When using GarageBand 2 on certain computers, you may come across a situation where you can't set the input monitoring level on a Real Instrument track. The slider will appear dimmed (unavailable) and set all the way to the left (minimum volume), like this:
Whether or not you can adjust the input monitor level depends on your computer or the audio hardware you're using. If you're using your computer's built-in audio input, the issue depends on which computer model you have. You can use Audio MIDI Setup (located in the Utilities folder), to find out if your computer supports the level adjustment.
- Open Audio MIDI Setup.
- Click the Audio Devices tab and look in the lower-left half of the window.
- If the Audio Input section shows that you can adjust the individual input channels (sliders for channels 1 and 2 are available, as shown below), you should be able to adjust the level.
- If the individual inputs cannot be adjusted (sliders 1 and 2 appear dimmed, as shown below), you won't be able to adjust the monitor input level in GarageBand.
Note: Remember that the input monitor level setting in GarageBand has nothing to do with the volume level that's written when recording—it only controls how loud the input sounds while you monitor it. Thus you can still record properly on systems that do not allow for input monitor level adjustment.
If you're using a third-party audio interface, in most cases the input monitor level can be adjusted, even if the built-in audio hardware on the computer does not offer this function.