© 2004 by Course Technology PTR, a division of Thomson Course Technology. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without written permission from Course Technology PTR, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. The Muska & Lipman logo and related trade dress are trademarks of Muska & Lipman and may not be used without written permission. SVP, Course Technology PTR: Andy Shafran Publisher: Stacy L. Hiquet Senior Marketing Manager: Sarah O’Donnell Marketing Manager: Heather Hurley Manager of Editorial Services: Heather Talbot Acquisitions Editor: Todd Jensen Senior Editor: Mark Garvey Associate Marketing Managers: Kristin Eisenzopf and Sarah Dubois Project Editor/Copy Editor: Cathleen D. Snyder Technical Reviewer: Len Sasso Course Technology PTR Market Coordinator: Amanda Weaver Interior Layout Tech: Scribe Tribe Cover Designer: Nancy Goulet Indexer: Kelly Talbot Proofreader: Kim V. Benbow Apple, Apple Store, GarageBand, iLife, iMac, iMovie, iPod, iTunes, and Macintosh are trademarks or registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Important: Course Technology PTR cannot provide software support. Please contact the appropriate software manufacturer’s technical support line or Web site for assistance. Course Technology PTR and the author have attempted throughout this book to distinguish proprietary trademarks from descriptive terms by following the capitalization style used by the manufacturer. Information contained in this book has been obtained by Course Technology PTR from sources believed to be reliable. However, because of the possibility of human or mechanical error by our sources, Course Technology PTR, or others, the Publisher does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, or completeness of any information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions or the results obtained from use of such information. Readers should be particularly aware of the fact that the Internet is an ever-changing entity. Some facts may have changed since this book went to press. ISBN: 1-59200-474-1 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2004103483 Printed in the United States of America 04 05 06 07 08 BH 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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To Michelle
Acknowledgments This book could not have been written without the encouragement, assistance, and effort of many kind and talented people.
First of all, a big thank you to my friends and supporters at Apple Computer and Emagic. Without your time and trust this would not have been possible. No book is produced alone. I’d like to thank Mark Garvey and the entire Course Technology crew for their support with this book. I’d like to give special thanks to the editors who were by my side for the entire journey: Todd Jensen, for being the best advocate and guide a writer could ask for; Len Sasso, for his friendship, knowledge, and for keeping me honest; and Cathleen Snyder, for taking my manuscript and turning it into a real Ignite! book! Finally, I would like to extend my deepest thanks to those nearest me for their encouragement while writing this book. To Michelle; my mother, Shula; and my father, Gerrold—your love and unconditional support keep me going. To my Giant Schnauzer, Luna, and Maine Coon cat, Shadow, whose fun and affectionate personalities keep me grounded. And to all the musicians and non-musicians alike who have shared their love of music and the creative process with me: You have all helped me find my voice. May this book help others start to find theirs.
About the Author ORREN MERTON, author of Logic 6 Power! (Muska & Lipman, 2003), has been a musician and Macintosh user since his days at U.C. Berkeley in 1988. He has been writing in the professional audio field for more than five years, for numerous American and British pro audio magazines, such as Electronic Musician, Computer Music, and MIX. He has a master’s degree in English from California State University, Long Beach. Orren is involved with many companies in the pro audio field, writing manuals and testing hardware and software. He also helps moderate the Logic User Group, an online community of more than 13,000 users of Emagic Logic digital audio sequencing software.
Contents Introduction ............................................................... xi
Chapter 1
Getting Started with GarageBand ..............................1 Checking System Requirements ........................................................ 2 Installing GarageBand ....................................................................... 3 Installing the GarageBand Demo Songs ......................................... 11
Chapter 2
Launching GarageBand for the First Time ................13 Launching GarageBand and Opening a Demo Song ...................... Setting the Audio Preferences ........................................................ Selecting Audio Input and Output Devices ................................ Selecting an Audio Buffer Size .................................................... GarageBand: First Look ................................................................... Playing the Demo Song ...................................................................
Chapter 3
14 17 17 21 22 24
File Basics ..................................................................27 Opening a Song ............................................................................... Opening a Different Song ........................................................... Opening a Song You Have Previously Opened .......................... Saving a Song .................................................................................. Using Save As to Save a Song ..................................................... Using Save to Save a Song .......................................................... Reverting to the Saved Version of a Song ...................................... Creating a New Song ...................................................................... Closing GarageBand ........................................................................ Using the Close Command to Close a Song ...............................
28 28 29 30 30 32 33 34 36 36
CONTENTS
vii
Using the Close Button to Close a Song .................................... 37 Using the Quit Command to Close a Song................................. 38
Chapter 4
Tempo and Key Basics...............................................41 Setting the Song Tempo .................................................................. 42 Setting Tempo in the New Project Dialog Box ........................... 42 Using the Tempo Display to Change Tempo in an Existing Song .................................................................... 44 Using the Master Track to Change Tempo in an Existing Song .................................................................... 46 Setting the Time Signature for Your Song ...................................... 48 Setting the Time Signature in the New Project Dialog Box ....... 49 Changing the Time Signature in an Existing Song ..................... 51 Setting the Song Key ....................................................................... 54 Setting the Key in the New Project Dialog Box .......................... 54 Changing the Key in an Existing Song ........................................ 57
Chapter 5
Working with Software Instruments .........................61 Creating a Software Instrument Track ............................................. 62 Selecting a New Software Instrument on an Existing Software Instrument Track .............................................. 65 Playing Software Instruments .......................................................... 67 Using a MIDI Controller to Play a Software Instrument ............. 67 Using the Onscreen Keyboard to Play a Software Instrument .................................................................. 68 Recording Software Instrument Performances ............................... 70 Recording a Software Instrument Performance ......................... 70 Cycle Recording with a Software Instrument ............................. 73 Playing Back Your Software Instrument Performance .................... 77 Editing Software Instrument Regions ............................................. 80 Opening a MIDI Region in the Editor ......................................... 80 Exploring the Track Editor with a MIDI Region Open ................ 81 Fixing the Timing of All Notes in a MIDI Region ........................ 84 Moving One or More Notes ........................................................ 85 Resizing One or More Notes ...................................................... 88 Drawing Notes in the Track Editor Using the Pencil Tool ........... 89 Editing MIDI Controller Messages .............................................. 91 Moving Control Points ............................................................. 91
viii
CONTENTS
Chapter 6
Working with Real Instruments .................................95 Creating a Real Instrument Track .................................................... 96 Recording Real Instrument Performances ..................................... 102 Recording a Real Instrument Performance ............................... 102 Cycle Recording Using a Real Instrument ................................. 104 Playing Back Your Real Instrument Performance .......................... 107 Editing Real Instrument Regions ................................................... 110 Opening an Audio Region in the Editor ................................... 110 Exploring the Editor with an Audio Region Open .................... 111 Erasing Audio in the Editor ....................................................... 112 Moving Audio Regions in the Editor ......................................... 115 Looping Audio Regions in the Editor ........................................ 116
Chapter 7
Working with Apple Loops .....................................119 Browsing Apple Loops .................................................................. 120 Opening the Loop Browser ....................................................... 120 Exploring the Loop Browser ..................................................... 120 Browsing Loops in Button View ................................................ 122 Browsing Loops in Column View ............................................... 125 Refining Results by Keyword ..................................................... 128 Refining Results by Scale ........................................................... 130 Adding an Apple Loop to Your Song ............................................ 132 Adding an Apple Loop without a Previously Created Track .... 132 Adding an Apple Loop to a Previously Created Track ............. 134 Transposing an Apple Loop ........................................................... 140 Adding Apple Loops to GarageBand ............................................ 142
Chapter 8
