Recording FX8 Audio in Garage Band

Forbes Durey

New Member
Hi All,

New FX8 owner here. I've had my unit for about four weeks now - and absolutely love it.

I hooked my FX8 up to a computer today (yep - four weeks of turning knobs to create presets) and discovered that recording audio from the FX8 into Garage Band isn't as easy as I thought it was going to be (I was under impression that USB audio direct worked for FX8 - it does not).

Looking for a person here who has specific experience making the midi connection between FX8 and a Mac who would be kind enough to walk n00b through the steps and setting up a track in Garage Band which will record sound via a specific FX8 preset I have created (meaning I don't want use all the Garage Band modeling stuff - I have the FX8).

Thanks in advance for your help.
 
The sound coming from your FX8 isn't the "final sound." Your amp provides your complete tone, so you need to record it with a mic to capture it. If you did just record the FX8, it'd just be effects.
 
Roland JC120 and, sorry for the stupidity of asking this, "audio interface?"
The box you mistakenly thought the FX8 is. Like a UA Apollo, Scarlett Focusrite or even an aXFX, etc.the thing that will take your FX8 affected amp tone and convert it into digital signal via USB or thunderbolt...or else you need to go old skool , and mic your amp..which still really requires an inter-face with current Macs. MIDI Has nothing to you with what you need to do....you got some more studying and buying to do, son.
 
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The box you mistakenly thought the FX8 is. Like a UA Apollo, Scarlett Focusrite or even an aXFX, etc.the thing that will take your FX8 affected amp tone and convert it into digital signal via USB or thunderbolt...or else you need to go old skool , and mic your amp..which still really requires an inter-face with current Macs. MIDI Has nothing to you with what you need to do....you got some more studying and buying to do, son.
that's a bit harsh toward someone who is clearly new at this.

I was under impression that USB audio direct worked for FX8 - it does not
not sure why you thought this. but again, even if it did have USB audio capabilities, your JC120 Amp is a part of the tone and full guitar signal, so the FX8 wouldn't capture any of that anyway.

Looking for a person here who has specific experience making the midi connection between FX8 and a Mac
MIDI is not audio. MIDI is data that either sends settings, or sends commands of "press this note for this long" etc.

I don't want use all the Garage Band modeling stuff - I have the FX8

the FX8 is not a modeler. it does not model amps and cabs like the Axe-Fx or AX8. it is a multi-effects unit which adds effects - yes, including drive pedals, still an effect - to a real amp. the Amp remains part of the guitar signal, so you need to mic the amp to record things properly.

to get audio into a computer, you need an Audio Interface, microphone, and the appropriate cables. you could get away with using a Audio Recording app if you have a iPhone or similar, and putting it near your amp speakers, then sending the file from your phone to the computer.

i highly suggest going to Google and typing the phrases "MIDI", "how to record guitar to a computer" and other related things. much of these concepts are the very basics of recording, info already out there and very easy to find with a search.
 
Think of the FX8 as a pedal board. It has a bunch of pedals, but no amp. In order to use a pedal board, you typically connect it to an amp. Normally the amp connects to a speaker cabinet, which produces the sound. To record that sound, people usually get a microphone and an audio interface. The mic connects to the audio interface and the audio interface connects to the computer where the recording program can capture the sound coming through the mic.

These days, some amps have a direct out via USB or XLR. The USB could go straight to the computer. The XLR would go through an audio interface first, then into the computer. These methods bypass the need for a microphone. Unfortunately, your JC120 does not have this capability, so you'll need to record via some sort of microphone. I think that's fairly easy and not overly expensive. Get a decent audio interface, a decent mic., and a microphone cable. As an example, a Focusrite Scarlett and an SM57 would be about $200-300. As said above, do a search on YouTube for recording guitar at home. That should help.

Full on modelers like the Axe FX, AX8, Helix, etc. model the entire signal chain including the pedals, amps, speakers, and mics. They can then send that entire signal chain out via USB to a computer for recording.
 
This will probably sound condescending, but I strongly recommend this book:

51NI%2Bgj27yL._SX394_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg


I consider myself pretty experienced, and even I learned some things from it. The books explains everything, starting with the simplest concepts first. I still refer to my copy from time to time.

Everybody had to start somewhere.
 
A home recording tutorial is a good idea (for everyone!), not condescending. You might also want to consider as a starter - a good quality interface (cheap these days) with at least two line inputs (i.e. Guitar jacks). That way, you could consider going straight into GarageBand in stereo - after all, the fx8 is glorious in stereo. Then play through (and mess with) the Amp Designer plugin. You'll save (for now) on the price of a mic, and have maybe a less steep learning curve....
 
