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Garageband for ipad has the same crap problem as every other iOS music app....

I mean. Honestly, from one touring musician to another 'professional' musician - you are using Garageband, recording with the internal mic. Is there honestly anything to be complaining about here?

It's a dumbed down version of a dumbed down version of Logic. While I agree it's a little weird to not have levels - I wouldn't be too invested in it - again. It's garageband on an iPad.
 
I think the OP had a legitimate point, and I'm surprised at all the posts attacking him. It's not as if he was complaining that GB for the iPad doesn't allow unlimited tracks and doesn't have custom reverbs and all the bells and whistles of Logic -- he just wants loud audio not to distort on his practice demos. It would be like the iPhone 4's camera not being able to take photos in bright sunlight, and someone complaining about that, and people saying, "It's a phone! Use your digital camera if you want to take photos outdoors!"

The assumption, though, was that level control is a simple software implementation -- in which case, leaving it out would be a bad decision on Apple's part. If it's hardware-related, though, and including a better mic and other circuitry would have added to the cost of the iPad 2, then leaving it out would make sense. There's the external-mic option for those who want it.
 
Fiddler70 said:
On the harmoniqdog forunm:

jbrave wrote:
Does the input volume slider actually control the analog mic input gain, so that, for instance, a loud sound source that distorts can be recorded without distortion?

Answer:
Unfortunately no. When the microphone itself clips, there is really no way to avoid distortion, other than using another mic which supports larger sound pressure levels.
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I suggested might be an underlying issue back on page 1. There are a few very small plug-in mics made for iPhones, maybe someone with experience with one of those might be able to recommend one with a wider range than the built in mic.
 
Ubele said:
[..]If it's hardware-related, though, and including a better mic and other circuitry would have added to the cost of the iPad 2, then leaving it out would make sense. There's the external-mic option for those who want it.
Click to expand...

I mean, if you want any quality - at all, even for 'demos', the internal mic definitely would not be enough for any semi professional. Recording demos on the iPad not only would be low quality - but would, to me, be a waste of time. You could do it a lot faster with a MacBook.
 
nafai23 said:
I could not agree more. I need a casual "notepad" that does not overload with more than speaking volume from a few feet away. I do not even care about quality for practice reasons.

There is NO reason not to have levels for the mic.
Click to expand...
Or stereo mic input.
Glaring omission on a device that is quite capable of handling both.
 
If you are seriously using GarageBand for professional work, then you would be smart enough to get a professional input box for it that doesn't suck. One that plugs into the dock connector is ideal and has multiple inputs of all different types (especially XLR), also make sure it has a VU meter just to make you happy.
 
There was evidence that you could use the camera usb thingy to plug in a usb mic into the iPad (1).
Wasn't that interested because not stereo and the lack of level control.
Q: does automatic gain control mean automatic volume leveling?
Cause if it does this (or something like it) might be a reasonably priced answer.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/571273-REG/Blue_ICICLE_Icicle_USB_Microphone.html

If I'm out in left field, don't yell at me.
 
Now to show I really don't know what I'm talking about.
I had heard about and toyed with the idea of volume control devices for your headphones. Supposedly they work in the opposite/same? way with a mic.
I actually got one from RShack but there was static. I think the concept is the same tho, and wouldn't take much to make a quality one, no?
PS the static was only when changing the setting, so if you set it before the recording it might work.
 
touchmonkey said:
There was evidence that you could use the camera usb thingy to plug in a usb mic into the iPad (1).
Wasn't that interested because not stereo and the lack of level control.
Q: does automatic gain control mean automatic volume leveling?
Cause if it does this (or something like it) might be a reasonably priced answer.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/571273-REG/Blue_ICICLE_Icicle_USB_Microphone.html

If I'm out in left field, don't yell at me.
Click to expand...

No way that would work with the iPad using the camera connector because it requires the full USB power to do 48V phantom power. Not to mention that the camera connector is pretty hit or miss for that purpose anyway. It's better to just buy a proper dock adapter for microphones.
 
touchmonkey said:
Now to show I really don't know what I'm talking about.
I had heard about and toyed with the idea of volume control devices for your headphones. Supposedly they work in the opposite/same? way with a mic.
I actually got one from RShack but there was static. I think the concept is the same tho, and wouldn't take much to make a quality one, no?
PS the static was only when changing the setting, so if you set it before the recording it might work.
Click to expand...

Uh yeah it's called a mixer, any real musician would be using one.

No offense to anyone, but this whole thread is full of people who have no real knowledge of audio production, it really surprises me.
 
When I was in a metal band in the 90s we had the same problem recording rehearsals on a tape recorder, so we put it in a flight case... problem solved ;)
 
ovrlrd said:
Uh yeah it's called a mixer, any real musician would be using one.

No offense to anyone, but this whole thread is full of people who have no real knowledge of audio production, it really surprises me.
Click to expand...

