Connect Irig To Garageband

In this article, I’ll show you exactly how to plug your guitar into GarageBand using a quick summary as well as a thorough step-by-step process. The way I do it not only sounds good but it’s also convenient, moreover, it minimizes latency and other problems too.

To plug your guitar into Garageband, connect the computer to an audio interface like the Scarlett 2i2. In Garageband’s Preferences, set the Input to the Interface and the Output to “Built-in Output.” After plugging the guitar in and selecting the Audio track, click the monitoring button to hear it.

Irig With Garageband Ipad 7. Connect the midi out of the Yamaha DTXplorer to the midi in of the iRig Midi; Connect the iRig Midi to your iPad; Now, here's the bit that made me think it was worth writing this post. The DTXplorer doesn't support custom midi mapping and it uses different midi notes than those used by GarageBand for iPad. Feb 24, 2018 To use your iRig, make sure to connect it to the Headphone Jack on the iMac (not the line input). In your Audio software settings, make sure to select 'Built-in Microphone' (not 'Line Input'), for the iMac to recognize the iRig as an input device connected to the headphone jack. I just found this info in another post. Jan 12, 2018 iRig Keys is a MIDI keyboard with extras. The keyboard part is nice, with full-sized velocity-sensitive keys, plus a set of hardware knobs, and pads, which can be used to control the. Launch GarageBand for iPad and plug your guitar into the iRig. On the left of the screen is a ' 1/4' jack' button which lets you add a noise gate. Handy for those distorted tones. Next to it is the guitarist's best friend: the Tuner. No excuses for a flat g-string!

by the way, I have a list of all the best products for music production on my recommended products page, including the best deals, coupon codes, and bundles, that way you don’t miss out (you’d be surprised what kind of deals are always going on).

How to Plug Your Guitar Into GarageBand

There are a few different ways of doing this, and some are significantly better than others. I’m just going to show you the way that I do it with a short video below and then a full-on walkthrough.

I have a couple of pieces of necessary gear (the following 4 links take you to Amazon):

Obviously, your guitar.
A Firewire to USB Cable
an Audio Interface (I use the Focusrite Saffire 6USB. The Scarlett 2i2 is good too.)
A USB-C to USB cable (The only reason this adapter is necessary is I’m using the latest edition of the MacBook Pro. The older generation MacBook Pro doesn’t need this adapter).
Regular Guitar Cable.

If you’re new to music production, understand that a lot of this equipment will come in handy for years to come.

If you’re serious about recording and producing, much of this equipment and more are a necessity, so just grab some of it off Amazon and be done with it, by the way, I couldn’t recommend JamPlay’s website enough if you are serious about learning how to play guitar in one of the most efficient ways imaginable (use the coupon code “1buck,” which makes the first month practically free).

Without further ado,

The actual steps:

1) Connect your Firewire cable to your MacBook Pro. In most cases, this cable will come with your purchase of an audio interface, or a MIDI keyboard. However, if you don’t have one for whatever reason, I’m sure you can pick one up from Amazon for cheap.

2) Usually, the port for the firewire cable is on the back of the Audio Interface. Plug the other part of the firewire cable into the back of the Audio Interface.

In my case, the Firewire to USB has to go into the USB-C adapter that I mentioned earlier.

3) Now, assuming you have the Focusrite Saffire 6USB, it should be powered by your computer. You don’t have to plug it in or anything like that, so all of its lights will turn on which you can see on the front of the unit.

4) Open GarageBand.

5) Click “Open Project,” or one of your old existing files. It doesn’t matter.

6) Once it brings up the “Choose A Track Type Page,” Click on where it says: “Built-in Input.”

7) This should be all that’s needed for this part of the process. However, assuming this is the first time that you’ve ever done this, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to click on where it says, “Built-in Output.”

8) That should bring up your “Output” and “Input” Devices under the Audio-MIDI region preferences.

9) Make sure you’ve selected “Built-in Output,” if you’re using your computer as your speaker, or the speakers that are hooked up to your laptop.

10) Select your Audio Interface for the “Input Device.”

11) Now, once you’re back at the “Choose A Track Type Page,” then click on one of the two subheadings below, either the “Guitar option,” or the “Microphone option.” This should bring up your MIDI Region and all of your controls.

12) In the “Smart Controls Area,” make sure that you’ve selected your audio-interface where it says, “Input.”

13) Now, plug your guitar into the front of your Audio Interface.

14) Click on the “Monitoring Button,” which looks like an upside down Wi-Fi symbol. This part is important, otherwise, you won’t be able to hear what you’re even playing.

15) You can now select whatever kind of amp you want, whether it’s a “clean guitar,” “crunch guitar,” “acoustic guitar,” “distorted guitar,” “experimental guitar,” “clean bass,” “crunch bass,” and “experimental bass.”

