Recording my Synthesizer with Garageband

Is there any way that i can record EXACTLY what is coming out of my synthesizer.

I have an Allesis using midi to USB.

Not with MIDI – that’s just notes. If you want to record the actual sound coming from your synthesizer you’ll need an audio connection to your computer’s sound input or an audio -> USB adapter.

Thanks Friedo,

What sort of equiptment do i need for that?

Im also looking to record guitar and drums the same way.

For recording your synth on the cheap all you really need is a standard audio cable with a stereo mini jack on one side and whatever fits in your synth’s output on the other, and plug it into your computer’s audio input.

For decent quality recoding of pretty much anything else you’ll need a good microphone and some kind of pre-amp/digitizer setup. On a budget you’ll want either

a) a mixing deck with pre-amps and a separate audio interface - useful if you want to record more than a handful of inputs at the same time.
b) something that combines an audio interface with a pre-amp. Like the cheaper models from m-audio.

Though you can do without the audio interface if you find the recording quality of the built-in audio input on your computer acceptable (most are actually pretty decent, but some are fairly noisy). You’ll probably still need a pre-amp for the microphone, though.

I use an M-Audio Fast Track. Has 1/4" and XLR inputs with balance and level controls. You just plug it in to your USB port and you’re good to go; GarageBand will recognize it immediately.

Will i be able to plug USB into this device? Doesn’t look like it.

Also, even if i use my synthesizer with 1/4" output, i have a left and right channel. Will i be able to get stereo sound out of it?

If your synth has only midi-usb, you won’t get sound of it like that - MIDI only sends control signals (which keys you press, etc) not sound. It’s possible that the synth also does audio over usb, in which case you only need to plug your synth into your computer’s usb port (and get the right drivers, if needed). What model synth do you have?

Allesis Micron.

I have MIdi ports and 1/4" ports

You want to use the 1/4" port. You can get a 1/4" -> 1/8" adapter (a few cents at Radio Shack) and plug directly into your computer’s microphone input. You will get both channels.

Alternatively, you can use one of the USB mixing boards mentioned above. But that’s not really necessary if you’re only recording one source.