New - Pls Help. Confused About Hardware, iMac with 10.5 - need USB MIDI interface Options

[pigletto78]

Hi
I've been surfing the net to find a USB MIDI interface which will work with my Intel iMac using 10.5. I'm a bit confused and would welcome any advice.

I would like to connect my Yamaha PSR 550 to the Mac and use Garageband. I also have an acoustic guitar and would like to buy a mic and also be able to connect this and also record vocals. I think I need a 'condensor' mic for this?

So in short, I need a USB Midi device with Mic for vocal (and mic for acoustic guitar without a pickup), and Midi input.

I would rather spend a bit more on something with all these features than a 1 MIDI in/ 1 MIDI out cheapo wire, but I don't want to end up paying for things I will never use as a beginner amateur.

I've seen some bad feedback on some models which don't yet have drivers for 10.5.

Can anyone help recommend some hardware?! Thanks in advance.

Hannah

[edthened]

Hi:

One that I like, and use pretty much all the time, is a Line 6 product, recently rebranded as the POD Studio KB37, see link: http://line6.com/podstudiokb37/

It is a bit like a Swiss Army knife - it does a lot of things in one package - it does guitar, microphone and line level inputs for recording, and very good quality analogue output/playback (I haven't used the digital output), and then it has the 3-octave keyboard for midi-control. It comes bundled with lots of excellent signal-processing and tone-shaping software, so the price is actually pretty keen, considering what you get in the 'bundle'. I use this unit all the time for recording CDs direct from the DJ booth mixer, and the resulting sound-quality is excellent, especially with a touch of their Vintage Compression to even out the levels.

The down-sides of this integrated solution include: big 'footprint' because of the keyboard; most of the software features are aimed at guitarists or bass players (having said that, the vocal processing and special effects have much wider applications); the keyboard is only 3 octaves, and is the usual 'spring-loaded' experience - no weighted keys at this price point, so if you are a serious keyboard player, you would probably look for a standalone MIDI keyboard/controller; a very limited number of MIDI switches and dials; only one stereo output channel, so if you want to be a digital DJ, using Live, etc., you can't cue up a new track/loop/etc. while playing out a current track (unless you use mono only?); as far as I can tell, you can only use the product on your own, registered computer.

But: If you want a complete home-studio recording set-up that you can tuck under your arm and take with you wherever you go (assuming you remember to bring your computer), this is an excellent little product, and a lot of fun. BTW, I swear I don't work for Line 6!

Another manufacturer that I like a lot is M-Audio, and they seem to have an excellent range of affordable products as well in terms of sound cards, as several other contributors on this thread seem to agree.

It really depends on what you want to do with your mac, and especially if you want to take full advantage of Garageband (it may be 'free', but it is a pro-level piece of software). Decide what ins and outs you really need, set your budget, do some research on the net, and don't be afraid to ask questions when you go to the store.

One last thought - it is never a bad idea to update your speakers, and I would recommend going for 8-inch powered monitors. Not very portable, but if you really want to know what's going on in the bass... Again, I like M-Audio (some people don't) - their new Studiophile BX8a release (the 'Deluxe' version, for some reason) are very nice for the price, loud, fast, great soundstage, and not too fatiguing on the ear - and they are 'proper' monitors: if the original track is good, it will sound good on these speakers, if the original source is bad (distortion, weak production, muddy mixing, etc.) then it will sound equally bad on these speakers. They may not be the best of the best, but unless you have thousands of dollars to spend (including room treatment), they are again a pretty good option.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions and I'll see what I can dig out for you.

Have fun!