Pro Tools, Garageband, UA Apollo

[adam79]

When I bought Pro Tools it came with XPandII drum software, but I don't have a keyboard to use it...the only way I can add drums to a project is through Garageband's virtual instruments (it let's you use the computer keyboard). Anyways, I'd ideally like to send the virtual drum sound from Garageband into Pro Tools. Currently I have to bounce my PT session to a WAV file and load it into Garageband.
When I open the UA Apollo Console App (with Garageband open), the main volume levels (in the right corner of the UA Console App) go up and down when I play the virtual drums in Garageband. This obviously means that the Console App in picking up the output from Garageband. However, none of the individual tracks in Console are showing volume; there's no setting to add the Garageband output to one of the tracks (I have the output set to the Apollo Interface in the Garageband settings).
Is there anyway to send the Garageband output to a track in the Apollo Console, and then use it in Pro Tools?

Thanks,
-Adam

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by adam79

When I bought Pro Tools it came with XPandII drum software, but I don't have a keyboard to use it...the only way I can add drums to a project is through Garageband's virtual instruments (it let's you use the computer keyboard). Anyways, I'd ideally like to send the virtual drum sound from Garageband into Pro Tools. Currently I have to bounce my PT session to a WAV file and load it into Garageband.
When I open the UA Apollo Console App (with Garageband open), the main volume levels (in the right corner of the UA Console App) go up and down when I play the virtual drums in Garageband. This obviously means that the Console App in picking up the output from Garageband. However, none of the individual tracks in Console are showing volume; there's no setting to add the Garageband output to one of the tracks (I have the output set to the Apollo Interface in the Garageband settings).
Is there anyway to send the Garageband output to a track in the Apollo Console, and then use it in Pro Tools?

Thanks,
-Adam

Not sure I am following what the problem is. If you want help on Apollo Console routing you really need to provide screen shots of the console and Pro Tools mix and/or edit windows (or Garage band whatever it is) clearly showing the track IO assignments. Without information about exactly what you are doing the level of help you will likely get is an accurate "you are doing something wrong".

But what are you really trying to do? You should not be trying to connect the DAWs together on the same computer, and certainly not via the same interface, that cannot work. You likely want to be exporting the tracks/main mix out of Garage band and just import that into Pro Tools? Google "export Garage Band tracks". You may need the apollo interface to best listen to stuff while you are editing the instruments, but you don't need even the interface connected to export stuff out of Garage Band, you can just that Built-In Output. Surely it makes more sense to import the drum/rhythm track into Pro Tools for extra recording/mixing, not the other way around?

Lots of folks hand edit drum and other VIs inside Pro Tools with a good old mouse and Pro Tools MIDI editor. There is nothing wrong at all in working in Garage Band, they have some great instruments to play with. BTW the ability to directly open a Garage Band session in Logic Pro is also handy, if you have access to Logic Pro--and drummer in Logic Pro and Garage Band is just great. There are also lots of great third party drum VIs for Pro Tools and other DAWs, e.g. Superior Drummer.

[adam79]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

Not sure I am following what the problem is. If you want help on Apollo Console routing you really need to provide screen shots of the console and Pro Tools mix and/or edit windows (or Garage band whatever it is) clearly showing the track IO assignments. Without information about exactly what you are doing the level of help you will likely get is an accurate "you are doing something wrong".

But what are you really trying to do? You should not be trying to connect the DAWs together on the same computer, and certainly not via the same interface, that cannot work. You likely want to be exporting the tracks/main mix out of Garage band and just import that into Pro Tools? Google "export Garage Band tracks". You may need the apollo interface to best listen to stuff while you are editing the instruments, but you don't need even the interface connected to export stuff out of Garage Band, you can just that Built-In Output. Surely it makes more sense to import the drum/rhythm track into Pro Tools for extra recording/mixing, not the other way around?

Lots of folks hand edit drum and other VIs inside Pro Tools with a good old mouse and Pro Tools MIDI editor. There is nothing wrong at all in working in Garage Band, they have some great instruments to play with. BTW the ability to directly open a Garage Band session in Logic Pro is also handy, if you have access to Logic Pro--and drummer in Logic Pro and Garage Band is just great. There are also lots of great third party drum VIs for Pro Tools and other DAWs, e.g. Superior Drummer.

I want to play the virtual drums in garageband, live, and record them into a Pro Tools track, live.

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by adam79

I want to play the virtual drums in garageband, live, and record them into a Pro Tools track, live.

And there is no way to reliably do that. Export the track(s), drag and drop into Pro Tools, all done in a few minutes. Next question...

[adam79]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

And there is no way to reliably do that. Export the track(s), drag and drop into Pro Tools, all done in a few minutes. Next question...

Ya, but I wanna record the drums from garageband in.realtine. i think i fogured out hoe to do it tho.. set garageband output to system sound and then connect the computer headphone output to an Apollo line-in. Havent tried it yet, but it seems like it should work.

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by adam79

Ya, but I wanna record the drums from garageband in.realtine. i think i fogured out hoe to do it tho.. set garageband output to system sound and then connect the computer headphone output to an Apollo line-in. Havent tried it yet, but it seems like it should work.

Or use soundflower or other audio router software... But these won't be nearly as reliable and simple as just exporting audio from Garage Band. You gain nothing of real advantage here and Pro Tools and any other DAW concurrently on the same box is a recipe for instability. If you think you are gaining something/trying to solve a specific problem then maybe you are mistaking stuff that you can do with an export workflow. And any time you can avoid an unnecessary DA/AD stage is usually a good thing.

