Record Level not working in GarageBand

[gvdv]

Hi,
I would like some help with a problem in GarageBand that has only recently become relevant to me as a problem (i.e., I was able to get around it / deal with it up to now, so I did not matter to me previously).

Stated briefly, I cannot set the the Record Level and Track Volume level in GarageBand independently of one another. For some reason, the ‘Recording Level’ slider (under the ‘Browse’ tab in the ‘Track Info.’ Pane on the right of the screen) is greyed-out.

Now, maybe that is as it should be, given my set up (I don’t know, hence this question), so here is how my system is configured/set-up, with some information about a curious anomaly that even an audio professional could not sort out, and which might have a bearing on this problem.

DAW Set-up
- Mac Pro Dual Core Intel Xeon processors (i.e. 2 x 2.66 GHz / 4 cores)
- 5 GB RAM
- 1 TB HD space (total of 4 Seagate Barracuda hard drives)
- Presonus Firestudio 26x26 firewire audio interface
- OS X 10.6.2 (Snow Leopard)
- GarageBand ’09 Version 5.1 (398)

I used to run the previous OS (Tiger?) with a previous version of GarageBand (3, I think), and had the same set-up and same problem (with the ‘Record Level’ being disabled / greyed-out).

When I upgraded to Snow Leopard, I installed it on a virgin hard drive.

Apart from 4 or 5 occasions over the last few years when I have edited a very small amount of video in iMovie, I have used my Mac Pro exclusively for tracking in GarageBand. I have only connected the computer to the net on a handful of occasions. There are only 2 non-system apps. on the computer (all related to tracking/recording audio).

Problem
Up to now, I have been able to work with the fact that the ‘Record Level’ slider was greyed-out; I used the ‘Volume Level’ slider on each track to set the recording level. (The ‘Recording Level’ was greyed-out when I was using my previous version of GarageBand, in the previous OS).

However, recently while testing some microphones, I really wanted to be able to set the volume level (in the headphones) of the track that I was recording much louder than the recording level would allow without clipping.

This has me wondering if there is any way of enabling the ‘Recording Level’ slider.

Potential Problem Connected with This?
After re-installing the software for my Presonus Firestudio after I had installed Snow Leopard about a year ago, TWO sets of choices for the Presonus appeared in the ‘Input’ and ‘Output’ windows under ‘Preferences – Audio/MIDI’.

One of the choices reads ‘PreSonus Firestudio’ (with that punctuation), and the other reads ‘Presonus 1394’. (The Firestudio is a firewire audio interface).

Now, this wasn’t the case previously, under the Tiger OS, and the ‘Recording Level’ slider is still greyed-out, but I thought that this might be relevant in some way. Also, the software mixer/router for the Firestudio has never worked properly (I am not able to create discreet mixes).

So, my main questions are:
1. Given my set-up, should the ‘Recording Level’ slider be disabled/greyed-out, or should I be able to use it?
2. If it should be capable of being enabled, how would I do that?

Thanks,
GVDV.

 

[Papanate]

Do you have 'Automatic Level Control' Checked?

It's right under the record level in track info.

 

[gvdv]

Do you have 'Automatic Level Control' Checked?

It's right under the record level in track info.

Hi Papanate,
Thanks for the reply.

No, 'Automatic Level Control' isn't checked - it is greyed-out as well. And I wouldn't use ALC control anyway.

Now having another problem which I will post about separately.

GVDV.

 

[Papanate]

Are you using OSX Lion or Snow Leopard?

Between your two posts - both of which are about odd behavior - I would of said something was corrupted in Garageband...except you did state you
deleted and reinstalled Garageband twice.

My guess is that it is still corrupted - but you need to call Apple support so they can walk you through deleting code that gets left behind.

I had this kind of odd experience with Final Cut - odd behaviors that were not affected by my uninstalling the program, delting preferences and so on. After a week of frustration I called Apple ( since I had three years...it made sense).

End result from Applecare: Final Cut leaves some code behind and it might
be screwing with the program. Here's how to take it out.


It's worth the call to me.

 

[gvdv]

Are you using OSX Lion or Snow Leopard?

Between your two posts - both of which are about odd behavior - I would of said something was corrupted in Garageband...except you did state you
deleted and reinstalled Garageband twice.

My guess is that it is still corrupted - but you need to call Apple support so they can walk you through deleting code that gets left behind.

I had this kind of odd experience with Final Cut - odd behaviors that were not affected by my uninstalling the program, delting preferences and so on. After a week of frustration I called Apple ( since I had three years...it made sense).

End result from Applecare: Final Cut leaves some code behind and it might
be screwing with the program. Here's how to take it out.


It's worth the call to me.

Hi Papanate,
Thanks for the reply.

If you check my original post, you'll see that I did say that I am using Snow Leopard.

The re-installs of Snow Leopard were last year, but I actually re-installed GB again this evening because weirder stuff than the above was starting to happen, and continues to happen. I now can't hear any effects when I record - but can hear them on playback. I will post about this separately, just in case someone has a 'quick fix'.

I might call Apple Support, as you suggest because I'm sure that having two sets of drivers for the Presonus is messing something up. But I have also found GB and OS X to be not very stable over the last four years, so I'm sure that that's part of it, too.

Thanks, once again,
GVDV.

 

[Papanate]

I'll note that GB is pretty stable here...and I'm running Lion...was running Snow Leopard prior. Most people have stable setups for GB.

I'll restate that you probably have errant code...could be from the Presonus but probably is from GB.

But one last ditch effort....have you repaired disk permissions lately? It's a shot in the dark but it make straighten out the weirdness.

 

[gvdv]

I'll note that GB is pretty stable here...and I'm running Lion...was running Snow Leopard prior. Most people have stable setups for GB.

I'll restate that you probably have errant code...could be from the Presonus but probably is from GB.

But one last ditch effort....have you repaired disk permissions lately? It's a shot in the dark but it make straighten out the weirdness.

Hi Papanate,
Thanks for your continued, and very helpful, thoughts.

I think that you're absolutely right about the code.

And I keep on forgetting to repair disk permissions (I mainly use PC's and only use my Mac Pro for tracking, so keep forgetting to do that). That's a brilliant suggestion, and I will do it right away.

Thanks,
GVDV.