Arranging Your Song ...............................................145 Using the Timeline Grid ................................................................. 146 Turning the Grid On and Off ..................................................... 146 Setting the Timeline Grid Value ................................................ 147 Adjusting the Timeline Horizontal Zoom ...................................... 148 Splitting Regions ............................................................................ 149 Joining Regions ............................................................................. 152 Moving Regions ............................................................................. 153 Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Regions ........................................ 154 Cutting and Pasting Regions ..................................................... 154 Copying and Pasting Regions ................................................... 158
CONTENTS
ix
Looping Regions ............................................................................ 161 Resizing Regions ............................................................................ 163 Using Track Mixer Functions While Arranging .............................. 165 Muting a Track ........................................................................... 166 Soloing a Track .......................................................................... 166 Panning a Track ......................................................................... 167 Adjusting the Volume of a Track ............................................... 168
Chapter 9
Effects, Plug-Ins, and Software Instrument Parameters ..............................................................169 Accessing a Track’s Effects ............................................................ 170 Adding and Removing Effects ....................................................... 172 Turning Effects On and Off ....................................................... 172 Selecting an Effect for an Effects Slot ...................................... 172 Removing an Effect from an Effects Slot .................................. 174 Changing the Software Instrument Generator ......................... 176 Adjusting Software Instrument and Effect Parameters ................ 177 Accessing Software Instrument and Effect Parameters ........... 177 Adjusting Software Instrument and Effect Parameter Sliders .. 179 Accessing the Preset Menu ....................................................... 180 Software Instrument Presets and Parameters ............................... 183 Piano .......................................................................................... 183 Strings ........................................................................................ 185 Horns ......................................................................................... 186 Woodwind ................................................................................. 188 Guitar ......................................................................................... 190 Bass ............................................................................................ 192 Drum Kits ................................................................................... 194 Electric Piano ............................................................................. 196 Analog Basic .............................................................................. 197 Analog Mono ............................................................................. 201 Analog Pad ................................................................................ 205 Analog Swirl ............................................................................... 209 Analog Sync ............................................................................... 213 Digital Basic ............................................................................... 217 Digital Mono .............................................................................. 221 Digital Stepper .......................................................................... 224 Tonewheel Organ ...................................................................... 228 Electric Clavinet ......................................................................... 231
x
CONTENTS
Effects Presets and Parameters ..................................................... 232 Basic Track Effects ..................................................................... 232 Treble Reduction ....................................................................... 237 Bass Reduction .......................................................................... 238 Distortion ................................................................................... 239 Overdrive ................................................................................... 240 Bitcrusher .................................................................................. 242 Automatic Filter ......................................................................... 243 Chorus ....................................................................................... 246 Flanger ....................................................................................... 247 Phaser ........................................................................................ 249 Tremolo ...................................................................................... 251 Auto Wah ................................................................................... 254 Amp Simulation ......................................................................... 256 Using Third-Party Software Instruments and Effects .................... 259 Accessing Third-Party Plug-In Software Instruments ................ 259 Accessing Third-Party Plug-In Effects ....................................... 261
Chapter 10 Completing Your Song ............................................263 Mixing Your Song ........................................................................... 264 Mixing the Volume Levels of Your Tracks .................................. 264 Mixing the Pan Position of Your Tracks ..................................... 268 Automating the Volume of a Track ........................................... 272 Automating the Master Track of Your Song ............................. 281 Exporting Your Song to iTunes ...................................................... 285 Further Music Creation Options on the Macintosh ...................... 287 Loop-Based Music Creation Tools ............................................. 288 Software Studio Applications .................................................... 289 Digital Audio Sequencers .......................................................... 289
Appendix A Adding the GarageBand Jam Pack DVD .................291 Appendix B GarageBand Online Resources ................................299 Official Apple GarageBand Web Site ............................................ 300 Free Apple Loops .......................................................................... 300 Online GarageBand Communities ................................................. 300
Index .......................................................................301
Introduction On January 16th, 2004, Apple Computer rocked the world. Okay, maybe that’s a bit melodramatic, but it is safe to say that on that day, Apple Computer took a major step toward helping the world rock. They unveiled GarageBand, their new user-friendly audio creation tool, as a new part of iLife, Apple’s “digital lifestyle” suite of applications that comes free with every Macintosh computer. For the first time, Mac users would have the ability to compose and arrange CD-quality music at their fingertips. GarageBand is no throwaway freebee application; it includes professional-quality Software Instruments and effects, along with high-quality prerecorded loops of audio and Software Instrument performances. With GarageBand, Apple put the power of music in the hands of every Mac user. Put simply, GarageBand is a complete recording studio. You can play your own instrument and record it into GarageBand, or you can use GarageBand’s own Software Instruments and play them with a MIDI keyboard. GarageBand has many top-quality effects you can use to process your tracks, as well as the basic editing tools you need to edit a song. You can then export your song to your iTunes library so you can play it for your friends, play it on your iPod, or share it over the Internet. Although GarageBand’s Help files and tutorials are well thought-out, the software doesn’t come with a manual. This book should fill that gap. GarageBand Ignite! will teach you how to use the program—the basics for those who have no background in music, as well as expert tips that you can explore when you become more comfortable. This book is a visual guide that will get you up and running with GarageBand quickly, so you can use GarageBand to explore your creativity. The sky is the limit!
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INTRODUCTION
Who Should Read This Book? This book is for anyone who wants to learn how to use GarageBand. It is also for anyone who wants a reference book on GarageBand. This book doesn’t presuppose you have any knowledge of music theory or digital audio conventions. But if you do have knowledge of music theory or digital audio software, you will find it even easier to follow the exercises in this book. In other words, if you use— or want to use—GarageBand, this book is for you!
1
Getting Started with GarageBand If you purchased your Macintosh after January, 2004, you don’t need to worry about installing GarageBand; it will already be installed as part of Apple’s iLife software suite. However, in case you have an older Mac or you need to reinstall iLife after a clean Mac OS X installation, I will go over the installation procedure. It’s very simple and straightforward, and you’ll be up and running in no time. If you don’t need to install GarageBand you can skip right to Chapter 2, “Launching GarageBand for the First Time.” In this chapter, you will learn how to: Confirm your OS version Check your system RAM Install GarageBand Install the GarageBand demo songs
2
CHAPTER 1: GETTING STARTED WITH GARAGEBAND
Checking System Requirements GarageBand requires a fast and capable machine to run. Considering that all currently shipping Macintosh computers include GarageBand, you already know your system passes muster if you purchased it after January, 2004! However, if you have an older Mac that you’ve upgraded, or if you are simply curious as to the specifications of your Macintosh, this section will instruct you how to check to make sure your system is ready for GarageBand. Apple Computer states the minimum CPU required to run GarageBand is a 600 MHz G3 processor, but that if you want to run GarageBand’s Software Instruments, you need to have a G4 or better CPU. You will also need to have at least 256 MB of RAM installed on your computer. Finally, your Mac needs to be running OS X 10.2.6 or later. Conveniently, the About This Mac window offers all of this information.
1.
Click on the Apple icon at the top-left of the screen, in the menu bar. The Apple menu will appear.
2.
Click on About This Mac. The About This Mac dialog box will open.
INSTALLING GARAGEBAND
3
3.
Confirm that your version of OS X is 10.2.6 or later.
4.
Confirm that your Macintosh has at least a 600 MHz G3 CPU.
5.
Confirm that you have at least 256 MB of RAM in your computer.
