Music

I finally got around to connecting some of the music equipment I have hanging around in my flat and I have a small music studio that sort of works. I'm using Apple Garageband as the software. I was using a Cubase Lite version that came with my mixer but, Mac OS X Lion broke it and I can't get an update unless I pay about £60.

When I first used Garageband I thought all it did was either work as a backing track you play something and it plays the rest or allow you to build up music using loops. I found out that it also lets me play guitar and record it, using amp and effects settings into an audio track. It lets me record vocals as an audio track. Also it will allow me to use midi to control some built in instruments like bass, drums, piano or sax.

So I plugged in my Yamaha Midi controller and my Alesis 16x2 USB Mixer and I had something that works. Using a roland midi keyboard, I could create some simple drum patterns. I do have an Alesis Drum Kit, which I can use as midi or audio, but I can't play it that well.

I have a couple of Shure mics and a half a dozen guitars and a bass guitar. This is enough to muck around and make some music with me playing everything. I've been playing blues and some covers.

I did some Muddy Waters and Jimmy Reed, Ramones and John Lennon covers. I put some tracks up on Soundcloud at http://www.soundcloud.com/megachrist

The actual thing that allowed me to finally get it started was building a coffee table I've had flat packed for the last two years and shifting the computer onto it.