James Gonzales Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 So I moved into an apartment... and the first time I fired up my amp I had my neighbor knocking on my door. It was not like I had a Marshall half stack cranked to 10, it was just a little Fender I bought for quiet home practice. So now it looks like I may have to go the headphone route. I have a Mac with GarageBand, and have played with the drum beats and sounds a little, but need a way to plug my guitar in... Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 I'd guessing that a Class Compliant 1/4" to USB (or Firewire?) interface will do that for you; Class Compliant so that you won't have the potential irritation of having to deal with finding and installing drivers ( !). I posted this as much to "bump" your thread up for others who are better versed in this subject than I am to see and reply on, as I did for the above attempt at helping you out... In particular, Scott Fraser, WPSmith, and A String will likely pop in with MUCH more in-depth information and suggestions for you. In that interest, you might want to edit the topic-title to read something like, 'Mac/GarageBand/guitar-interface?', so that readers will more readily understand what you're asking about and be more likely to respond. Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A String Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 There are tons of options, depending on your budget. What you have to spend? The cost can go from a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter for $1 all the way up to a full blown interface that can set you back a few thousand. A decent, midway interface will be anywhere between $120 and $800, depending on the features and final quality you are looking for. Craig Stringnetwork on Facebook String Network Forum My Music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyalcatraz Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 I know a lot of those little practice modelers from Line6, Tascam, Korg, etc. have the ability to interface with computers, as do the little doodads that hook into smartphones. Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx http://murphysmusictx.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Also- what kind of headphones do you have? Adequate headphones can make a very big difference. Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyalcatraz Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Agreed- I personally use some big ole Koss and refurbished Sony over-ear style headphones. They block out some of the background noise and have larger, more responsive speakers than most of what is out there right now. That equals better sound at lower volumes. Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx http://murphysmusictx.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winston Psmith Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 All good responses. Going in reverse order, more or less, don't mess with earbuds, get some serious studio cans. Even Dr. Dre is marketing old-school style headphones, these days. Speakers, even headphone speakers, are meant to push air, and there's not much air inside your ears. I don't particularly like most of the cheap multi-fx units out there, but they can give you a quick and easy path to USB Audio. Most of them will come with a CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM, with all the software you may need, including the USB drivers. If all else fails, I can't think of one that doesn't have a Headphone Out, so if you find one you where like the sounds it has, and you're not working on anything serious, you can bypass the computer interface, and just jam away through the Headphone jack. If you decide to go for something more suited to pro, or semi-pro quality recording, then think about what your set-up goal is, how many I/O's you'll need, and what you're likely to upgrade to, after Garageband. If you know what you're going to want, and you can afford it, you're better off getting the gear that will satisfy your requirements, than wasting time and money on stop-gap measures, or things that are almost good enough. Here's a link to Sweetwater Sound - they'll have just about anything you can think of, so it's worth a look through their site. USB Interfaces. One last thought - you don't always want everybody in the immediate neighborhood to know that you've got a guitar and amp. Saves you coming home to find your door kicked in, or your window broken. "Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King http://www.novparolo.com https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Gonzales Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 Cool thanks everyone! I did some research today and definitely found a lot to choose from. The one that really grabbed my attention was a product called Gio.http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/gio.phpIt has a guitar input, and controls the effects and recording functions in GarageBand. Looks pretty cool... has anyone here tried it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Gonzales Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 I just noticed on the Apogee web store that you also get a free copy of Main stage, which looks like some sort of guitar software for live. Not sure if I would use that, but it maybe cool. https://store.apogeedigital.com/apogee-audio-interfaces.php#apogeegioAnyone ever try Main stage or Gio? Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larryz Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Try moving the amp away from any adjoining wall and keep the volume down to your neigbors TV volume, and then refer him to the manager...I'd keep playing with the amp at low volume instead of having to use headphones all of the time...it's not like you can't make a sound and have to live like a mouse in your own house... Take care, Larryz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Try moving the amp away from any adjoining wall and keep the volume down to your neigbors TV volume, and then refer him to the manager...I'd keep playing with the amp at low volume instead of having to use headphones all of the time...it's not like you can't make a sound and have to live like a mouse in your own house... I know what you're sayin', but I'm not only used to playing through good headphones, I've come to really LIKE it! ESPECIALLY with digital-modeling and Oreo - I mean- stereo multi-effects. I absolutely LOVE bouncing stereo rhythmic multi-tap echoes and stereo reverb. 'Slike cookies 'n' milk! Add a Sustainiac Model C to the mix and it's sooo damn cool playing through headphones and goin' direct... Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Iverson Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 I have a Sans Amp with headphones but never use it, because my electric guitar I practice on at 2 am if I wake up and can't sleep, and I can hear it well enough for practical purposes. Plus which it doesn't have perfect intonation and you can REALLY hear that through headphones. But the Sans Amp itself is a cool tool, and I can use it with my Fender Precision bass. No, plugging my guitar(s) into the Fender Princeton amp is NOT a good idea. They don't complain about mandolin or unamplified electric, but flute at 2 am annoys people. But one girl likes my flute playing in the afternoon, LOL! I must admit it would be hard for me to deal with a loud rock band practicing in the building, even at a reasonable hour! Reminding me of my teenage years, playing loud electric guitar with friends at 3 am while high.... the cops came over a couple times and made us turn it down, or preferably OFF, but luckily never checked the place for drugs. Who knows, maybe they needed a warrant to come in and search, and it would certainly have been a case of "seek and ye shall find"..... ancient history of course! LOL My wife would throw me out on the street if I did ANY of the above! PS Why do teenagers seem to crave extremely high volume more than us old farts, when their hearing is allegedly more sensitive? And why do their neighbors not murder them? (Just kidding - not encouraging homicide (teenacide??) here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winston Psmith Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 PS Why do teenagers seem to crave extremely high volume more than us old farts, when their hearing is allegedly more sensitive? Volume = power, factor in the ability to piss people off, and it's an irresistible temptation. As Hank Hill said, "It's okay if you only know three chords, but God, put 'em in the right order!" "Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King http://www.novparolo.com https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 PS Why do teenagers seem to crave extremely high volume more than us old farts, when their hearing is allegedly more sensitive? Volume = power, factor in the ability to piss people off, and it's an irresistible temptation. As Hank Hill said, "It's okay if you only know three chords, but God, put 'em in the right order!" And it just plain FEELS GOOD, too. Not to mention a whole raft of ways it actually affects the sound, and psycho-acoustics, Fletcher-Munson effect, etc. etc.... Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Fraser Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 PS Why do teenagers seem to crave extremely high volume more than us old farts, when their hearing is allegedly more sensitive? (A) To piss older people off. (B) Because they are absolutely incapable of believing that anybody else exists in the world besides themselves. Empathy only seems to develop through many years of experience, if it does at all. Scott Fraser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Veering Off-Topic (sorry, James)... (B) Because they are absolutely incapable of believing that anybody else exists in the world besides themselves. Empathy only seems to develop through many years of experience, if it does at all. ___ [video:youtube] Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larryz Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 +1 on Headphones being cool for being quiet and getting some great sound...but on hot days they do make me sweat a little...I remember the cops telling me and my teen band we had to shut her down at 3 in the afternoon because some old fart down the street wanted it quiet...so I closed the garage door and we kept playing till the cops came back again and said he didn't mean shut the garage door down, he meant the band...even though we were not that loud and we could play more than three chords, if the neighbor files a complaint we had to stop playing even if it's before 10pm...oh well, guess will move into the house and try it again...it worked and we got to practice that day...someone TP'ed the neighbors house on Holloweenie though... Take care, Larryz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p90jr Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 I was a loud guitar playing teen because it sounded "better"... then I got an amp with a master volume and stopped terrorizing the household at 15. Before that I would bury the little 15 watt solid state practice amp under blankets and pillows... but my mandatory trumpet practicing at that age had to have been just as loud but more socially acceptable? Now I'm still too loud to some people when fingerpicking an un-amplified acoustic. The woman who rents the converted basement of the house my brother-in-law and his family are renting is complaining about the sound of their dishwasher, washer and dryer, footsteps of their 13-month old and Schnauser, iPhone alarms in the morning... I know two guys who don't know each other but live next to each and share a wall. One guy practices classical guitar all day long and reviews records for a living, so the other guy complains constantly about the sound of each activity. Meanwhile the second likes to watch movies with his surround sound home theater cranked fairly late at night but doesn't think that the other guy should object to that... but not play his nylon string or listen to records during the day. Some people are thoughtless and inconsiderate, but some people are just complainers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p90jr Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 I dig amplitube on my iPhone... pretty fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred_C Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 I have to agree w/Larry and P90Jr. It's an apartment building, not a chapel. I am very fortunate that my neighbors are all cool and that my landlord likes my playing. I practice just about every night and have not had a single complaint in four years. Out of courtesy, I switch my Roland Cube 40XL down to 2 watts, but this still gives me plenty of volume and very nice tone. Larry and P90Jr. are right! You have a right to live! This is America - Land of the Free and Home of the Brave! Stand up for yourself! Regards. If you play cool, you are cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Gonzales Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 Yeah I don't think I will be selling my amp anytime soon and I will still play it during "appropriate" hours. However, for late at night, I just purchased the Apogee Gio.http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/gio.phpThe cool thing is I get MainStage for free and now I'm in a drawing to win a guitar.Gio should be here this week and I 'm pretty excited to try it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Keep us posted on how it all works out for you! Give us a clip or a vid! Personally, I love playing through headphones via digital-modelers and pedals. Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charvelslinger Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 that sux Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Gonzales Posted June 8, 2012 Author Share Posted June 8, 2012 So I received my Gio the other day, and hooked it up last night. My initial impression is that this thing is built like a tank! It's such a great feeling when you pull something out of the box and it just feels solid and well built. Next I hooked it up... which was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Opened GarageBand, and was ready to go pretty quick. Plugged in and fired up some of the different amps in GB... and I have to say, so far I am impressed. It sounds really good! This weekend I'm going to try MainStage... I heard from a friend of mine that the Amp sounds in MainStage and Logic are even better. With all of the amps, effects, drum loops and sounds right there in my computer... I don't think I'm going to leave my apartment this weekend! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 From sux to dee-luxe in no time flat! That's great! Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Iverson Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 I wouldn't DARE get any of the equipment mentioned above. I would not leave my apartment EVER! LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winston Psmith Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Kind of goes back to what I said a few posts back, about not wanting everybody to know you've got a guitar and amp in your apartment . . . "Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King http://www.novparolo.com https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipclone 1 Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 I`ve thought about that-maybe if you have to play live, preload everything at the venue under cover of darkness. Then there`s the sleep issue however... Same old surprises, brand new cliches- Skipsounds on Soundclick: www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=602491 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 I`ve thought about that-maybe if you have to play live, preload everything at the venue under cover of darkness. Then there`s the sleep issue however... And evil sociopathic Ninja-Cats, ever vigilant and out to harm guitars and pedals... ! Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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