A huge feature missing from GarageBand is the ability to record with multiple USB mics on different tracks at the same time. If you're recording a duet, or a podcast with more than one person, it's a pain.
If you're planning on singing Islands in the Stream or podcasting with a few friends, there is a way to get GarageBand to recognize all of your USB mics. All it takes is a quick trip to the Utilities folder to visit the Audio MIDI Setup app.
Difficulty level:
Medium
What you need:
> GarageBand '08 or later
> Mac OS 10.4 or later
> Multiple USB mics
> 30 minutes to spare
1. Mic Check
We grabbed three random mics. A Sennheiser Headset, Blue Eyeball and Rock Band mic.
Plug in all of your USB mics. We plugged ours into a powered USB, so you're not hindered by the available ports on your machine. Remember though, the more mics you plug in, the harder GarageBand has to work to record.
2. Audio Input Setup
Audio MIDI Setup is a great utility that no one knows about.
Go to Applications>Utilities>Audio MIDI Setup. Go to Audio in the menu bar and select Open Aggregate Device Editor.
You'll create one device for all of your mics.
Click on the plus button under the Aggregate Devices window.
Naming your new Aggregate Device now will help you later.
Click on the new Aggregate Device and rename it. We choose, Podcast Mics since we'll use this setup for podcasting.
This window will show you all of your audio in and out devices.
In the structure window you should see the USB mics you have plugged in. We have two mics and one mic/headset combo plugged in. Check the Use box beside the mics you want to use. For a headset, be sure to choose to Use the choice with the In option not the Out. In signifies audio in and Out signifies audio out.
Your Aggregate device should only have Audio In devices.
The choices you made will move to the top of the Structure list. We check the Resample option for our setup. Test your audio setup for best results. Click done and quit Audio MIDI Setup.
4. Make Sure GarageBand is Guided by Voices
GarageBand '09 launch screen.
Launch GarageBand. We started a podcast, but the process is exactly the same if you choose to create a song.
This is where naming your Aggregate Device comes in handy.
In the Menu Bar select GarageBand>Preferences. Select the Audio/MIDI tab. Select the Audio Input drop down and select the Aggregate Device you created using the Audio MIDI Setup. GarageBand will warn you that you will be changing the audio driver, select yes. Close the Preferences window.
5.Podcasting the Night Away
You need this panel to adjust the audio input settings.
Be sure the Track Info panel is visible.
It's easier to duplicate a track at the beginning than create a new one.
We've duplicated the Male Voice track so we have three tracks for our three USB mics.
Your device is split between the three mics. Choose the appropriate mic for the appropriate person.
Select the first voice track. In the track Info panel select Info Source. What has happened is that the Aggregate Device is seen as two stereo devices or three mono devices. Choose Mono 1 for your first voice track. Select the second Voice track and select Mono 2 Input Source. Select the third Voice track and select the Mono 3 Input Source. If you have more mics, continue until each track is assigned it's own Mono input Source.
6. All Together Now
Make sure all the red buttons are selected for recordings.
In order to record all the mics at the same time, you need to press the red record buttons on the Voice Tracks you want to recording. When you start recording, it may take GarageBand a few moments to begin. Remember, the more mics you have going at once the more processing power you're using.
All three podcasters can speak at once.
That's it. You can adjust each vocal track independently now which is especially helpful when you're using different types of microphones, or some of the podcasters are louder than others.
