How to record multiple simultaneous instruments in Garageband
If you're a musician who is coming from the world of analog to digital, or are a beginner to music the very first thing you're going to want to do after you master a basic program like GarageBand is to add more musicians to the mix and record the gang all at once without spending a small fortune on equipment.
Enter the largely undocumented world of beginner Firewire interfaces. Music ubergeeks are unable to simplifly all their techspeek to explain how simple these actually are and the music beginners don't know enough about them to post a sensible explanation so let me help to fill the gap with three simple images:
This is the Presonus Inspire. It is a fairly inexpensive ($200 on average) box you can use to plug your band into your computer via a FireWire cable. It has 2 pairs of inputs that can be used simultaneously: pre-amped XLRs for microphones and 1/4" line-levels for a guitar and a bass. You can use one from each pair simultaneously.
The Presonus gear is the only stuff in this price category that I've seen documented sufficiently (both reviews and forum discussions with honest feedback) on the web so this is the one I bought to try. The Inspire "1394" is usually the model you'll find but if you're lucky you can find the "GT" (pictured) which is basically the same thing for the same price but with flames engraved on the top and a software package that includes Cubase LE.
This little Mac-Mini-sized box is compatible with the Firewire standard so on an Apple computer with OS 10.4 you won't need to install *anything*. Just plug it in and open GarageBand.
In Garageband go to your preferences and set your Presonus Inspire as your input and make some new "real instrument" audio tracks as you normally would.
You will see in the properties of the track your 4 inputs. Just choose the right one for each instrument and that's it.
You can install the Presonus control panel if you want more control over microphone popping, gain and other controls. The Presonus control panel is also useful if your microphone uses an XLR to XLR cable which requires that power be sent to it to operate. If your microphone cable is XLR to 1/4" you will not need the 48v "phantom power".
You can "daisy chain" multiple Presonus boxes together via a Firewire cable to add more band members to the mix.
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on March 9, 2007 | Comments (2)
Rev 1 of Any Technology is For The Brave
You loose too much blood on the bleeding edge; safer to go with cutting edge.
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on February 18, 2007 | Comments (1)
Three's A Crowd
It's great to have an open market where all three of these characters can coexist. The funny thing is that each one is glad they are not the other.
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on February 9, 2007 | Comments (0)
The Raging Battle Over 192.168.1.1
Not sure if this is the fault of the ISPs or the manufacturers of wireless routers, but it seems like more often than not, adding wireless to your network is NOT simply plug-and-play.
Our recent battle pitted Verizon with the ever popular Linksys WRT54G. Initial setup was quick and making secure connections to the Linksys didn't even require a glance at the instruction manual. Once connected, though, there was no internet.
A quick comparison of Network Settings in the System prefs when connected directly to the Westell DSL Modem and when connected to the Linksys revealed that BOTH devices thought they lived at the same address: 192.168.1.1
Another Large ISP rendering a router's default settings useless. Here you can't even see the entire Linksys logo.
The fix for this wasn't immediately obvious: changing the IP address of the router to 192.168.1.XX didn't do anything. Pressing Linksys' "one touch config" didn't do anything, either.
A call to Linksys technical support connected me with a very friendly indian (it was late at night here in the States) who informed me the address the Linksys should use is 192.168.2.1. Worked like a charm, but not until after an hour was lost to tweaking a dizzying number of config options, restarting devices, swapping plugs and more.
Of course this begs the question: if all of these routers are being sold to consumers who already have cable or DSL (provided by companies who want to charge extra for letting you have a wireless network or lie and tell you that their service isn't compatible with 3rd-party wireless services), why don't they ship with the correct IP adress to begin with???
For the record: Apple does; their routers use the other local subnet 10.0.1.XX :-)
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on January 20, 2007 | Comments (0)
Another Good Reason for Cats: Perspective
The following was posted by a member of Slashdot that goes by "plopez" and was too good to be lost to the ever receeding comments section. It is in reference to an article about software developers but I think it is relevant for artists, web coders, and designers as well:
Herding cats is hard because you are using the wrong management technique. You herd cattle (and sheep and goats and pigs etc.), you do *not* herd cats. Cats, you put them in the general area of the mice and let them do what they are good at. Micromanagement of cats is a losing proposition.
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on January 8, 2007 | Comments (0)
"Parallels" for us PowerPC Folks
Any responsible web developer is runs multiple environments for testing. While it's easy enough to get three boxes and a KVM, I think we'd all rather have them all-in-one. Less boxes. Less cables. Less power consumption.