TIP Keep in mind that the listed minimum requirements are just that—the bare minimum. To get the best possible performance out of GarageBand, use the latest version of Mac OS X, have a G4 or better CPU, and have as close to 1 GB of RAM as possible (more is always better).
Installing GarageBand Apple works diligently at making its software installation process as simple as possible, and installing GarageBand (and the rest of iLife ’04) is a relatively straightforward procedure. Just following the onscreen instructions will guide you through the installation of all the iLife applications. The following instructions will focus on installing only GarageBand, not the whole iLife suite.
4
CHAPTER 1: GETTING STARTED WITH GARAGEBAND
1.
Insert the iLife ’04 Install DVD into the DVD drive. The Install DVD icon will appear on the desktop, and the Install DVD dialog box will open to show you its contents.
NOTE The iLife ’04 package comes with both an Install DVD and an Install CD. However, GarageBand is only on the Install DVD. This means that although you do not need a DVD player to use GarageBand, you will need one to install it.
2.
Double-click on the Install icon. The iLife ’04 Installer will launch.
3.
Confirm that you have correctly inserted the Install DVD (instead of the Install CD) by noting GarageBand 1.0 at the top of the list of iLife ’04 applications.
INSTALLING GARAGEBAND
5
4.
Click on Continue in the small window that descends from the main installer window. The system will run a program to determine whether iLife can be installed, and the small window will close.
5.
Click on Continue in the main installer window. The Read Me window will appear.
6
CHAPTER 1: GETTING STARTED WITH GARAGEBAND
6.
Click on Continue after you have read the information in the Read Me window. The License window will appear.
7.
Click on Continue once you have read the license agreement. You will then be asked to agree to the terms of the software license.
INSTALLING GARAGEBAND
7
8.
Click on Agree to agree to the terms of the software license. The Select Destination window will appear.
9.
Click on the hard drive icon for the hard drive onto which you want to install GarageBand. Because iLife applications are installed into a Mac OS X Applications directory, you can only install iLife applications onto a hard drive with Mac OS X installed. Any hard drives without Mac OS X installed will be marked as unavailable for installation by an exclamation point.
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CHAPTER 1: GETTING STARTED WITH GARAGEBAND
NOTE Once you select a hard drive, the installer will tell you how many bytes are required for the installation of iLife ’04. The number of bytes you will be shown depends on how many iLife applications are already installed on the hard drive. If you have no iLife ’04 applications installed, the installation will require more than 4 GB of space. If you have all of them installed, the installer will report that there are zero extra bytes to install, since the new installation will fit into exactly the same amount of room taken up by the previous installation. GarageBand alone requires around 2 GB of space.
10.
Click on Continue in the Select Destination window. The Installation Type window will appear.
INSTALLING GARAGEBAND
9
11. Click on Customize to install only GarageBand. (Alternatively, you can click on Upgrade to install all five iLife ’04 applications.)
12.
Click on every check box except GarageBand. Only the checked applications will install, so unchecking everything except GarageBand will ensure only GarageBand is installed.
13. Click on Upgrade to install GarageBand. The Authenticate dialog box will open.
10
CHAPTER 1: GETTING STARTED WITH GARAGEBAND
14.
Type your password in the Password field.
NOTE You must have administrative privileges on your computer to install GarageBand.
15.
Click on OK. GarageBand will be installed.
16.
Click on Close once the installation has finished.
INSTALLING THE GARAGEBAND DEMO SONGS
11
Installing the GarageBand Demo Songs The GarageBand demo songs are not automatically installed by the iLife ’04 Installer. If you want to install the GarageBand demo songs yourself, you will need to copy the folder onto your hard drive.
1.
Click on the Garage Band Demo Songs folder icon in the Install DVD dialog box. The folder will be selected.
2.
Drag the folder onto your hard drive icon. The folder will be copied from the Install DVD to your hard drive.
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2
Launching GarageBand for the First Time After installing GarageBand, you’re ready to launch the application. Apple designed GarageBand to be as easy to use and intuitive as possible, but any application that does as much as this one will require a certain amount of setting up first. This chapter will take you through launching GarageBand for the first time, your initial setup, and how to play a song. In this chapter, you will learn how to: Open GarageBand Select an audio interface Select an audio buffer size Identify the elements of the GarageBand interface Operate the GarageBand transport
14
CHAPTER 2: LAUNCHING GARAGEBAND FOR THE FIRST TIME
Launching GarageBand and Opening a Demo Song When you first launch GarageBand, it will give you an option to open either an existing song or a blank new song template. In this section, you’ll load one of the demo songs. This will help you explore the various elements of GarageBand later in the chapter.
1.
Double-click on the GarageBand icon to launch the program. A window will appear, informing you that GarageBand is initializing. Initialization will take some time because GarageBand will be initializing its audio engine, MIDI engine, and effects, as well as loading a song. After a minute or so, the Welcome to GarageBand dialog box will appear.
TIP The iLife ’04 installer will place GarageBand (and all iLife programs) into the Applications folder of your hard drive. If you want to be able to launch GarageBand without having to open your Applications folder, you have two options. You can drag the GarageBand icon to the Dock or you can make an alias of GarageBand and place it on your desktop. Either way, you will be able to launch GarageBand without needing to open any folders.
LAUNCHING GARAGEBAND AND OPENING A DEMO SONG
15
2.
Click on Open Existing Song. The Open dialog box will open.
3.
Navigate to the Demo Songs folder and then click on it. The G3 Projects and G4-G5 Projects folders will become available.
16
CHAPTER 2: LAUNCHING GARAGEBAND FOR THE FIRST TIME
4.
Click on the G4-G5 Projects folder. The contents of that directory will be displayed.
5. Click on Reflection. The Reflection song file will be selected. 6.
Click on Open. GarageBand will open the project named Reflection.
CAUTION I chose to use one of the G4-G5 projects for this lesson because these projects have both Real and Software Instruments. Remember that if you have a G3-based Macintosh, you will not be able to use Software Instruments. You might need to open one of the G3 projects instead.
SETTING THE AUDIO PREFERENCES
17
Setting the Audio Preferences You can use GarageBand with only the built-in audio input and output capabilities of your Macintosh. However, you can buy an additional higher-quality audio interface and configure GarageBand to use that device. You can also optimize GarageBand for faster response or better performance. This section will show you how.
Selecting Audio Input and Output Devices An audio interface, or audio device, allows you to plug in a microphone or musical instrument and record your performance directly into GarageBand, and it also allows you to listen to GarageBand through higher-quality speakers. You don’t need an audio device to use GarageBand, but you will get more out of it if you have one. The Apple Store sells a number of different audio devices that work well with GarageBand. Please refer to the manual of your hardware device for instructions on connecting your specific device to your Macintosh and installing its drivers. This section will explain how to select audio input and output devices.
1.
Click on GarageBand. The GarageBand menu will appear.
2.
Click on Preferences. The Preferences dialog box will open.
TIP A faster way to access the Preferences dialog box is to press COMMAND + , (comma). You can use this technique when you are more comfortable with GarageBand.
18
CHAPTER 2: LAUNCHING GARAGEBAND FOR THE FIRST TIME
3.
Click on Audio/MIDI. The Audio/MIDI Preferences screen will appear.
4.
Click on Audio Output. The Audio Output pop-up menu will appear.
5.
Click on the audio output driver you want GarageBand to use. A confirmation window will appear.
SETTING THE AUDIO PREFERENCES
19
6.
Click on Yes. GarageBand will initialize the selected audio driver.
7.
Click on Audio Input. The Audio Input pop-up menu will appear.
20
CHAPTER 2: LAUNCHING GARAGEBAND FOR THE FIRST TIME
8.
Click on the audio input driver you want GarageBand to use. A confirmation window will appear.