16) You want to hit the “Monitoring” button beside your track-header as well. I’ve highlighted the upside down Wi-Fi-looking symbol with a black circle. It’ll turn orange once it’s been selected.

Under each heading, there are quite a few options that all sound pretty good, especially after you tweak them to your preferences.

And it’s pretty much as simple as that.

There are some problems that you can run into when doing all of this for the very first time. For that reason, I’ll explain some of the problems that I’ve had when I first started out.

Common Problems and Annoyances As A Beginner

1) Make sure that the gain on your Audio-Interface isn’t turned up too much, otherwise, you’re going to be feeding GarageBand too hot of a signal, which will make it sound distorted and bad.

2) Make sure the “Pad,” and “Inst,” buttons are turned off on your audio interface, assuming you own a Focusrite Saffire 6USB. I imagine there are similar controls on other audio interface models.

I find that these buttons make the signal too powerful as well, and thus, create distortion. For example, you can use “INST” setting (which stands for instrument), on the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 instead of keeping it turned off. Use the “AIR” feature to give it a bit more juice if you want.

3) Latency. I’ve never actually had latency problems when using an Audio Interface, but some people do have this problem, and the solution – as I’ve explained in my article dedicated to the subject – is usually fairly straightforward.

Essentially, if you’re having latency issues, there could be a number of different causes, however, most of them will be a result of your set-up and incorrect settings for your gear.

For instance, you want to make sure that – if you’re running more than one track – you have the monitoring button turned on for only one of them, rather than every single track.

Other Ways Of Recording Your Guitar In GarageBand

1) You can also use your MacBook’s microphone. This is for very rough demos, obviously, because this way of doing it is going to make a very low-quality recording. However, if you’re desperate, and want to record something, this method will work.

To do this, you just open a new “Audio” track in your workspace.
And then click on the “Record” button.
Start playing the guitar with your amplifier close to it, and that should be enough for a very rough demo.

2) You can also purchase a Guitar to USB cable and hook your guitar directly up to GarageBand. This is an inferior way of recording guitar tracks as well, but it works if you’re running on a string budget.

(This is what a guitar-jack to USB looks like. I don’t own one so I couldn’t take a picture. I had to piece these two images together, but this is what it looks like).

GarageBand will immediately recognize this as an input, so you don’t have to worry about there being compatibility issues.

However, like the method above, you’ll likely run into latency.

3) Use a small portable audio interface like the iRig HD 2 (my dedicated review) if you plan on only running one instrument through your DAW. This is pretty much the same as the main method which I described in detail above.

The only difference is that you’ll be using a much smaller, and likely, limited audio interface. The good thing about this is that it’s relatively inexpensive. Small interfaces are becoming exceedingly popular, like the iRig for example.

I haven’t picked one of these up yet, but once I start traveling around Europe, I imagine I’ll eventually purchase one. I’ll make sure to write a review on it once I do.

Update: You have to use the iRig HD 2 if you want it to work with a PC computer or Mac. The iRig 2 is only good for mobile.

4) Another popular way would be to mic your guitar amplifier up to your audio interface and then through GarageBand.

This is a decent option, but I prefer just to run my guitar directly through GarageBand, rather than doing this. Amplifiers are too big and cumbersome, and I would much rather limit the amount of gear I own to just a guitar like my PRS SE Custom 24 from ZZounds and BlueCat’s Axe Pack from Plugin Boutique.

Before playing your guitar in GarageBand, know that there’s a default tuner right in the DAW, although, Blue Cat Audio’s Hot Tuna (also on Plugin Boutique) is much better. There was a time when I would use the default tuner on occasion, but these days, I use the Hot Tuna instead because it’s way better.

How To Tune Your Guitar Using GarageBand

1) Your guitar is plugged into your audio interface in the computer, so it’s as simple as clicking on the tuning fork beside the center of the DAW where it shows the time signature, tempo, and key signature.

2) When you click on the tuning fork icon, it’ll bring up the meter where you can tune your guitar.

Other Features

One of the great things about using a DAW for your guitar is all of the great VST plug-ins that you can use for your guitar.

For example, you can download amplifier simulators and cabs for your set up using my tutorial here, and while it may not sound good as the original which the plug-ins are modeled after, they still sound good enough to use, and they’re good enough for the vast majority of people.

That’s all for now. If this helped you out, do me a favor and share it on social media.

YouTube Video Tutorial

Conclusion

I hope this was helpful to you. Share it on social media, it would be greatly appreciated.

Connecting your guitar to Garageband iOS is incredibly simple, assuming you own the proper equipment.