Since PowerPC and Intel chips use different architectures PowerMac G3, G4, and G5s will never have a true version of parallels -- some translation is going to be mandatory.
One of the best on-the-fly translators for PowerPC that I've used is Virtual PC (previously by Connectix then bought by Microsoft).
Virtual PC runs reasonably well (read: not blazingly fast. think "usable") on dual G5 systems and Windows is easy to install. Linux, on the other hand, is a bit wily. Microsoft's stance is: "Sure, there is no reason that Linux won't run in VPC, but we provide no warranty, instructions, or support for it."
Here is a step-by-step of my journey to running Linux in Virtual PC 7.0.2 for Mac OS X:
FIRST: Choose a flavor of Linux
Of the 4 flavors of Linux I've tried all have installation problems.
- openSUSE/KDE: GUI on installer does not render properly. If you manage to install the system it will begin to booth then crash when attempting to load GUI
- kubuntu: same
- ubuntu: GUI on installer does not render properly. Can be hacked into submission using instructions below. Slow running when installed. Not recommended for that reason
- xubuntu: GUI on installer does not render properly. Can be hacked to work using instructions below. Designed for use on slower/outdated machines, this is an excellent candidate for running on VPC; it's light, it's stable, and it's fast enough to be usable.. Winner: Xubuntu.
NEXT:
- Create a new, blank, unformatted PC
- Download xubuntu .iso. No need to mount on desktop. Instead, "capture" it with your freshly powered on PC
- Restart your PC to read the disk and begin installation process
HACKING LINUX:
The following was gathered from a handful of internet sites and has been translated into easier to understand English (I hope) and been confirmed to work:
- Upon reaching the installation screen Select F4 from the list below and select 1024x768 16bit color
(Be sure to select 16 bit color here or this may not work)
- Select "Install Xubuntu". Allow this to load until you notice the screwed up cursor and what appears to be a dialog box.
- Press Ctrl-Alt-F1. This will dump you into a command line that has text something like this: ubuntu@ubuntu:~$
- type this and hit "enter": sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg
You will now be in a ncurses interface which will allow you to make the fix to the graphics settings. Rifle through the menus choosing the defaults by pressing "enter" and stop at the "color depth" setting. Change this to "16". Finish dpkg-reconfigure by following the rest of the prompts, it will save your changes and dump you back to the command line.
- Press Ctrl-Alt-F7 to get into the xubuntu installer GUI
- Press Ctrl-Alt-Backspace to apply changes and carry on
- Fill out the questionaire, let the installer do it's thing, restart and enjoy
Xubuntu Linux and Windows XP running on OS X, PowerPC
SIDEBAR ABOUT VPC VIDEO CARD (bits taken from the VPC blog):
Virtual PC emulates an S3 Trio 64 Video card with 8mb (65,536 kilobites) of video ram (VRAM). There are a few reasons why Microsoft does not increase the amount of VRAM for Virtual PCs:
1. VRAM is a fixed overhead. Each virtual machine that you launch uses 8mb of your computers memory to store our VRAM information. If we increase this - it will increase the amount of memory used for each virtual machine - whether the virtual machine is using this extra memory or not.
2. On video cards with hardware 3D acceleration support VRAM is used for storage of textures, and other performance improving measures. However with a 2D video card VRAM is only used to store a single frame buffer of the contents on screen. This means that with a 2D video card (such as we emulate) adding more VRAM just allows you to support higher resolutions - but it does not provide better performance. At 8mb we are able to display at up to 1600x1200 resolutions.
ADDITIONAL INFO ABOUT SPEED:
With Virtual PC running on my Dual 2Ghz PowerMac G5 Windows reported this for CPU and speed:
CPU: 686 Processor
Speed: 532Mhz
In Linux you can type this into a terminal:
cat /proc/cpuinfo
It reported:
CPU: Virtual CPU
Speed: 502.835Mhz
Vendor ID 6 (which looks like an Athalon "Thoroughbred" according to paradicesoftware.com
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on December 27, 2006 | Comments (0)
How to Watch Movies on your Treo 700p using OS X
I finally had a chance to take a break from the daily rush and sit down with my PowerBook and Treo 700p and see what other untapped capabilities I could discover. Since I still had over 1GB free on my SD expansion card I decided video would be a likely candidate. As I understand it, your mileage may vary depending on when you bought your phone and who your carrier is (I know Verizon subscribers who didn't get a stereo headset in the box like I did and other Sprint users who can DUN without extra software like I needed...) so these instructions are for Sprint users who bought their phones in the last 6 months.
