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...