Transforming Music provision in your school
For many young people performing, recording/mixing and uploading/downloading music is part of everyday life. For Schools keeping up with this can be difficult. The technology is always changing and can be expensive here are some low cost practical ideas that are easy to manage in school.
Recording real Instruments on your Mac
The guitar is back! Connecting them to Macs for recording purposes has never been easier. If you have a new iMac or Macbook one of the most cost effective way to do this is with a Monster iStudio Link adapter.
On one end there is a standard 1/4 inch cable that plugs straight into the guitar and a 1/8 jack that will plug into your iMac or Macbook.
A more sophisticated route, but still plug and play is the Stealth Plug. this also allows bass guitars to be recorded too. The solution offers a standard 1/4 jack for the guitar/bass and a USB connection to the computer.
This allows for a very clean and more detailed signal. It also comes with software that provides extra virtual amplifiers and effects that work seamlessly with GarageBand and Logic/Express.
These include 15 guitar and bass amp combinations of the most sought after gear, 11 effects, mic-modelling with 2 virtual microphones and position controls, built-in tuner and more than 128 customizable user presets.
In the classroom these cables can simply be handed out to the guitarists in the group. They can plug in and play (preferably with head phones) and be jamming and writing without any complex setting up.
Using USB microphones in the classroom
Recording performances has often been fraught with problems - Mini disc recorders were handy but then relied on other people having the same device or transferring the recording to CD. With the advent of USB based Microphones life is much easier. School concerts and live performances can be recorded via the USB microphone straight into GarageBand and then burnt to CD in iTunes.
The C01U USB Studio Condenser Mic is the first affordable studio condenser mic with a USB interface.
For the first time ever, computer based musicians have a simple, affordable way to capture high quality vocal and acoustic instrument performances.
Seamless integration is the idea, and it is obtained by creating a studio condenser microphone that can be plugged into any computer with no in/out boxes, no expensive computer pre-amps, just a USB cable.
This technology is plug and play and therefore easy for the teacher to manage. Students still need to think about positioning and recording levels, but the technology is user friendly. Garageband instantly recognises that you have plugged in a USB microphone and offers to automatically connect to it!
Desktop drummers
M Audio's Trigger Finger is a great way to add drums percussion and sounds to GarageBand and Logic. The Trigger Finger offers 16 pressure sensitive pads that can be assigned to both musical notes or drum sounds. The device plugs into your Mac via a USB cable and is host powered. There are no sounds within the unit, it "triggers" the sounds from software.
iDrum Software is a cost effective software add on for GarageBand. This is a software drum machine that work as a standalone solution or from within GarageBand. It enables more creative and easier drum pattern programming. The sounds can be triggered from a USB keyboard or the trigger finger. It will also allow you to load in your own sounds and samples - these can be drum, percussion, vocal snippets it is a very creative tool.