You will need:
- Mac running OS X
- Palm Treo 700p (tested for Sprint purchased after June 2006, might work on others)
- Mac software: Handbrake (free)
- Palm hardware: high speed SD expansion card
- Palm software: Some form of USB card reader (you might be able to use syncing software -- has not been tested)
STEP ONE: Download, install, and open Handbrake. This is the free software that will compress your video to a variety of formats.
STEP TWO: Tweak compression settings
After selecting the folder with your audio and video TS files you can select a shorter range of chapters from the disk if you like (the default is the entire DVD)
The recent Sprint Treos' built in video player can play mp4 files, so choose this compression setting and the place where you would like to save your new movie
Here's a trick that I picked up from my animation studies: A moving image still appears smooth all the way down to 15 frames per second. Though I found the performance of the Palm video player to be fine at 24 frames per second, you can save a LOT of space by choosing 15 frames per second for the framerate.
Another file size saver is to sample down the sound. I found 64kbps to be more than acceptable, even for music during shows.
Then click on the "Picture Settings" button and choose your screen size. Your palm's screen is 320x320px. Most movies are 16:9 letterbox ratio so choose 320 for your width and the height will end up a little shorter.
STEP THREE: Click RIP and you're off!
My Arrested Development Season Three (disk one) ended up at 97MB using the above settings.
STEP FOUR: Copy to phone.
I use a program called "Card Reader" which mounts the SD card on my desktop like a hard drive. On a whim I navigated into the folder DCIM and made a new folder called "Movies" and copied my new file there.
Upon navigating to "Pics and Videos" on the Palm you can see the folder showed up and the movie is recognized.
STEP FIVE: Enjoy.
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on December 26, 2006 | Comments (0)
Update on the Treo 700p
Three months in and despite the increased rumors of this "compelling" new Apple smartphone that is just about to be released I'm not the least bit concerned. The Treo has now become an indespensible part of my life and it won't easily be replaced.
Mostly I'm at my office M-F but whenever I leave the Palm comes with me. Most frequent tasks include:
- listening to music while typing things like this
- listening to my podcasts and radio shows on the subway
- taking pictures while traveling (both locally and on trips)
- IM with friends when idle
- checking info online w/o going home first (like property listings this weekend in manhattan, maps, weather, restaurant ratings)
- look up words with the dictionary while reading books
- get alerts from negios about status of my web servers
- check email occasionally (like when girlfriend runs to bathroom while out to dinner or waiting for movie previews, etc.)
It is pretty impressive that the Palm can do as much as it can simultaneously considering it only has 64 MB of memory (even less when you add apps). My desktop will eat through as much RAM as it can get no matter how few tasks are running. To that end the Palm does hiccup a bit when doing 4 or so things at a time. Most common skips:
- music skips when your network changes
- typing skips occassionally when listening to music (if you type really fast)
I know a lot of people are really glad that the Treo 680 is going to be sans-antenna stub. Personally I'm ok with the antenna because it is just enough to protrude above the cell phone sleeve of most bags and pockets, helping you to grab it when it's ringing.
Was also conidering some of the complaints I've read about the usefulness of the touch screen (or lack therof due to needing to unsheath the stylus). I could be wrong, but I'd bet that most people who've experienced trouble trim their nails down to the bone. If you leave a little white (guys, this is ok to do) then pinpoint tapping is possible.
I've also decided that documents-to-go really looks like hell. Hope Palm didn't pay too much for that license.
As much as I love the Treo, this version may not be for everyone. Ideal candidates in my mind are:
- politicians (contacts, GB of contacts!, email)
- sales people (see politicians)
- tech people (modem, ssh, text editors, IM and more)
- geek chic (phone, SMS, iPod, video, computer all in one? No brainer)
- writers/journalists (leave the chunky journal, camera, dictionary and thesaurus at home)
If the price point comes out right the 680 will include "almost everyone" as it will do some multimedia (music player, video) as well as allow more people to jump on the QWERTY bandwagon for IM, SMS and email.
Until someone else "gets it right" the Palm is still as relevant as it once was. Don't let the whining media tell you otherwise.
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on December 8, 2006 | Comments (0)
Lexus Automobiles Marketed to Assholes
So it looks like this season's batch of Lexus television commercials continue on in the fine tradition of years past starring yuppies seeking last minute tax write-offs by purchasing new luxury cars and SUVs, adorning them with red bows and giving them as gifts.
