Playing along to music

I'm learning jazz and I'd like to play along for practice, as well as getting a decent recording of myself to evaluate.
I want to keep it simple, so I was thinking of getting a drum mic and plugging it into my laptop and mixing that with an mp3 using GarageBand. That should work, right?
 
Yes. That will definitely work. The simpler the better.

So you would just assign your music to one track, then assign your overhead mic to a track, and play along. You might want to invest in some kind of in-ear monitor too that blocks out the outside sound too. I use the Shure SE315, and those were' only $199.
 
I want to keep it simple, so I was thinking of getting a drum mic and plugging it into my laptop and mixing that with an mp3 using GarageBand. That should work, right?

Yes.

When I have a part that needs work, I generally do something like....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rua8VyrWtE

So I get to play it back without the metronome and see/hear where my brokenness is, or what tempo begins to fall apart and how.

Note: Metronome is in my earbuds under my silly hat. GB records audio. In this case, I'm using the webcam on a 2012 iMac to grab video with Photo Booth.
 
Thanks, guys. Sounds like I'm on the right track.
I was thinking CAD M179 -> Behringer UMC22 -> MacBook Pro. Laptop webcam is a good idea too.
 
Hope you don't have to commute outside Oakland today. Traffic is looking really gnarly. Good thing I bart-ed.
 
Thanks, guys. Sounds like I'm on the right track.
I was thinking CAD M179 -> Behringer UMC22 -> MacBook Pro. Laptop webcam is a good idea too.

That works well. Make sure the Behringer is compatible before you buy. Are you gong to grab two M179's, or just one? If it comes down to a $$ decision, a pair of AT2020's isn't horrible.
 
That should work just fine and is a relatively small investment.

If the room is really good and he kit is small 1 mic can work pretty well for anything, but even for practicing most would at least like a BD mic also.

There's no reason to go too far. I have 20 channels, but for practice I just use BD + 2 overheads. That way I hear everything and can't cheat with inner dynamics.

If you want to upgrade an get a lot for your money the Scarlett stuff from Focusrite is highly recommended.
 
I think I'll just start with one mic. This is really just for playing along. I'm playing jazz with a 20" kick and open headphones, so I should be able to hear it. Maybe I'll buy another mic, if I decide to upgrade.
Cool, I'll check out Focusrite.
 
That will work great.

It doesn't even have to be a drum specific mic. If you're on a real budget one SM-57 or 58 properly placed will sound absolutely fine.

If you've got a little more cash to work with you might want to consider a digital recorder like the Zoom H2N. Then you wouldn't need to purchase an audio interface as it has one built in. Just plug it directly into GarageBand and away you go. Then if you get to the point where you're gigging or even just playing at jam sessions you can take it along with you and record yourself live. Great practice tool.
 
That will work great.

It doesn't even have to be a drum specific mic. If you're on a real budget one SM-57 or 58 properly placed will sound absolutely fine.

If you've got a little more cash to work with you might want to consider a digital recorder like the Zoom H2N. Then you wouldn't need to purchase an audio interface as it has one built in. Just plug it directly into GarageBand and away you go. Then if you get to the point where you're gigging or even just playing at jam sessions you can take it along with you and record yourself live. Great practice tool.

The Zoom is a good suggestion. I'm confused. What is considered the audio interface in this chain (Mic -> PreAmp -> GarageBand)? The PreAmp?
 
The Zoom is a good suggestion. I'm confused. What is considered the audio interface in this chain (Mic -> PreAmp -> GarageBand)? The PreAmp?

I think when you say preamp, you really mean audio interface.

You can't just plug a microphone into your Mac. It won't work. (Unless of course it has an audio interface built in, like the Zoom or other digital microphones/recorders) An audio interface is the bridge that allows you to connect your microphone to your computer. It turns the analog signal from your microphone into digital information that the computer can process.

A preamp, on the other hand, is a device that boosts the signal from your mic to a useable level. It does not convert the sound into a digital signal for your computer to read. Many audio interfaces have preamps built-in. Or you can have an audio interface with a separate, external preamp also plugged in.

So, in short:
Mic > Preamp > GarageBand = no sound
Mic > AI (with built-in or external preamp) > GarageBand = sound
Mic (with built-in AI) > Garageband = sound
 
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