teaching the song on YouTube.

apps? No. Just a tuner.

There used to be a free download called Audacity [?] That even a complete computer hating guy like me could even use. And it had about 20 bazillion effects too! Don't know if its still around. Good recording thing in a computer. Course I like tape, but I could do both too. That was fun. Mixing on a pooter from tape. Weird for me.

at least you aren't trying to learn Pro Tools. Oi vey. I'm surprised I wasn't put off recording forever

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Originally Posted by Old Ranger

There used to be a free download called Audacity [?] That even a complete computer hating guy like me could even use. And it had about 20 bazillion effects too! Don't know if its still around. Good recording thing in a computer. Course I like tape, but I could do both too. That was fun. Mixing on a pooter from tape. Weird for me.

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Audacity still exists and is still being developed. The current version is 2.2.2. While I was searching for information on how to get everything working, I came across an article that said to the effect, "You can spend a few hours with audacity before tossing it out and moving to Garageband." Now, I've used audacity before - many years ago - but now that Garageband is free, it seems to be the big dog in the Mac world. I think the big difference is that audacity is a digital audio editor and Garageband is a digital audio workstation. A subtle difference maybe, but having now used both, I think Garageband is better for my purposes and needs.

For newbies recording I'd go with Logic on the Mac (preferred) or Reaper on the PC. I've done some pro recordings in Reaper, it's a capable DAW if you want to put the time in to learn it. GarageBand has some good features but you really need to drill down to find them. On Logic it's much much, easier.

All recording software has a learning curve, but they still operate the same way: Create the track, select an input, arm it and record. After that it's about plugins and automation. Punch-ins and outs and then onto mixing and mastering.

The software is easy, it's the I/O that can drive you nuts on PC. On the Mac everything just works as soon as you plug it in, so that's why I recommend it for beginners. An Apogee interface will plug in and simultaneously record all the channels you'll ever need at the same time.

On the PC we sometimes get into clocking issues when multiple-channel recording is taking place (a problem we never had on tape!) and unless you run a universal clock things can get a little sketchy.

Pro tools is a bit dated but still effective.

Whichever DAW you choose, there are hundreds of YouTube tutorials on how to accomplish what it its you're trying to do.

Chuck

To paraphrase Homer J. Simpson: "Technology: the cause of and solution to all of life's problems". I actally think he was referring to alcohol, but it works!

You've got all the raw ingredients, OS, there's likely a simple setting in the interface's software (monitoring) that you might need to enable. GB is pretty intuitive after that point.

For just doodling around by myself, I use a looper, I've contemplated digging out the old Teac Portastudio, (it worked a few years ago), but I know I too need to get into the digital age!

I wound up doing what computer engineers do: I traced the path from start to finish, adjusting one piece at a time until everything worked.

Guitar. Volume and tone knobs. Check
Guitar to cable. Check.
Cable to input device (Apogee ONE). Check.
Apogee ONE settings, input and output. Check
Apogee ONE to computer (USB). Check.
Garageband to computer sound settings. Check.
Adjust volume controls down the entire signal path. Check.

When everything checks out, have fun! Check.

I've used my reactive load precisely once.

Recorded what I thought was a GREAT sounding (tone wise) couple of things. Of course this was hours after I'd started and finally gotten a DAW to work properly.

Yeah, no. Nothing recorded.

BTW I do Python/SQL professionally.

Technology. Hummmmm.:hmm.....
Nope, it still sucks!!

Have several classic groups albums listed in the files of my smartass phone. With the use of Bluetooth, I access them and play on a remarkably tiny, yet huge sounding, stereo speaker system that fits in the palm of your hand. Remarkable. But today's not a good day. I went to listen to some Lynyrd Skynyrd today, as I was feeling a bit redneck, and wanted some good old southern kicking butt music. But what I got was a message saying "buffering", followed by another message saying something about "file unaccessible" or some such nonsense. I started to actually get upset. The last time I got upset with technology, I took the offending laptop computer and threw it against the backstop on my shooting range. Then I put five rounds through it with a 45! Tell me I can't fix technical issues with a left hook or a slug from a 45. So no Skynyrd today. Can't find the LPS I had. House is a mess. Can't find diddly-squat. Oh well That's today's technology huh? Screw it! I'm goin' shootin'!

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Originally Posted by Old Ranger

Technology. Hummmmm.:hmm.....
Nope, it still sucks!!

Have several classic groups albums listed in the files of my smartass phone. With the use of Bluetooth, I access them and play on a remarkably tiny, yet huge sounding, stereo speaker system that fits in the palm of your hand. Remarkable. But today's not a good day. I went to listen to some Lynyrd Skynyrd today, as I was feeling a bit redneck, and whated some good old southern kicking butt music. But what I got was a message saying "buffering", followed by another message saying something about "file unaccessible" or some such nonsense. I started to actually get upset. The last time I got upset with technology, I took the offending laptop computer and threw it against the backstop on my shooting range. Then I put five rounds through it with a 45! Tell me I can't fix technical issues with a left hook or a slug from a 45. So no Skynyrd today. Can't find the LPS I had. House is a mess. Can't find diddly-squat. Oh well That's today's technology huh? Screw it! I'm goin' shootin'!

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It's all fun and games until I go to listen to my Whitney or Starship and computer says no.

Die computer die

no, wait, I wasn't threatening my thinking machine thingie, I was speaking Deutsche at it saying "THE computer The" :hmm