These commercials go no short distance to make Lexus and it's customers look like a bunch of pretentious assholes flaunting their wealth for all to see.
Though I don't have a recorded copy of the commercial I have in mind, there was one scene that was simply precious; some guy is presenting his (presumed) wife a lexus in their driveway and she's all teared up and hugs him. The camera pans across the street and there is a crowd of people cheering.
A close study of the freeze-frame may prove me wrong, but at a glance these people sure looked like their clothes were more ragged than the "stars" of the commercial. I'd almost go so far as to say they looked like a bunch of homeless people acting like it was ok for them to be on the street, so long as this couple was happy.
Another commercial pits a black woman against a white one as they try to figure out who the mysterious "gift car" parked between their two property lines is intended for. You can see the anxiety in their faces and the commercial ends with neither one willing to go back inside until they have their answer. This automobile is in no subtle way, attached to their societal rank in their neighborhood, which is very disappointing to watch. Watching two shallow and petty people lusting after an object does not make casual observers feel the same.
These commercials may actually represent the image that Lexus wants to cultivate and celebrate but it's nothing I would get within a ten mile radius of, no matter what my wealth or the quality of Lexus products.
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on November 29, 2006 | Comments (0)
The INTERnet is INTERactive
If you're on the internet you might as well participate on it. Since we @ Haus help to build the internet we are constantly writing letters to other developers, but it doesn't stop there; everyone but the largest companies who loathe their customers can benefit from hearing from you.
Bloggers would love you to use their comments section to further discussion. Site owners love private emails of encouragement for providing good information or services (usually for free). Publications should be told if their advertising has gone too far. The public benefits if you share your experiences with a product on sites like Amazon. The internet is for all of us to build and for all of us to benefit from, and that is what makes it so great.
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on November 14, 2006 | Comments (0)
"Scratch Disk"
Even though we at Haus use an online job tracking systems to keep a handle on everything we're working on, there is always a ton of little details, notes, questions, numbers, etc. that are either too small/temporary to put into bugzilla, or are too numerous to keep track of in your brain. For these items (and my coffee cup) there is the "scratch disk", pictured here.
I generally fill up one page every 1-3 days, flip over and repeat, then shred using a cross shredder. Could be that growing up at the exact time that I did has turned my peers and I into digital hybrids: embracing new technology but mixing it with analog components.
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on November 7, 2006 | Comments (0)
Shure i3cT Attacked By Dung Beetle!
Since this is a headset for a portable phone and not a home theater I have two suggestions for Shure that I have submitted via email and also publicly here:
New dual-function switch that is smaller and much thinner. Lightweight design enables you to place it anywhere you like on the cord. Like places where it won't be in your pocket where it is of no use.
Another idea, and an even better one, would be to add a small button and control dial to the microphone, making it even more portable yet.
Unless there are some super secret electronic chips that are living in that dung-beetle of a controller that simply can't be shrunk in size these kids have GOT to wake up and realize that people who buy headsets for cellphones do so because they actually take them out of the house and have to carry them. Every single iota of space/weight savings that can be provided without compromising audio quality will be appreciated by consumers. Nobody wants to pay the price of a cellphone to get a headset the size of a cellphone and have to carry an extra bag to tote it around.
Update: I was really surprised to get feedback from Shure not just via email -- by phone! I talked to Brian today and they seem to understand the concerns about portability. We can hope to see improvements in newer models. As it turns out, this growth does not actually have any crazy circuitry built in so we could surgically remove it and be no worse for wear. All it contains: resistor for volume control and a chip or two for the "mute" button. After a short chat, and thinking more about how I would actually *use* this earbud system, here is my updated list of "to dos" for Shure:
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on November 2, 2006 | Comments (0)
The Web Requires Some Muscle
Generally speaking, unless you have a strong business model, some level of determination and resourcefulness, or time on your hands I think the web will simply wear most people down and cause them to give up on being a publisher or business owner and simply be a user.
The world of web obstructions is dense and relentless and contains many enemies: spammers, defacers, competitors, pirates, multiple platforms, acronyms, character sets, and the constant march of technology (upgrades and patches to software protect you from attacks but also may require you to redo much of your work to be compatible).
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on October 28, 2006 | Comments (0)
WTF? Radio
A little jingle from the Haus Music Studio. Enjoy. Listen (mp3)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 License.
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on October 23, 2006 | Comments (0)
On Building The World Wide Web
It's easy to find web engineers that can break stuff
It's hard to find web engineers that can break stuff and then actually fix it
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on October 17, 2006 | Comments (0)
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