To put it simply, if you want to connect your guitar or bass guitar into Garageband iOS, you just need an audio interface. I would recommend either the iRig HD 2 or the Apogee Jam Plus, with the iRig HD 2 being the cheaper option. I suggest getting the iRig HD 2 here from Amazon simply because it’s the one I own and I know it works.

Fortunately, it comes with all of the appropriate cables so the moment you buy it, you have everything you need to get started right away.

To connect your guitar into Garageband iOS:
1) Connect your device to an audio interface like the iRig HD 2 with a thunderbolt to micro-usb cable
2) Turn on your iPhone
3) Open Garageband and choose your Amp Type
4) Plug your guitar into the audio interface
5) Turn the monitoring button on.

This is a short-form explanation of how to get the audio interface to work with Garageband iOS, however, you may run into problems initially.

When I first tried to connect to the audio interface, it didn’t work right away, so I understand your struggle.

For an in-depth tutorial on how to connect your guitar into your iPhone (by the way, I recommend this one from Amazon if you’re in the market for one), including some basic troubleshooting, follow the tutorial shown below.

Connecting Your Guitar/Bass Guitar to Garageband iOS

There’s no question that the ability to connect instruments into an iPhone is easily one of the greatest developments for music producers, instrumentalists, and keyboardists (get PianoForAll from their site if you really want to take advantage of the keyboard for your tracks).

It’s incredibly simple, compact, convenient, and it sounds great as well.

As I mentioned above, there are a few pieces of gear that you need to make this work, and we’ll explore that in detail after.

In case you’re struggling to get it to work, or maybe you just want an illustrated guide, I’ve included more of an in-depth tutorial.

1) Connect a Lightning to Micro-USB cable to your iPhone and the iRig HD 2’s Micro-USB port.

The iRig HD 2 and the Apogee Jam Plus comes with a Lightning to Micro-USB cable, so you shouldn’t have to go out and buy one, which is very convenient, however, you can grab one here from Amazon if you didn’t get it for whatever reason.

2) Turn on your iPhone. The iRig HD 2’s LED light will turn blue.

The moment you type the passcode into your iPhone, and it starts to turn on, you’ll notice that the LED Light on the iRig HD 2 actually turns a soft blue color. It’s letting you know that it’s going to start working soon.

3) Open Garageband

Now that you have your audio interface connected to your iPhone, you want to turn Garageband on and then go into the interface.

Once it’s opened up, go into the Tracks, and choose Amp. It doesn’t matter which “Track” you use. It can either be a distorted amplifier or clean.

From here, you’ll get into Garageband iOS’s Amp Designer, and you should see a prompt that says:

“Audio Device Connected.”

You’ll be presented with two different options, “Turn On Monitoring,” and “Cancel.”

Obviously, you want to hit “Turn On Monitoring,” that way you can actually hear what you’re doing.

Additionally, you can turn this on in the Input Settings.

4) Plug Your Guitar Into The Audio Interface’s Guitar Jack.

After you’ve turned on the monitoring button (more on monitoring in my guide), you can plug your guitar into the audio interface, and you’ll be able to hear what you’re playing after you’ve arrived at the Amp Designer screen which looks like what you can see in the image below:

And voila, you’re now connected to Garageband iOS.

Important Things To Note

1) You Have To Connect Headphones or Speakers to the iRig HD 2

It’s important to note that the guitar won’t make any sounds through the iPhone’s regular speaker, so you have to connect headphones into the iRig HD 2.

Additionally, you can connect the Audio Interface into a pair of studio monitors such as the iLoud Micro Monitors (on Amazon), which is also a great option.

2) Watch For Clipping

In the case of the iRig HD 2, you have to watch out that you’re not feeding a signal that’s too hot into GarageBand iOS, otherwise, it’ll sound distorted and unclear.

The iRig HD 2 sounds the best when the LED Light is the color green, rather than orange or especially red.

For me, I like to have the volume on the right-hand side of the device turned all the way up, and then the Gain on the left-hand side of the device is around half-way to the maximum.

3) Active Pickups Make A Difference

I have an ESP Eclipse II, a PRS SE Custom 24 (from ZZounds), as well as an Epiphone Les Paul Custom, and there’s no doubt that the ESP Eclipse II feeds a much hotter signal into the audio interface on account of its active pickups.

For that reason, you may have to either turn the pickups down on the guitar or compensate for that hotter signal through the Gain knob on the left-hand side of the device, by the way, you can grab a similar model from ZZounds.

4) There Are Fantastic Amp Plug-Ins Available in the App Store

One of the greatest reasons to use Garageband iOS, in addition to its portability and convenience, is the fact there are a plethora of very inexpensive plug-ins that you can buy on the App Store (I’ve compiled a list in my other guide).

For example, for around $20, you can get your hands on a great amp simulator.

