GarageBand is a fantastic free digital audio workstation for Apple users. However, it only recognises ane input device, which is fine if you're using an audio interface but can exist a problem if yous desire to record with multiple USB microphones.

Here's how you can create one device that lets you employ more than i USB microphone when recording.

The Benefits of Recording With More Than One USB Mic

A musician recording vocals and acoustic guitar wearing Beats headphones with RØDE equipment in the background.

USB mics can exist excellent devices - they're portable, easy to use, and extremely convenient. What'southward great is that you tin can connect them directly into your Mac without an audio interface.

Only why would you want to use more than i USB mic in your recording process?

To Capture Quality Recordings When Recording More Than Ane Live Musical instrument

If you're recording a single audio source for something, such equally a solo-podcast or a solo-instrument, a single USB mic should be fine, although there are benefits to recording one sound source with more than than i mic.

However, when it comes to things similar live music where you're recording more one instrument, yous'll produce a much higher quality recording with more than than one USB mic as yous can position each one in the best place to capture each instrument.

To Easily Tape New Ideas When Travelling

A huge benefit to USB mics is how portable they are. Due to this, information technology makes sense to behave more than one USB mic with you if you're touring or but travelling from identify to place, exploring the world with a guitar accompanying y'all.

Mics such as the Samson Go Mic are perfect for travelling, taking upwardly minimal space. Because they're then small and compact, the extra weight will negligible, yet in that location'll be a great benefit to recording with ii mics instead of 1.

To Better Your Multi-Runway Mixing Skills

The process of setting up, recording and mixing with more than than 1 USB mic is a form of multi-rail recording that will improve your ability to create improve audio. You'll exist aware of more tweaks you can make or what EQ setting fits improve with what musical instrument in what song.

These are skills that improve and develop over fourth dimension the more yous do them, and so it'due south worth getting familiar with using more than USB mic when recording.

Setting Upwards Two USB Mics on GarageBand

A GarageBand project with two tracks, one for acoustic guitar and one for vocals.

The key to getting GarageBand to annals 2 (or more, for that matter) USB mics is to prepare them up in a way that GarageBand tin can recognise them both. Here's how yous do that and get both your USB mics set to record on GarageBand.

Pace One: Create an Aggregate Device

The Audio MIDI Device utility on a Mac, selecting the option to "Create Aggregate Device"

The first thing you're going to practice to combine both your USB mics into an Aggregate Device. This allows y'all to create an audio device that lets GarageBand recognise more than 1 audio input.

To do this, you need to open yous Mac's Audio Midi Setup utility. You can access this via a few different options. The quickest way is to search for the app via Spotlight using Cmd + Infinite.

From hither, select the + in the bottom left of the app and select Create Aggregate Device. This should create a new audio device titled "Aggregate Device" which you lot can rename by selecting it and single-clicking on the championship.

Adding two audio devices to an Aggregate Device in a Mac's Audio MIDI Setup utility.

In this audio device, in the Use column, check the boxes for your USB mics. Where it says Input Channels, you can see which of your mics is input 1 and input 2. Brand a note of this every bit this will come upwards later.

Once selected, you can also change the Clock Source and Sample Charge per unit of your new device if you like. Make sure that for whichever device isn't the clock source, you have Drift Correction checked.

Your Mac's Audio Midi Setup is a great utility and can solve other audio bug you lot may be having. In add-on to this, there are some great easy fixes for sound problems on your Mac if your sound isn't working correct.

Footstep Two: Selecting Your Aggregate Device on GarageBand

Selecting an Aggregate Device as the input device on GarageBand under Preferences.

Now that you've combined both of your USB mics into an Aggregate Device, plug in a pair of external headphones, open GarageBand and select Empty Project.

From there, go to the top-left of your screen and under GarageBand, select Preferences, then Audio or Sound/MIDI.

In the Input Device pop upwards card, select your Aggregate Device. In the Output Device pop upward menu, select your external headphones. Close Preferences.

Footstep 3: Recording With Both Your USB Mics

A GarageBand project with two audio inputs ready to record at once. Also including checkboxes of different buttons.

Now that you've set your Amass Device as your audio input, it's time to actuate both your mics for recording. There are a few things to take in hither, so experience complimentary to refer to the higher up image every bit a reference.

From Cull a track type, select the track with the microphone icon.

Once you've added this track, use the shortcut Cmd + Option + Due north to select another sound track, aforementioned as before (you can also go through Track, so New Track at the bar at the peak of your screen).

Side by side, select a rail and at the bottom, where it says Rail and Principal, brand sure that Rail is selected. You lot should be able to run across a drop-downwards box next to where information technology says Input and from in that location, you lot tin can select from either of your USB mics.

Hither, this volition say either 1 (Amass Device) or two (Amass Device) which corresponds to what input channel each of your USB mics was before. You tin always check this by going back to your Audio MIDI Setup.

Y'all can rename the generic Audio i and Sound two names of your tracks by selecting the rails and double-clicking the championship.

And finally, to actuate recording on both of the tracks, select a runway, right-click information technology or use the shortcut Option + T and bank check Tape Enable. Do this for both tracks. Now you tin tape with both your USB mics at the same fourth dimension!

To listen to your mics as you tape, under Input where you lot selected your mic, activate the icon adjacent to Monitoring.

Oh, and before you get-go to record, don't forget to save with Cmd + S.

Now Get Started Recording

As we've seen recording two USB mics at once on Garageband is elementary, it merely requires a little bit of setup. The key is in creating an Aggregate Device and you can add more than than two USB mics to this if you've got more yous want to use.

Learning how to do this is a great skill for you to have in your solo projects and also with collaborations, both locally and remote.

Everything You lot Need to Collaborate on a Music Project Remotely

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About The Author

Soham De (143 Articles Published)

Soham is Junior Editor for Gaming. A musician, writer, and gamer, he loves all things creative and productive. Horror is his genre of choice and oftentimes, you'll hear him talking nearly his favorite books, games, and wonderings.

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