9.
Click on Yes. GarageBand will initialize the selected audio driver.
SETTING THE AUDIO PREFERENCES
21
Selecting an Audio Buffer Size Every time you play or record audio, your computer works as fast as it can to process your audio so you can hear it in realtime. To do this efficiently, your computer processes data in “chunks.” The size of these chunks depends on the audio buffer you select in GarageBand. You have two choices to optimize GarageBand for your computer.
• Better performance. This setting offers a large buffer, which is easier on the CPU. This means the CPU will be able to process more audio, but the tradeoff is responsiveness when you record or edit. If your playback sounds choppy or the graphics redraw very slowly, click on this radio button. If you are using a G3based Macintosh, you should use this setting.
• Faster response. This setting offers a small buffer, which makes the CPU work faster. This means you’ll need a faster computer to make it work, but there will be much less delay when you play your MIDI controller or edit. If you have a fast enough computer, click on this radio button.
22
CHAPTER 2: LAUNCHING GARAGEBAND FOR THE FIRST TIME
GarageBand: First Look Before I guide you in some basic operations using the demo song, I will define some of the interface elements. I will go into detail about each element in subsequent chapters, but this should be enough to help you familiarize yourself with GarageBand.
• Track List. Each Real and Software Instrument gets its own track—meaning its own track header and track lane. Real Instrument tracks contain audio recordings, whereas Software Instrument tracks contain MIDI notes.
• Track Mixer. Clicking on the triangular pointer at the top of the Track List will reveal the Track Mixer, in which you can adjust the level and stereo position of each track.
• Timeline. The Timeline contains the track lanes for each track, the beat ruler, the playhead that shows you the exact song position, the volume automation lanes, and so on. This is where you will do your arranging and editing.
• Master volume. Here you have a volume slider for adjusting the overall volume of GarageBand, as well as level meters to see how loud your signal is.
• Time display. The time display shows you the current song location in musical time (bars, beats, and measures). If you click to the right of the time, the time display will switch to absolute time (hours, minutes, and seconds). It also shows the song tempo.
GARAGEBAND: FIRST LOOK
23
• Zoom slider. This slider allows you to zoom into the Timeline horizontally for a closer view of a segment or zoom out of the Timeline to view the entire song.
• Add Track button. Clicking on this button adds either a new Real Instrument or a new Software Instrument track to the Track List.
• Track Info button. Clicking on this button reveals the Track Info window.
• Loop Browser button. Clicking on this button reveals the Apple Loop browser.
• Track Editor button. Clicking on this button reveals the Track Editor.
• Transport controls. These are standard tape-recorder style controls that cause GarageBand to record, start, stop, fast-forward, rewind, and so on.
24
CHAPTER 2: LAUNCHING GARAGEBAND FOR THE FIRST TIME
Playing the Demo Song Okay, you have the demo song “Reflection” open, your audio interface selected, and you know some GarageBand terminology, so it’s time to get familiar with how the transport works.
1.
Click on the play button in the transport. The song will play. Let it play through to the end. Playback will stop when the song is over.
2.
Click on the return to start button in the transport. The playhead will return to the beginning of the song.
3.
Click on the play button in the transport. The song will play.
4.
Click on the play button again when the song is halfway through the Timeline. The song will stop playing.
5.
Click on the return to start button in the transport. The playhead will return to the beginning of the song.
PLAYING THE DEMO SONG
25
6.
Click and hold the fastforward button in the transport until the playhead is halfway through the song. The playhead will move across the song as you hold down the button.
7.
Release the fast-forward button. The playhead will stop moving.
8.
Click on the play button in the transport. The song will play. Let it play through to the end. Playback will stop when the song is over.
9.
Click on the rewind button in the transport until the song is back at the beginning.
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3
File Basics Now that you’ve got GarageBand up and running with one of its demo songs, you’re going to want to get comfortable with opening, saving, creating, and finally closing files. Unlike your word processor document files, your GarageBand document files are called “songs” (since that is what you’re doing—creating songs!), and they are going to be huge in size—often more than 50 MB! The good news is that even though the names and sizes will change, most of what you already know still applies in GarageBand. In this chapter, you will learn how to: Open a song Save a song Revert to a saved song Create a new song Close a song and GarageBand
28
CHAPTER 3: FILE BASICS
Opening a Song When you open GarageBand, the program will automatically load upon launch the last song you worked on. When you are ready to move on, you can open another song.
Opening a Different Song If you want to open a song that you have not loaded into GarageBand yet, you use the Open command from the File menu.
1.
Click on File. The File menu will appear.
2.
Click on Open. The Open dialog box will open.
TIP You can also press COMMAND + O to automatically bring up the Open dialog box and bypass both of these steps.
OPENING A SONG
29
3.
Click on Shufflin’ Piano Blues.
4.
Click on Open. The Open dialog box will close, and GarageBand will reappear with Shufflin’ Piano Blues loaded.
TIP You can also press the RETURN key instead of clicking on Open in Step 4.
Opening a Song You Have Previously Opened GarageBand keeps track of songs you have previously opened, so you can instantly reload them from the File menu.
1.
Click on File. The File menu will appear.
2.
Move your mouse pointer to Open Recent. The Open Recent submenu will appear.
3. Click on Reflection. The song “Reflection” will open.
30
CHAPTER 3: FILE BASICS
Saving a Song After you’ve opened and modified a song, the next thing you’ll want to do is save it. There are two methods for saving songs.
Using Save As to Save a Song If you want to change the name of the currently open song or if you want to save the song to a different location, you’ll want to use the Save As command.
1.
Click on File. The File menu will appear.
2.
Click on Save As. The Save dialog box will open.
TIP You can press SHIFT + COMMAND + S to automatically bring up the Save dialog box and bypass Steps 1 and 2.
SAVING A SONG
31
3.
Click on the down arrow next to the Save As text box. The Save dialog box will expand.
NOTE Although Step 3 is not absolutely necessary when you are using the Save As command, I always do it. That way, I can see what other song names I have already used, and if I want to navigate to another folder, I can. If you just want to type a new name, you can skip Step 3, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
4.
Type a new name for your song in the Save As text box.
5.
If you want to choose a new location to save your song to, move the scroll bars or click on the folder pop-up menu to choose a new location.
6.
Click on Save. Your song will be saved.
TIP You can also press the RETURN key instead of clicking on Save.
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CHAPTER 3: FILE BASICS
NOTE Notice that I save all my songs into a folder called “GarageBand.” This folder wasn’t created automatically; I created it myself by clicking on the New Folder button at the bottom of the Save dialog box. Any time you want to save into a new folder, click on that button.
Using Save to Save a Song If you simply want to save changes to your current song, you can use the Save command.
1.
Click on File. The File menu will appear.
2.
Click on Save. The song will be saved.
TIP You can press COMMAND + S to automatically save your song and bypass Steps 1 and 2.
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Reverting to the Saved Version of a Song There are real advantages to saving your song whenever you are happy with it. Perhaps the biggest advantage is that if you don’t like where your song has gone since the last save, you can revert to the last saved version.
1.
Click on File. The File menu will appear.
2.
Click on Revert to Saved. The previously saved version of the song will replace the current version.
CAUTION Obviously, if you revert to the saved version of your song, all changes you have made since you last saved the song will be erased. Think twice before you do this! When you start making changes you are not sure you want to commit to, you might want to use Save As to save your song under a different name. That way, you can open a previous version of a song to return to the original state without losing your changes.
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Creating a New Song Eventually, you will have had enough of playing with the demo songs, and you’ll want to start from scratch. To do this, you need to create a new song.
