garageband ? - switching from pc

[benkohler]

i just got a powerbook (my first mac) that came with garageband and wanted to ask a question. i have done a decent amount of music recording on my pc, and i used a program called cool edit pro. what i would do is run my guitar into an amp. mic the amp. run the mic into a mixer, and then run the mixer into the computer. sometimes i would skip the mixer and run the mic right into the computer.
whenever i read anything about garageband off the apple site, they say to just plug your guitar straight into your computer and start recording. this seems absurd, as i have never in my life heard a halfway decent sound coming from running a guitar straight into a computer. micing amps always sounds a million times better. my question is can i keep doing what i have been doing on my pc, as far as micing amps goes, in garageband?
thanks
also, is there a way to change the panning throughout a track, like you can do with the volume, or does an entire track need to be panned to the same place. i do a lot of guitar panning left and right, and couldnt seem to figure this out in garageband.
thanks again
benkohler

 

[NusuniAdmin]

Yes you truely can plug it right in.

One of my friends uses something called guitar rig and he says it is awsome. Try looking on google for it.

(just a note: i am not a music person otherwise id be able to tell u a lot more)

you should be able to mic the amps as well.

ah yes: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/mwsf04/ goto roughly 1:09 (1 hour 9 mins) and watch the garageband demo!

 

[jackieonasses]

IT will sound horriable unless you pre-amp it...just run it through the headphone port on your amp if you dont have anything else.