I've been recording reggae/ska in GarageBand, using a combination of:
- Voice through a condenser mic
- Electric guitar and bass using GarageBand's own amp simulators and effects
- Drum patterns programmed using GarageBand's kits
- Software organ
I play all the parts live, and avoid quantising.
It sounds OK, but a bit sterile. Listening to classic ska tracks that influence me (say, anything from the Trojan Ska boxed set) what seems to characterise the sound most is a benign fuzziness, presumably distortion that engineers tried and failed to avoid using what equipment a 1960s Jamaican studio could afford.
Question one is: how can I replicate that sound using the equipment I have
Question two is: how can I achieve that feel without going so extremely lo-fi.