1.
Click on File. The File menu will appear.
2.
Click on New. The New Project dialog box will open.
TIP You can press COMMAND + N to open the New Project dialog box and bypass Steps 1 and 2.
CAUTION You should always save the current song before you create a new one. If you don’t, before the New Project dialog box opens, you will be asked whether you want to save any changes to the loaded song. Click on Save or Don’t Save, depending on whether you want to save your changes.
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35
3.
Type a name for your song in the Save As text box.
4.
If you want to choose a new location to save your song to, move the scroll bars or click on the folder pop-up menu to choose a new location.
5.
Click on Create.
TIP You can also press the RETURN key instead of clicking on Create in Step 5.
NOTE For now, don’t worry about the box in the middle of the New Project dialog box that allows you to set tempo, key, and time information. I’ll explain those items in the next chapter. You don’t need to set them now.
Your new song will be loaded, with a blank Track List except for a single grand piano Software Instrument to get you started.
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Closing GarageBand Unlike some applications, when you close a GarageBand song, GarageBand will automatically quit the entire application. This means that you probably don’t want to use the Close command unless you are ready to quit GarageBand. There are a few different ways to close GarageBand.
Using the Close Command to Close a Song The first way to close a song in GarageBand is to use the Close command in the File menu.
1.
Click on File. The File menu will appear.
2.
Click on Close. If you have already saved the current song, GarageBand will quit. If you have not saved your song, a message box will appear.
TIP You can press COMMAND + W to close GarageBand to bypass Steps 1 and 2.
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3.
Click on Save or Don’t Save, depending on whether you want to save your song. GarageBand will quit and your song will be saved if you chose the Save option.
Using the Close Button to Close a Song You can also close a song in GarageBand by clicking on its Close button.
1.
Click on the red button (with the “x” inside). If you have already saved the current song, GarageBand will quit. If you have not saved your song, a message box will appear.
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2.
Click on Save or Don’t Save, depending on whether you want to save your song. GarageBand will quit and your song will be saved if you chose the Save option.
Using the Quit Command to Close a Song Finally, you can close GarageBand by using the Quit command.
1.
Click on GarageBand. The GarageBand menu will appear.
2.
Click on Quit GarageBand. If you have already saved the current song, GarageBand will quit. If you have not saved your song, a message box will appear.
TIP You can press COMMAND + Q to close GarageBand to bypass Steps 1 and 2.
CLOSING GARAGEBAND
3.
39
Click on Save or Don’t Save, depending on whether you want to save your song. GarageBand will quit and your song will be saved if you chose the Save option.
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4
Tempo and Key Basics You do not need a background in music theory to create songs in GarageBand. Nonetheless, you will get more out of the program if you have a basic knowledge of three very fundamental musical concepts—tempo, key, and key signature. Briefly defined, tempo refers to the speed of your song, and key indicates which group of musical notes your song will use. Don’t worry if that sounds very new and confusing. By the end of the chapter, it will all fall into place! In this chapter, you will learn how to: Set the song tempo Set the song time signature Set the key of your song
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Setting the Song Tempo Every song has a tempo, or speed. When you create a song, you do so at a particular tempo. Tempo is measured in bpm (beats per minute)—in other words, how many beats of your song will fit in one minute. GarageBand allows you to set any tempo between 60 bpm (very slow—think of a Frank Sinatra ballad) and 240 bpm (crazy fast—think of a wild punk rock or acid techno song). The most common tempo (which is also GarageBand’s default tempo) is 120 bpm, or two beats every second. This tempo is very popular in modern rock and dance music. Setting the tempo for your song ensures that when you record Software Instruments and use Apple Loops in your song, they will play back at the desired speed.
Setting Tempo in the New Project Dialog Box When you first create a new song document in GarageBand, you can set the tempo for your song.
1.
Click on File. The File menu will appear.
2.
Click on New. The New Project dialog box will open.
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43
3.
Type a name for your new song in the Save As text box.
4a.
Click and drag the Tempo slider to the desired tempo. The current tempo value will be displayed in the bpm box. OR
4b.
Type a tempo value directly into the bpm box.
5.
Click on Create. Your new project will open.
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6.
Confirm that your song has the tempo you set in the New Project dialog box in the time display.
Using the Tempo Display to Change Tempo in an Existing Song If you didn’t set the song tempo when you created your song, or you want to change it once you start listening to the song, you’re in luck! You can change the song tempo in GarageBand even after the project has been created.
1.
Click and hold the mouse button on the tempo display. A vertical tempo slider will appear.
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45
2.
Drag the tempo slider to the desired tempo. The tempo in the tempo display will reflect the position on the tempo slider.
3.
Release the mouse button. The tempo display will display the new tempo for your song.
CAUTION Be careful adjusting tempo after you have recorded Real Instrument tracks. While Apple Loops and Software Instruments will automatically play at the song tempo you set, instruments that you record through your audio interface will only play back at the same speed you recorded them. If you change the tempo after you have recorded Real Instrument tracks, you might find they are too fast or too slow, and that they are out of sync with your song.
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Using the Master Track to Change Tempo in an Existing Song There is another way to change the tempo of your song. If you have the Master Track displayed for your song, you can access your tempo information there as well.
NOTE Additional uses for the Master Track are explained in Chapter 10, “Completing Your Song.”
1.
Click on Track. The Track menu will appear.
2.
Click on Show Master Track. The Master Track will be added to the bottom of your Track List.
TIP You can press COMMAND + B to show or hide the Master Track, thereby skipping Steps 1 and 2.
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3a.
Double-click on the Master Track. OR
3b.
Click on the Track Info button. The Track Info window will open.
TIP You can also click on the Master Track once to select it, and then press COMMAND + I to show the track information.
4a. Click and drag the Tempo slider. OR
4b.
Type a new tempo value in the bpm box. The tempo will change to reflect your adjustment.
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5.
Click on the Close button when you are finished adjusting the tempo. The Track Info window will disappear.
TIP You can also press COMMAND + W to close the top-most open window—in this case, the Track Info window.
Setting the Time Signature for Your Song In musical terminology, the time signature expresses the relationship between beats (rhythm) and measures (time). The time signature is represented by two numbers separated by a slash. The first number is the number of beats in each measure; in other words, if the first number was a three, you would count two measures as “one two three, one two three.” If the number was a four, you would count two measures as “one two three four, one two three four.” The second number defines which note will get the count—whole notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, and so on (the lower the note value, the longer the note, and the higher the value, the shorter the note). In other words, if your time signature is 3/4, a quarter note gets the count, and there are three of them in a measure. If all that sounds complicated, don’t worry. The most commonly used time signature is the default 4/4 time signature (four beats per measure, and quarter notes get the count), with some waltzes and other styles using a time signature of 3/4. In the vast majority of songs—especially pop, rock, or dance styles—these two will be enough. You’ll be able to figure out
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49
which time signature works best simply by determining whether the song sounds best when you count “one two three, one two three” (3/4) or “one two three four, one two three four” (4/4). If you do decide to experiment with different time signatures, GarageBand is ready!
Setting the Time Signature in the New Project Dialog Box You can easily set the time signature for your song in the New Project dialog box, just as you set the song tempo.
1.
Click on File. The File menu will appear.
2.
Click on New. The New Project dialog box will open.
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3.
Type a name for your new song in the Save As text box.
4.
Click on the Time pop-up menu. The time signature menu will appear.
5.
Select the desired time signature. The time signature you chose will be selected.
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6.
Click on Create. The new song will be created with the selected time signature.
Changing the Time Signature in an Existing Song If you forgot to set the time signature when you created your new project, or if you decide to change it, you can do so in the Master Track.