[adam79]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

Or use soundflower or other audio router software... But these won't be nearly as reliable and simple as just exporting audio from Garage Band. You gain nothing of real advantage here and Pro Tools and any other DAW concurrently on the same box is a recipe for instability. If you think you are gaining something/trying to solve a specific problem then maybe you are mistaking stuff that you can do with an export workflow. And any time you can avoid an unnecessary DA/AD stage is usually a good thing.

I wanna record the drums in realtime.

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by adam79

I wanna record the drums in realtime.

So you've said several times now.

Hey I want to date Scarlett Johansson but folks keep trying to tell me that that it is probably is not going to happen.

The workflow you are wanting to do seems to makes little sense, or if there is a good reason it's just lost on me. If you really want to do it just go try. I've already pointed you at Soundflower as a solution, that is likely much better than using an external cable.

You are playing drums in a VI using a Mac typing keyboard and you want to record it to Pro Tools "live" as audio... why? Most folks would lay down a drum track first. Often played to a click track, but maybe not. Most folks would do that all inside Garage Band and leave the MIDI there and since the precision input in this case is somebody pounding on a typing keyboard many folks would expect to need to edit that MIDI in garage band, because uh technically trying to play drums on a typing keyboard blows chunks. And many people are going to want to manually go over and articulate/adjust strike velocity on the MIDI notes, after they fix all the gross errors. OK Garage band drummer is pretty cool, but even if using that I'm surprised you would not want to work in MIDI. Wanting to commit stuff live as audio when you are working with a VI just seems weird.

If you've already got some stuff in Pro Tools set the tempo the same and try to get it to line up. If you've got a lot of stuff in Pro Tools, tempo changes then likely better just hand edit MIDI for a drum VI in Pro Tools.

But nobody is stopping you going off and using Soundflower or similar right now to try to do what you want... have you already tried that? It should take around 30 minutes to install Soundflower, read the very limited documentation and try out what you want to do. There are lots of Soundflower tutorial video on YouTube to get you started, but basically set the output of Garage Band to Soundflower 1,2 and set Pro Tools to use an aggregate device consisting of Soundflower 1,2 and your interface (or if that is not stable use Built-In output if you have to). Run with large IO buffer size to try to get aggregation to work. That does not work reliably, try hard-cabling.

[YYR123]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

Most folks would do that all inside Garage Band and leave the MIDI there and since the precision input in this case is somebody pounding on a typing keyboard many folks would expect to need to edit that MIDI in garage band, ////

OK Garage band drummer is pretty cool, but even if using that I'm surprised you would not want to work in MIDI. Wanting to commit stuff live as audio when you are working with a VI just seems weird.

Yeah live drums are much more work, VI's you can go back and change the tempo of the song......if you want


Live drums need quite a bit of finesse to get them right....of course mine always seem to bleed too much, and that woodblock that the drummer loves....rages in the snare mic....not cool man not cool at all..........and who has to fix it?

Do you even wonder how many snare hits are in a 100bpm song lasting 4 minutes....?

Seems like a million......

Go with the VI for now....

[adam79]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

So you've said several times now.

Hey I want to date Scarlett Johansson but folks keep trying to tell me that that it is probably is not going to happen.

The workflow you are wanting to do seems to makes little sense, or if there is a good reason it's just lost on me. If you really want to do it just go try. I've already pointed you at Soundflower as a solution, that is likely much better than using an external cable.

You are playing drums in a VI using a Mac typing keyboard and you want to record it to Pro Tools "live" as audio... why? Most folks would lay down a drum track first. Often played to a click track, but maybe not. Most folks would do that all inside Garage Band and leave the MIDI there and since the precision input in this case is somebody pounding on a typing keyboard many folks would expect to need to edit that MIDI in garage band, because uh technically trying to play drums on a typing keyboard blows chunks. And many people are going to want to manually go over and articulate/adjust strike velocity on the MIDI notes, after they fix all the gross errors. OK Garage band drummer is pretty cool, but even if using that I'm surprised you would not want to work in MIDI. Wanting to commit stuff live as audio when you are working with a VI just seems weird.

If you've already got some stuff in Pro Tools set the tempo the same and try to get it to line up. If you've got a lot of stuff in Pro Tools, tempo changes then likely better just hand edit MIDI for a drum VI in Pro Tools.

But nobody is stopping you going off and using Soundflower or similar right now to try to do what you want... have you already tried that? It should take around 30 minutes to install Soundflower, read the very limited documentation and try out what you want to do. There are lots of Soundflower tutorial video on YouTube to get you started, but basically set the output of Garage Band to Soundflower 1,2 and set Pro Tools to use an aggregate device consisting of Soundflower 1,2 and your interface (or if that is not stable use Built-In output if you have to). Run with large IO buffer size to try to get aggregation to work. That does not work reliably, try hard-cabling.

Thanks for the info. I wasn't familiar w/ Soundflower, so until I just googled it, I wasn't sure what you were talking about. I'm also VERY unfamiliar with MIDI...all electronic music actually. I'm dying to get my hands on an actual keyboard to try the XpandII software that came with PT. Then I won't have to keep switching back and forth between programs. I'm using the Garageband VI drums cuz that's all I have access to at the moment. I have an acoustic set, but it needs some hardware and cymbals before I can set it up proper. And yes, playing drums with my computer keyboard is lame as ****...just a bit lamer than playing them with a real keyboard. Gotta love being broke.

All I'm trying to do is record some rough demos so I can start a band. I want to include a link to some of my music on flyers I'm gonna put up at local rehearsal spaces.