How Do I Record on a Mac Mini?
Despite its diminutive size, the Apple Macintosh Mini is a fully functional Mac. You can do virtually anything with it that you can do with other Macs, including recording sound. You can record simple audio, such as copying your vinyl records to make digital files, or use the Mac Mini as a central module for professional music recording. The recording quality will depend on your parameters and the external equipment you use.
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Things You'll Need
- Analog-to-digital audio USB converter
- 1/8th-inch audio cable
- Sound recording software
Instructions
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Load your sound recording software onto your Mac Mini if you are using anything other than GarageBand, which comes pre-installed on the computer. This can be anything from basic freeware applications to full professional mixing board emulation software. You can use GarageBand, the multitrack recording software that is part of Apple's iLife application suite. Apple includes this software with every Mac Mini and every other Mac sold.
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Plug in your external audio source. For example, if you intend to record yourself playing the guitar, plug your guitar into your amplifier, then use the amp's output plug to connect to an analog-to-digital converter --- with a USB connection for the Mac Mini --- or to an adapter to take the 1/4-inch guitar plug down to the 1/8th-inch audio cable necessary to plug into the back of the Mac Mini. If you use the second method, make sure you plug it into the "Audio In" jack.
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Move to your sound recorder, such as GarageBand. Click the "Track" menu and select "New Track." In the dialog box that appears, select "Real Instrument Track" and click the "Create" button. In the right sidebar, click the instrument you intend to use, then set the "Input Source" in the scroll button at the bottom. You also can set the "Monitor" to hear the track as you record and set the "Recording Level" here.
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Click the red "Record" button to start your recording. Play your music into your Mac Mini and click the red button in GarageBand again to stop the recording. Save your file. If you use another, third-party sound recording software package, follow the instructions for recording supplied with it.
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Move to the "System Preferences" application on your Dock if you want to set your input device for a generic program, instead of GarageBand. In "System Preferences," click "Sound." Click on the "Input" tab button at the top right. Select the "device" or line-in choice for your external instrument or microphone. Do not select "Built-in Audio" or you will not record because the Mac Mini does not have a built-in microphone. After you select your instrument, play or sing into the hand microphone to test the volume. When it is set, close the "Sound" dialog box.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep your amplifier output low if you are going directly into the Mac Mini with it. In analog recording, you just get distortion when you have too much power going in; in digital you get "clipping." This means that if you produce too much volume, you hit the digital "brick wall" which produces sudden clicks, pops and sound dropouts.