1.
Click on Track. The Track menu will appear.
2.
Click on Show Master Track. The Master Track will be added to the bottom of your Track List.
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3a.
Double-click on the Master Track. OR
3b.
Click on the Track Info button. The Track Info window will open.
4.
Click on the Time pop-up menu. The time signature menu will appear.
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53
5.
Select the desired time signature. The time signature you chose will be selected.
6. Click on the Close button. The Track Info window will disappear. CAUTION Be careful changing a song’s time signature after you have already begun creating your song. If you record new parts at a different time signature, they might not match up with the MIDI parts you already have in your song. Also, almost all the Apple Loops included with GarageBand are in 4/4 time, so changing the time signature might cause timing issues there, too.
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Setting the Song Key In musical terms, the key of a song defines the specific group of notes that will be used by the instruments in the song. Each key gets its name from the central note around which the other notes in the group are selected—meaning the key of C consists of those notes that relate musically to the note C, the key of D# (D sharp) consists of those notes that relate musically to the note D#, and so on. When you are using Apple Loops, you don’t need to understand the relationships of the notes in scales to use GarageBand. Just know that when you select a key, GarageBand will automatically transpose (move to the correct note relationships) Software Instruments and Apple Loops. If you do know about notes, scales, and keys, you can use this to your advantage and ensure that GarageBand always knows which notes go with your song!
Setting the Key in the New Project Dialog Box GarageBand defaults to the key of C, which basically corresponds to all the white keys on the keyboard. If you don’t know anything about keys, just leave the key set to C. If you are recording guitar-based music, you might want to set the key to A or E, two of the most popular keys for bluesbased rock. If you do want to change the key, you can easily set it for your song in the New Project dialog box, just as you set the song’s tempo and time signature.
SETTING THE SONG KEY
1.
55
Click on File. The File menu will appear.
2.
Click on New. The New Project dialog box will open.
3.
Type a name for your new song in the Save As text box.
4.
Click on the Key pop-up menu. The Key menu will appear.
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5. Select the desired key. The key you chose will be selected.
6.
Click on Create. The new song will be created with the selected key.
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Changing the Key in an Existing Song If you forgot to set the key when you created your new project, or if you decide to change it later, you can change the key in the Master Track, just like you did the tempo and time signature.
1.
Click on Track. The Track menu will appear.
2.
Click on Show Master Track. The Master Track will be added to the bottom of the Track List.
3a.
Double-click on the Master Track. OR
3b.
Click on the Track Info button. The Track Info window will open.
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4.
Click on the Key pop-up menu. The Key menu will appear.
5.
Select the desired key. The key you chose will be selected.
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6. Click on the Close button. The Track Info window will disappear. CAUTION Be careful changing a song’s key after you have already begun creating your song! Any Real Instrument tracks that you record will not be transposed to the new key, and any Software Instrument patterns might sound significantly different than they did when you first played them.
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5
Working with Software Instruments By now you’ve installed GarageBand, taken a look around, and set up a new song, so it’s time to start making music! I’m going to start with Software Instruments. Simply put, Software Instruments are complete, playable instruments that exist entirely in software on your computer, as opposed to a real instrument that you would play yourself outside of your computer. GarageBand comes with dozens of superb-quality Software Instruments that represent all kinds of instruments—pianos, synthesizers, basses, drums, guitars, and so on. You can play these by using a keyboard controller that you connect to your computer via a USB cable or a MIDI interface, or by using the onscreen keyboard that you can launch within GarageBand. In this chapter, you will learn how to: Create a Software Instrument track Select new Software Instruments for existing Software Instrument tracks Play Software Instruments Record and play back Software Instrument performances Edit Software Instrument performances
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Creating a Software Instrument Track When you create a new song in GarageBand, it will automatically have one Software Instrument track already created for you, with a piano selected as the instrument. You can create your own additional Software Instrument tracks very easily. For these exercises, use a new, empty song. The previous chapter described the process of creating a new song, if you don’t have one open in front of you.
1.
Click on Track. The Track menu will appear.
2.
Click on New Track. The New Track dialog box will open.
TIP Alternatively, you can click on the Add Track button to add a new track. You can also press COMMAND + OPTION + N to accomplish the same task.
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3.
Confirm that the Software Instrument tab is selected. (It is selected by default.) There are a couple things you should notice about this tab:
• The left list contains the instrument groups.
• The right list contains the specific types of instruments available in each group.
4.
Click on the instrument group for the Software Instrument you want to add. The available Software Instruments in that instrument group will appear in the right menu.
5.
Click on the Software Instrument you want to add. The instrument icon will change to reflect the instrument you have chosen.
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6.
(Optional) If you want to choose a different instrument icon, click and hold on the instrument icon. A pop-up menu of instrument icons will appear. Keep in mind that the look of the icon has no effect at all on the sound of the instrument.
7.
Select the icon you want. The icon you selected will be the icon for the instrument.
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8.
Click on OK. Your new Software Instrument track will be added to the Track List. If you have a MIDI keyboard controller connected to your computer, you can now play notes on your keyboard and hear the Software Instrument play them.
Selecting a New Software Instrument on an Existing Software Instrument Track You might find that after you play your Software Instrument, you wish you had selected a different one. Or perhaps you want to change the piano Software Instrument that was automatically created. You can easily switch a Software Instrument track to a new instrument.
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1. Click on the Software Instrument track for which you want to change instruments. The track will glow green to show that it is selected. 2.
Click on Track. The Track menu will appear.
3.
Click on Track Info. The Track Info window will appear.
TIP Alternatively, you can click on the Track Info button to display the Track Info window. You can also press COMMAND + I to accomplish the same task.
4.
Click on the instrument group for the Software Instrument you want to add. The available Software Instruments in that instrument group will appear in the right list.
5.
Click on the Software Instrument you want to add. The instrument icon will change to reflect the instrument you have chosen.
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Playing Software Instruments GarageBand allows you to play Software Instruments in two ways—by playing your MIDI keyboard controller or by using the onscreen keyboard. I highly recommend that you buy a MIDI keyboard controller to get the most out of GarageBand. Please refer to the manual that came with your hardware for instructions on how to connect your MIDI controller to your Macintosh. This section will go over both methods of how to play Software Instruments.
Using a MIDI Controller to Play a Software Instrument Make sure that your MIDI keyboard is properly installed before you launch GarageBand.
CAUTION Do not unplug your MIDI keyboard while GarageBand is running! It is very unlikely that you will be able to recover its use without quitting and restarting GarageBand.
1.
Click on the Software Instrument track you want to play. The track will be selected.
2.
Play on your MIDI controller. You will hear your instrument through your speakers.
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Using the Onscreen Keyboard to Play a Software Instrument If you don’t have a MIDI keyboard or you would simply rather not use it, you can also play a Software Instrument from GarageBand’s onscreen keyboard.
1.
Click on the Software Instrument track you want to play. The track will be selected.
2.
Click on Window. The Window menu will appear.
3. Click on Keyboard. The onscreen keyboard will appear. TIP You can also press COMMAND + K to launch the onscreen keyboard, bypassing Steps 2 and 3.
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4.
Click on either of the arrows on the sides of the keyboard to adjust which octaves are covered by the keyboard. If you do not want to adjust the keyboard range, you can skip this step.
NOTE The onscreen keyboard defaults to showing three octaves. This is all you need for most synthesizer or lead instrument performances. You might want to use the left arrow to access the lower ranges if you are playing a bass sound. You might want to use the right arrow to access the higher octaves for high instruments, such as flute sounds.
5.