Thanks to all, even "bad brad," for the quick reply and helpful information. The sign of a good product / company is demonstrated by the way its users support it. Glad to be a part of the community.

Thanks Atmospheric, I don't take the suggestion for the "Home Recording For Musicians For Dummies" as condescending at all. Clearly I'm new at this and the guitar -- as much as I love it -- doesn't surpass "hobby" status in my life at this point. But I'm eager to learn about the process and create some of the music that has been rolling around in my head for years.

One of the things which threw me off a bit in my initial thinking about the sound chain is the looper. Clearly my understanding of that is flawed as well, but doesn't the looper have to record that "sound" in some form? And, if I'm using a 4C connection, doesn't the sound pass through the JC120 pre-amp and then return to the FX8 for processing?

Anyway I'm sure this will become more clear as I read that book.

sixstringthins, would you be kind enough to provide an example or link to "a good quality interface" which you mention in your post above? Also, as a follow-up, if I go straight from the FX8 into GarageBand, using what Apple calls a, "clean channel, no effects" track, aren't I accomplishing exactly what I wanted to do in the first place, which is direct record into Garage Band with the effects processing of the FX8?

Thanks again to all.
 
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if I'm using a 4C connection, doesn't the sound pass through the JC120 pre-amp and then return to the FX8 for processing?

aren't I accomplishing exactly what I wanted to do in the first place, which is direct record into Garage Band with the effects processing of the FX8?
The key point you're missing is that the Speakers of your Amp are part of your overall tone, the sound of your guitar. Are you recording the effects of the FX8? Sure. But the sound of the speakers is not in that recording, and it will sound very different. The 4CM still does not get the speaker sound back into the FX8, only the preamp sound from the JC's effects loop.

Definitely try it so you can hear the difference for yourself. Maybe it will sound usable, but it will not be the sound of your Amp.
 
I'm using my FX-8 on a 5150 amp. From amp I run into a Suhr reactive load. From the Suhr directly line in on interface. You need to have impulse responses for speaker simulation. That's possible on garageband to. This works great for me because I can even use that very loud amp when everybody is a sleep at home. Even with headphones
 
Hi All,

New FX8 owner here. I've had my unit for about four weeks now - and absolutely love it.

I hooked my FX8 up to a computer today (yep - four weeks of turning knobs to create presets) and discovered that recording audio from the FX8 into Garage Band isn't as easy as I thought it was going to be (I was under impression that USB audio direct worked for FX8 - it does not).

Looking for a person here who has specific experience making the midi connection between FX8 and a Mac who would be kind enough to walk n00b through the steps and setting up a track in Garage Band which will record sound via a specific FX8 preset I have created (meaning I don't want use all the Garage Band modeling stuff - I have the FX8).

Thanks in advance for your help.

That would be great if you can make a video or atleast list steps for this problem. it would be convinient for the new user to get the solution easily
 
Hey man,

Think of rocking an electric guitar rig like driving a car:

The guitar is the driver (be one with the guitar).
Effects are the body style and paint - they define the "look" (sound).
The amp is the engine.

Now you want to record that so you need a camera, right? It's not a perfect analogy, but you get the idea.

Here's what you need:

Guitar
FX8 (effects)
Amp (guitar amplification is the following in various configurations: Preamp, Power Amp, Speakers)

Interface (I use an Apogee Quartet, but here are some great choices to get you started.)

DAW(Garageband)

Now, you an take the FX8 into an amp and you have a few options:
1) mic the speakers, then run that into the interface and into your DAW.
2) go from the amplifier's speaker out into a reactive load* like the Suhr Reactive Load. Fractal also makes a reactive load. These simulate the speaker resonance and EQ, and are widely regarded as the most accurate.
3) go straight from the preamp to the interface, then use amp and cab sims - this is the least optimal, worst sounding, but cheapest option.

*(read up on properly connecting speakers or reactive loads to a power amplifier please, voltage impedance is no joke and lack of caution can result in catastrophic damage to equipment and you)

Good luck!
 
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As for a good starter interface, I use a Scarlett 2i4 (the 2i2 clips easily, or at least it did a couple years back). They are affordable and found in most music stores. As for using the built in amps in GB, you're actually able to edit them relatively deeply - and I imagine you could find sounds within the GB amps + FX8 for your recording purposes. I use GB amps to record my demos instead of mic'ing up a real amp myself.

Good luck!
 
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