Do I have what I need equipment-wise?

Hello! Here I am, fresh from the primer (I read it twice), but find that I am still not sure that what I have is what I need. I've also done fairly extensive searching on this forum and elsewhere on the Internet. I apologize for asking questions that you guys hear over and over, but as someone mentioned in another post, it's so hard for a total newbie to apply other people's information to their own particular situation. So I am asking your forgiveness in advance.

Following is a list of the equipment I already have (not gathered specifically for recording purposes on the Mac; this stuff is actually left over from a talent show that I helped to produce):

Behringer Eurorack MX 802A mixer
Oktava MK-012-01 condenser mic
A cheapo Realistic omnidirectional Highball 2 mic (600 ohms)
Older MIDI keyboard (Casiotone CT-460)
iMac G5 with 1.5 GB of RAM

Here's what I want to do: Record tracks into GarageBand, not simultaneously, from the keyboard, my acoustic guitar, and my very own sub-American-Idol-standard vocal cords.

Do I have what I need or am I missing something? (I would hook it all up and try it, but my iMac's in the shop getting a new logic board, and I'm researching this stuff while I wait.) All the talk about pre-amps and phantom power confuses me, but from what I gather, that's all taken care of with the mixer, is that right? (The mixer does have a phantom power switch, that much I know.)

Do I connect the mixer to the iMac through the audio line in port or do I get a Griffin iMic and plug the mixer into that? It sounds like the difference between those approaches is quality, USB being better. Could someone please correct me if I'm wrong? I'm not looking for professional studio quality here, but I don't want doo-doo either. This will be mainly for my own use, but I don't want to be embarrassed by poor quality if I should decide to post something on the Internet or give it to friends.

I will also be converting some cassettes and vinyl to CD, so I'll be running a turntable and a cassette deck through the mixer as well. I'm assuming nothing extra is required for that.

I really appreciate anyone who has read this far and is willing to help. If I were smarter I'd be able to understand the primer better, although it was helpful to an extent.

Thank you!

Thank you, e-clipse, for your fast response. Here's a drawing of the top part of the mixer. It has a Main Out L and R and a Ctrl R Out L and R. Dumb question alert: Are those the stereo outs?

The manual does say you can connect MIDI devices to the mixer, although I don't know where. Is there such a thing as a MIDI to 1/4" cable? I can't seem to find one in a quick search.

Thank you, zimv20. I'm afraid I'm not sure what you mean. (I'm a raging newbie, don't forget) What is a synth? And how do I connect the keyboard to the mixer? That's why I was asking about a MIDI to 1/4" cable. I don't know which "port" on the mixer I should physically attach the MIDI cables to. Thanks for your help.

Oh, so you're saying use the keyboard's headphone jack, basically, and just use an 1/8" to 1/4" cable to connect it to the mixer?

I just checked again, and there's only the MIDI in and out, and an 1/8" jack that I plug the headphones into, although it does just say Output.
??

Thanks for the explanation—I appreciate it very much.

Chances are, you will get a better quality of sounds from the Mac virtual instruments than you will from the Casiotone. This means you could use the Casio simply as a controller keyboard to input MIDI sequences, that your GarageBand instruments could play back.

Click to expand...

Do I have to do anything in particular in order to use it as simply a controller as opposed to using the actual sound from the keyboard?

You say you want to run a turntable into the mixer -- does the mixer have an input channel with an RIAA equalization curve specifically for phono inputs? If not, you will need to run the turntable through a receiver or preamp first, and then run the L and R Auxiliary or Tape Outs to the mixer.

Click to expand...

I can't find any evidence of that type of input channel in the manual. But I do have a receiver I can run it through.

But why don't you look at your budget and see if you can afford an audio interface that includes MIDI? This will cover both bases, and give you higher quality sound than teh iMac's Line in or a Griffin iMic.

Click to expand...

Well, the budget doesn't allow for much, so I'm checking eBay. Would this work?
http://cgi.ebay.com/EDIROL-UA-20-24-bit-Digital-USB-Audio-MIDI-Interface_W0QQitemZ230102241444QQcategoryZ41784QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Or this?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Tascam-US-122-USB-audio-midi-interface_W0QQitemZ190090044805QQcategoryZ41784QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

And would that eliminate the need for the mixer altogether?

Thank you for your time, and thanks again to zimv20 as well.

Thank you again, e-clipse, and everyone for the information. I am hoping my iMac will be home soon so I can try it all out!