Click on the lower-right corner of the onscreen keyboard to elongate or shrink the keyboard. If you do not want to adjust the size of the onscreen keyboard, you can skip this step.
6.
Click on a key in the onscreen keyboard. You will hear the Software Instrument.
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Recording Software Instrument Performances Now that you have Software Instrument tracks in your song, it’s time to record a performance. You can record a performance by playing straight through your entire song, or you can choose a small section to repeat, or cycle, over and over again as you add more to that section on each pass.
Recording a Software Instrument Performance Okay, now to the fun stuff—recording a Software Instrument performance!
1.
Click on the Software Instrument track you want to play. The track will be selected.
2.
Click on Window. The Window menu will appear.
3. Click on Keyboard. The onscreen keyboard will appear. NOTE If you are not using the onscreen keyboard, and you are playing your MIDI controller instead, you can skip Steps 2 and 3.
CAUTION If you are using your MIDI controller instead of the onscreen keyboard, make sure it is properly connected to your Macintosh before you begin recording!
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4.
71
Click on Control. The Control menu will appear.
5.
Click on Count In. A check mark will appear in front of the command. This means that GarageBand will now give you a one-measure count in when you click on the record button.
6.
Click on the record button. You will hear the metronome counting you in.
NOTE Recording will begin at the current location of the playhead, so make sure the playhead is at the beginning of your song if you want to record from the beginning.
7.
Click on the keys of the onscreen keyboard or play your MIDI keyboard. The playhead will advance across the Timeline, creating a MIDI region that contains your performance on the Software Instrument track.
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8.
Click on the record button when you are finished recording. The Software Instrument will stop recording, but playback will continue.
TIP If you want to stop recording and playback at the same time, you can skip Step 8 and go directly to Step 9. You can also press the R key on your keyboard to toggle recording on and off.
9.
Click on the play button when you want playback to stop. They playhead will stop moving.
TIP You can also press the spacebar on your keyboard to toggle the play function on and off.
NOTE You don’t have to start recording at the beginning of the song. If you want to start recording at some measure other than measure one, simply move the playhead to the desired measure, and then click on the record button.
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Cycle Recording with a Software Instrument Suppose you want a short section of your song to constantly cycle so you can build up your recording over a number of passes. This technique is very useful if you are performing an extremely difficult piece, or if you want to record a drum part by inputting one drum at a time, for example. Cycle recording will let you continue adding to your performance for as many cycles as you want.
1.
Click on the Software Instrument track that you want to cycle record. The track will be selected.
2. Click on the cycle button. The cycle region ruler will appear below the beat ruler. TIP You can also press the C key to toggle cycle mode on and off.
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3.
Click and hold on the right edge of the yellow cycle region in the cycle region ruler. The cursor will turn into a bar with arrows to either side.
4.
Drag the cycle region to the desired measure. The cycle region will extend to the measure you chose.
5.
Release the mouse button. The cycle region will be set.
6.
Repeat Steps 3 through 5 for the left edge if you want to adjust both the start and end points of the cycle region. When you are satisfied with the cycle region, move on to Step 7.
TIP If you want to move the entire cycle region to a different location in the song, you can click and hold on the middle of the cycle region, and then drag it to a new location.
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7.
75
Click on Window. The Window menu will appear.
8. Click on Keyboard. The onscreen keyboard will appear. NOTE If you are not using the onscreen keyboard, and you are playing your MIDI keyboard instead, you can skip Steps 7 and 8.
CAUTION If you are using your MIDI controller instead of the onscreen keyboard, make sure it is properly connected to your Macintosh before you begin recording!
9.
Click on Control. The Control menu will appear.
10.
Click on Count In. A check mark will appear in front of the command. This means that GarageBand will now give you a one-measure count in when you click on the record button.
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NOTE If you already have turned on Count In once, you don’t need to do it again. You will see the check mark in front of Count In, indicating that it is turned on, until you choose to turn it off. You can skip directly from Step 8 to Step 11.
11.
Click on the record button. An empty MIDI region the length of the cycle region will be created. You will hear the metronome counting you in.
12.
Click on the keys of the onscreen keyboard or play your MIDI controller. The playhead will advance across the cycle region. When the playhead reaches the end of the cycle region, it will return to the beginning. GarageBand will record everything you perform in the MIDI region for as many cycles as you choose to record.
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13.
Click on the record button when you are finished recording. The Software Instrument will stop recording, but playback will continue.
14.
Click on the play button when you want playback to stop. The playhead will stop moving.
TIP If you want to stop recording and playback at the same time, you can skip Step 13 and go directly to Step 14.
15.
Click on the cycle button to turn off cycle mode.
Playing Back Your Software Instrument Performance Playing back performances you record in GarageBand is a very straightforward process. The only real setup you need to do is set the endpoint of the song.
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1.
Click on the position slider on the Timeline scroll bar.
2.
Drag the slider until you reach the purple end-of-song marker. The Timeline will scroll as you drag the slider.
TIP Alternatively, you can click on the right horizontal scroll arrow to scroll to the end-of-song marker. You can also press the END key on your Apple Pro keyboard (if you have one) to jump directly to the purple end-of-song marker.
3. Click and drag the end-ofsong marker to the right edge of your longest MIDI region. NOTE GarageBand doesn’t like its end-of-song marker to be dragged to a measure number lower than 32. If your performance is less than 32 measures, you might find that your song has to be at least 32 measures long. Most of the time, GarageBand will not let you make your song less than 32 measures.
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4.
Click on the return to song start button. The playhead will return to the beginning of the song.
TIP You can also press the Z key to return the playhead to the beginning of the song.
5.
Click on the play button. Your song will play until the endof-song marker.
TIP You can stop playback at any time by clicking on the play button (or pressing the spacebar) again. You can return to the start of the song at any time by clicking on the return to song start button again (or pressing the Z key).
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Editing Software Instrument Regions Perhaps the most exciting thing about Software Instruments is that you can change them even after you have recorded a performance, and you can fix, change, and edit your MIDI region after you have performed it. This allows you to shape your performance into something different than what it initially was, and to fix specific notes that you might not have performed just right. GarageBand offers some simple yet powerful tools and methods for editing, which you will explore in this section.
Opening a MIDI Region in the Editor Before you can do any MIDI region editing, you must open the region in the Track Editor.
1.
Click on the MIDI region you want to edit. The selected region will appear brighter than the unselected regions.
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2a.
Click on the Track Editor button. The Track Editor will open in the bottom third of the GarageBand interface. OR
2b.
Click on Control. The Control menu will appear.
3.
Click on Show Editor. The Track Editor will open in the bottom third of the GarageBand interface.
TIP Once you have selected a MIDI region, you can also press COMMAND + E to open the Track Editor. Alternatively, you can double-click on a MIDI region to both select and open the Track Editor in a single step.
Exploring the Track Editor with a MIDI Region Open Before you learn how to use the Track Editor, you should become familiar with its components and what it shows you.
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• Track Name field. The name of your track is displayed here. You can also type a new name for your instrument in this text field.
• Fix Timing button. This button will adjust all the notes you perform to the nearest gridlines (see the “Fixing the Timing of All Notes in a MIDI Region” section).
• Zoom slider. This slider allows you to zoom in on the section of the region you want to edit.
• Display menu. This pop-up menu contains a list of the items you can display in the Track Editor.
• Transpose slider. This slider and text box allow you to input a value to which all your notes will be transposed (in other words, moved up or down in pitch).
• Velocity slider. When you have a note selected, you can adjust its velocity (MIDI note volume) using this slider.
You should also be familiar with the information contained in each rectangular note displayed in the Track Editor window.
