Can anyone help, I would like to record some live music with my G3 iBook. Can I do this without getting a special program? What is the best way to go about it?

Thanks
Little yoharn

Garageband?

Failing that, Quicktime?

Garageband will do it beautifully, but with an ibook you will need an audio input such as a griffin imic or a behringer U-CONTROL UCA202

Also then you ill either need to plug it into the mixer or a very good microphone

Audacity is the business. Search versiontracker.com. It's freeware and pretty easy to use.

mac_man_luke I will be coming out of a mixer so do I still need the griffin imic or behringer u-control. If so what do they do?
Little yoharn

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(little_yoharn @ Jun 18 2006, 06:33 AM) [snapback]185372[/snapback]</div>You need something to convert the analog signal to digital to get into your mac via usb or firewire. Many modern Macs don't have audio in and even if they do the quality is not much good compared to a dedicated AD (analog to digital) convertor. The iMic is a starting point but there are lots of options that cost more and offer better quality from companies like M-Audio and Tascam. It depends on how good you want the recording to be.

Porbably out of your range (price wise). I use a Tascam US-420 to record on my G4 iBook. It's USB2.0, multiple imput. etc.

I've heard good things about the iMic. but also heard just as many bad reports.

I use an M-Audio Firewire Solo. Very reliable. If you're looking at a breakout box at anytime, avoid USB devices.

So Do I need an audio interface (M-Audio Firewire Solo,behringer u-control, or iMic)or do I just come straight out the mixer and in through the audio input of the iBook? Using Garage band of Audacity?
Thanks

I used spin doctor to record a school musical.

Tim R

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(little_yoharn @ Jun 29 2006, 11:53 PM) [snapback]190127[/snapback]</div>An excellent plan, with only two small flaws. First, your iBook doesn't have an audio input, and secondly, your iBook doesn't have an audio input. I know that technically that's only one flaw, but as it's such a big one I thought I'd mention it twice.*

Hence the discussion of using a USB or Firewire input device to allow you to get audio into the machine, you see.

* with apologies to Grant and Naylor.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Squozen @ Jun 30 2006, 02:16 PM) [snapback]190305[/snapback]</div>lol Red Dwarf at its prime!

One of my favorites:
An excellent and inventive suggestion, sir, with just two tiny drawbacks: a) We don't have any jet-powered rocket pants; and B) there's no such thing as jet-powered rocket pants outside the fictional serial "Robbie Rocket Pants".

Anyhow back on topic, maybe give us some details on exactly what you are recording live and what you plan to do with it after. I have an Edirol FA-101 firewire audio interafce that can do 10in/10out. If you have access to the mixer then this opens the possibility to record each track as a seperate stream and correct audio levels later, but i am assuming that is beyond what you require.

Ok now I'm getting some were.
I only need to record, "in stereo" our band practice. I'll save it to hard drive then if its worth saving I'll burn it off. pretty basic stuff at this stage. So I take it that I'll need some sort of converter (USB) and a program Audicity or Garage band. Correct. At this stage it will be the cheapest option.

Yes that is correct.

I've got a 14" iBook G3 600. When I installed iLife 05 on it, it wouldn't install GarageBand, as it didn't meet the minimum requirements—hopefully yours has a faster processor and will allow it to be installed.