Moreover, there are many other plug-ins that cost only around $3-5, which is quite a bit cheaper than what you would have to pay for a third-party plug-in on Garageband Mac OS.

5) Amplitube 4 Comes With iRig HD 2

Connect Irig 2 To Garageband

Amplitube 4 is one of the most popular amp simulators for guitar players and Garageband users (although, they’ve since updated it to Amplitube 5 on Plugin Fox), and an iRig HD 2 purchase comes with the software for free.

However, all of the amps, cabs, and effects it comes with are not free. It’s up to you if you want to buy any of them, but it’s worth considering.

Personally, I was a bit disappointed when I found out that Amplitube 4 came with iRig HD 2 but you can barely even use it on account of the fact all you get are demos.

6) Subscribe to JamPlay For Awesome Online Guitar Lessons

Not only can you record, track, mix, and master your guitars with just a few pieces of gear and software, but you can also get really good guitar lessons from online platforms like JamPlay, which is my personal favorite. Use the coupon code “1buck” to get your first month for a dollar.

I couldn’t recommend JamPlay enough, because it doesn’t matter how good your gear is if you don’t even know how to play on time, record, or even make solid melodies.

Connect Irig To Garageband Mac

What Gear You Need To Connect Your Guitar Into Garageband iOS

1) An Audio Interface

An audio interface is the most important piece of gear, and there are a number of options available to you.

As I already mentioned above, you can grab either the iRig HD 2 or the Apogee Jam Plus (on Amazon), depending on your budget and what you’re trying to accomplish.

The iRig HD 2 is a much cheaper option and it’s made out of plastic, whereas the Apogee Jam Plus is around twice the price, but it’s built better and less subject to breaking.

You can read more about the iRig HD 2 in this article here because I don’t want to dive into a review of it.

All I can say is that it works great, with its only disadvantage being that it’s made out of a finicky plastic.

2) Lightning to Micro-USB Cable

As I said already if you purchase either of the aforementioned audio interfaces, you should get one of these cables directly in the box.

If, for whatever reason, you don’t have one, you can probably get one at the Apple Store or on Amazon.

3) Guitar Cable

Assuming you’re a guitar player or a bass guitar player, you should already have a cable. But if you don’t, I recommend getting one from Ernie Ball like this one from Amazon.

How To Use Irig 2 With Garageband Mac

These are high-quality cables that will last a very long time, assuming you take proper care of them.

I also recommend getting a guitar cable that has a right-angle on the side that goes into the guitar, and then a straight cable for the other side, like what’s shown in the image above.

The reason for this is that when you’re sitting on your couch or wherever, you don’t have to worry about the cable jamming into the couch and slowly wearing it down over time.

4) Headphones or Studio Monitors

How To Connect Irig To Garageband

Unfortunately, you can’t actually use the iPhone’s speaker as a monitor when using an audio interface with Garageband iOS.

You either have the option to connect headphones into the iRig HD 2 or Apogee Jam Plus, or you can connect studio monitors to it.

If you don’t already own a pair of solid studio monitors, I recommend the following products.

Etymotic ER3SE Studio Monitors

In the article I already wrote about the Etymotic ER3SE’s, I explained how amazing these headphones are. They aim for flat frequency response, and they’re easily the best pair of earbuds I’ve ever owned.

In addition to their aim to have a flat frequency response, which means there is no boost of low or high-end frequencies, they have considerable clarity, and the noise-canceling function on them is the best I’ve ever tried.

Put simply, you can hear all of the frequency spectrum clearly, rather than one more than the other, and you don’t have to worry about the sounds from your environment.

IK Multimedia iLoud Micro Monitors

How To Connect Irig To Garageband Mac

As I explained in my review of them, these are easily one of the best purchases I’ve made in the last 2 years. Basically, I use the Etymotic earbuds for when I’m doing chores and when for I’m traveling, and then I use these Micro Monitors for my home studio.

The IK Multimedia iLoud Micro Monitors are high-quality studio monitors that also aim to have a flat frequency response, however, they also come with Bluetooth capability so you can use them as regular speakers as well. What makes these speakers so special is their Bluetooth capability, their compact size, as well as their sound.

They sound very good, and they’re incredibly small. They’re compact enough that you can actually take them on the road with you by stuffing them in your backpack or in your suitcase. They’re that unobtrusive, although, I plan on getting the bigger version of these which are the STM monitors (also on Amazon) simply because I want bigger, louder, speakers, but I digress. This is all of the gear you need to hook up your guitar to Garageband iOS.

YouTube Video Tutorial

How To Connect Irig To Garageband Mac

Conclusion

In the future, I’ll be exploring Garageband iOS’ Amp Designer specifically so stay tuned for that. That’s all for this tutorial.