And there's also an overwhelming response from people who apparently didn't read or understand the original poster's comments. He's not looking for high quality nor is he planning to do any "professional" work with it.
 
handsome pete said:
And there's also an overwhelming response from people who apparently didn't read or understand the original poster's comments. He's not looking for high quality nor is he planning to do any "professional" work with it.
Click to expand...

Clearly he shouldn't have started with this then.

I am a professional musician as is my wife and we both play instruments
Click to expand...
 
Lots of good helpful comments. Too bad one has to skip over all the insulting, uninformed posts to find them. But that's the internet for you.....
 
ovrlrd said:
Clearly he shouldn't have started with this then.
Click to expand...

That's completely irrelevant. He did say he's a professional musician, but at no point did he say he was trying to record professional quality tracks. All these morons coming on the offensive against the OP didn't even bother to read his follow-up posts.

He wants to record without his instruments clipping from too high on an input level. It's the same reason why, if you use a headset to chat on your Mac or PC, you usually don't have the input level for the mic set to its' maximum.

This is such a reasonable thing for the OP to bring up and for once is a legitimate thread on the forums on a fresh topic. I don't see what people get out of coming in here assuming that the OP is trying to record tracks for actual professional use. He never said that or implied it, and it's irritating to see the attacks in here that are totally uncalled for.
 
ovrlrd said:
Clearly he shouldn't have started with this then.
Click to expand...

The word "professional" in that statement offers no evidence as to how he wants to use the software. I'm a professional video editor. I'll probably check out iMovie for the iPad, but it doesn't mean I'm looking for pro quality results.



Oh, and you probably should have also read this:

I need a casual "notepad" that does not overload with more than speaking volume from a few feet away. I do not even care about quality for practice reasons.
Click to expand...
 
Foundational Problem

Adjusting the mic level is as foundational as adjusting the brightness on your screen, or the volume of your music! What's with all the lame armchair quarterbacking 'if you're so pro, why don't you....'?! Why all the hype on the hyper video resolution if the audio sucks?! The Company that brings in high quality audio to their product first is going to make a killing (and I hope its Apple... especially since their gear could do it if they let it).
 
hi OP, the studiotrack app seems to have what you need and more? (http://www.sonomawireworks.com/iphone/studiotrack/) it does cost a fair bit though

still puzzles me why some people need to validate their opinions of naysaying. if you're not going to offer any positive input to add to a discussion, why bother with a slamming "no, you shouldnt be expecting that" etc rah rah rah.. if a post is too "whingey" for you, go participate in other posts instead
 
I see the need for input levels. Acoustic instruments especially are all
L over the place and some attenuation is always welcome.
 
Wow just wow...

Many people do not understand the concept of practicing and the value of recording those sessions quickly and on the fly and the fun and convenience of doing it on an ipad.

I used to do this on my crappy verizon windows smartphone 5-6 years ago and yes the quality was horrid but I could hear pitch and rhythm.

It is amazing after I said I just wanted to use it as a low quality practice tool that people still insist that if I want to do this i need a 200-300 dollar mic(that said I will probably pick up the apogee or blue) at minimum and if I am a "professional" more.

In my business "professionals" spend there free time practicing and getting better or we do not work. We leave the recording up to the "professional" engineers.

Forgive me for thinking something as simple as the recording level should be including on what apple considers to be a comprehensive amateur DAW.

My needs are specific and probably not required for everyone but the
funny thing is my sister emailed me earlier this evening and she and her husband record guitar and vocal tracks for fun and she asked me "how do I control the internal mic volume on garageband for ipad like we do on the mac?"

No joke.

i told her to sing softer or stick a pillow over her ipad and told her to buy a $10k protools DAW if she wants to do that.

She laughed............
 
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nafai23 said:
In my business "professionals" spend there free time practicing and getting better or we do not work. We leave the recording up to the "professional" engineers...
Click to expand...

I'm certain that is true. But please help me understand why its such a disaster if your input levels are too high if all you are doing is practicing?

I can really see both sides of this discussion. On the one hand, I think you bring up a valuable and important point: the ability to control input levels seems pretty fundamental for a music recording device. But on the other, I think its fair to say that characterizing the entire iPad/Garageband setup as useless garbage, less capable than a "crappy verizon windows smartphone 5-6 years ago" probably didn't win you too many friends. Sometimes its not what you say, but how you say it.

I honestly don't know if the absence of a sound level control is a byproduct of a hardware, or software limitation. (We are, after all, taking about a microphone the size of a pinhole.) But I sincerely believe that, should it be possible to provide sound-level control through an update to either the iOS itself, or simply Garageband for iPad, then Apple will find a way of meeting the requirements of you, and no doubt many other, musicians - both amateur and professional.

In the meantime, several posters have suggested workarounds to help you address the issue you've raised. We hope that one of them will prove satisfactory while you are waiting for a software update from Apple. Please be patient - Garageband for the iPad has been on sale for less than 12 hours.
 
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