How to Record an Instrument Through an Audio Interface in Mac OS X.
Recording instrument sound through the interface on a Mac using OS X is surprisingly easy and has significant advantages over the built-in recorder. It can be used to connect professional microphones, bass and electric guitars to your computer.
Setting it up is pretty quick and easy. For consistency, I’ll be using the Scarlett Solo as my audio interface, but many of these settings apply to different brands and devices.
If you have a Mac computer, you’re in luck! Most USB 2.0 audio interfaces (including the Scarlett Solo) are class or Plug-n-play compliant, which means they can be connected to a Mac without downloading a third-party driver.
Record audio through the audio interface
Let’s get started.
After connecting your device, find your recording software. On a Mac, the simplest built-in is GarageBand. Once it loads, go to New Project and choose which entry you want to make.
Then save your new project. (Don’t worry about the tempo, time signature and key settings, as these can all be changed later).
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After that, you will go to the GarageBand tab in the upper left corner of the screen and select “Settings” to go to the general settings.
From there, you will be taken to the Audio / MIDI tab. For audio input, select your audio interface (Scarlett Solo). The audio output really depends on your configuration, but for me most of the time it will be Scarlett Solo USB or the built-in input. For now, I’m going to set it to inline input.
When prompted to confirm changing the audio driver, select Yes. This process should not take more than 10-15 seconds.
From here, you can exit the Audio / MIDI Settings and go to the Track tab at the top of the screen and then create a new track.
Once there, please indicate which recording device you are using (microphone or instrument). Then click the “Instrument Setting” drop-down menu to select mono settings.
I’m recording guitar, so I would choose the instrument on the right and choose Mono 2; if you are recording with a microphone, choose the middle option and use Mono 1.
I also find it helpful to check the box “I want to hear my instrument while playing and recording.” Select “Create” at your convenience.
Once you’ve created your new track, you’re ready to record! If you have any questions or comments, do not hesitate to ask! Enjoy!
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