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• Left edge. The left edge of a note indicates when the note starts in the Timeline.
• Note length. The length of the note indicates how long it is sustained.
• Right edge. The right edge indicates where in the Timeline the note stops. (For very soft notes, you might stop hearing the note before it stops playing.)
• Vertical position. The vertical position of the note indicates the note’s pitch in relation to the vertical keyboard on the left edge of the Track Editor window.
• Vertical keyboard. This small keyboard allows you to determine the pitch of a note in the Track Editor based on the note’s vertical position.
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Fixing the Timing of All Notes in a MIDI Region One of the most important reasons you might want to open a MIDI region in the Track Editor is to fix the timing of the notes in the region. GarageBand makes it very easy to fix the timing of an entire MIDI region.
1.
Click on the grid menu button. The grid menu will appear.
2. Click on the grid value to which you want the notes to snap.
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CAUTION Be careful choosing the grid value. You can adversely affect the timing of your MIDI region if you pick a grid value that is wrong for your performance! A good rule is to always pick a relatively fast note value, such as 1/16th or 1/32nd notes. These values might be too small to fix notes that are way out of time, but at least you reduce the risk of large changes destroying your performance.
3.
Click on the Fix Timing button. The notes in your MIDI region will be adjusted so their start points fall exactly on the grid value you chose.
NOTE If you play back your MIDI region and decide that you don’t like the newly fixed timing, you can select the Undo command from the Edit menu (or press COMMAND + Z) to revert to the region’s original timing.
Moving One or More Notes Often you will not want to align all of the notes in your MIDI region to a grid, but you will want to change the starting point of a note or group of notes.
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1.
Click and drag the zoom slider to the right to zoom in on the note or notes you want to move.
TIP Always zoom in on the section you want to edit. Editing MIDI in GarageBand is far more reliable at higher zoom magnifications. In other words, if you are trying to edit MIDI and it doesn’t seem to be working, try zooming in closer.
2a. Click on the note you want to move. It will glow green, and you will hear the note play. OR
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2b. Click and hold the mouse button and drag a selection box over the notes you want to move. The notes will all be selected. TIP You can also hold down the SHIFT key and click on multiple notes to select more than one note.
3.
Click on the left edge and drag your selection to the desired location. If you drag the selection vertically, you will hear the note play at the new pitch.
NOTE If your selection contains multiple notes, only the first note you selected will sound if the pitch of all the selected notes changes.
4.
Release the mouse button. Your selection will be moved to the new location.
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Resizing One or More Notes GarageBand also lets you lengthen or shorten notes in the Track Editor.
1a. Click on the note you want to resize. It will glow green, and you will hear the note play. OR
1b. Click and hold the mouse button and drag a selection box over the notes you want to resize. The notes will all be selected. TIP You can also hold down the SHIFT key and click on multiple notes to select more than one note.
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2.
Click on the right edge of the selection and drag the selection horizontally as desired.
NOTE If your selection contains multiple notes, all notes will be resized the same relative amount as the initial note that you resize.
3.
Release the mouse button. Your selection will be resized.
Drawing Notes in the Track Editor Using the Pencil Tool If, while editing, you decide your part needs another note or two, GarageBand allows you to draw them directly into your MIDI region using the Pencil Tool.
1.
Move the mouse pointer to the location on the grid where you want to add a note.
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2.
Press the COMMAND key on your Mac keyboard. The cursor will change to a pencil.
3.
Click the mouse button. A new note will appear. You can now move and resize this note using the methods described earlier in this chapter.
4.
Release the COMMAND key on your Mac keyboard.
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Editing MIDI Controller Messages Editing MIDI controller messages is a more advanced concept than editing notes. If you are not comfortable with MIDI yet, you can come back to this section later. Basically, if you use the modulation or pitch controller wheels on your MIDI controller—or a sustain pedal—GarageBand will allow you to edit the controller messages that it recorded. In the Track Editor, controller values are represented as vertical lines, and the points at which those values pivot are represented by control points. You can also add your own controller values without a MIDI controller.
Moving Control Points GarageBand makes moving existing control points very easy.
1.
Click on the Display pop-up menu. The Display menu will appear.
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2.
Click on the desired controller type. The Track Editor grid will display any existing values for that controller.
3.
Click and hold the mouse button on a control point. The point will be selected.
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4.
Drag the control point in any direction. The control point will move to the new location.
5.
Release the mouse button. The control point will be set.
Adding Control Points Adding control points is as easy as moving them.
1. Move the mouse pointer to the location on the grid where you want to add your control point.
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2.
Press the COMMAND key on your Mac keyboard. The cursor will change into a pencil.
3. Click the mouse button. A new control point will appear. You can now move the control point as you did in the previous section. 4.
Release the COMMAND key. The control point will be set.
6
Working with Real Instruments One of the coolest things about GarageBand is that if you sing or play an instrument, you can record your performance into a Real Instrument track. If your Macintosh doesn’t have a built-in audio input, or you want better sound than the built-in mini-jack audio input, you’ll need to buy an audio interface—a hardware device that you connect to your computer, into which you can plug microphones and musical instruments. The audio interface takes the sound produced by your voice or instrument and converts it into digital audio, which is a numeric representation of sound. That digital audio information is then recorded to GarageBand and stored on your hard drive. When you play back your song, your Macintosh or audio interface will convert that digital audio back into sound, and you will hear what you recorded along with the rest of your GarageBand song. In this chapter, you will learn how to: Create a Real Instrument track Record and play back Real Instrument performances Edit Real Instrument performances
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Creating a Real Instrument Track The first step in recording audio is to create a new Real Instrument track.
1.
Click on Track. The Track menu will appear.
2.
Click on New Track. The New Track dialog box will open.
TIP Alternatively, you can click on the Add Track button to bring up the New Track dialog box. You can also press COMMAND + OPTION + N to add a new track.
3.
Click on the Real Instrument tab. The track created in the Track List will become a Real Instrument track, and the New Track dialog box will switch to the Real Instrument options.
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4.
Click on the instrument group of the Real Instrument you want to add. Options for Real Instruments in that instrument group will appear in the list on the right.
5.
Click on the Real Instrument effect you want to add. The instrument icon will change to reflect the instrument you have chosen.
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NOTE Effects process the sound of the recorded audio in some way, such as by adding echo, reverberation, the sound of a distorted amplifier, and so on. Unlike Software Instruments, with which you chose the actual sound generator, with Real Instruments you choose what basic type of processing you want to add to the instrument or vocal performance. If you aren’t sure what sort of effects you want on your Real Instrument track, select the No Effects option at the top of each instrument group. You can always add effects later. You will explore GarageBand’s effects in more detail in Chapter 9, “Effects, Plug-Ins, and Software Instrument Parameters.”
6.
(Optional) If you want to choose a different instrument icon, click and hold on the instrument icon. A pop-up menu of instrument icons will appear.
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7. Select the desired icon. The icon you selected will be the icon for the instrument.
8.
Click on either the Mono or Stereo button, depending on the audio format of your track.
NOTE If you’re not sure what mono or stereo format means, look at how many cables you have connecting your microphone or instrument to your audio interface. If you have a single cable, choose the Mono button. If you have two cables, choose the Stereo button.
9.
Click on either the Off or On button, depending on whether you need software monitoring.
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NOTE GarageBand has the ability to route your recorded audio back through your audio interface and out to your speakers so you can hear what you are recording. This is called software monitoring. Because your sound has to go through a number of steps before it gets into GarageBand and back out to your speakers, there will be a delay between when you play something and when you hear it back. Because of this delay, you should turn off software monitoring if your audio interface has any sort of monitoring of its own (called hardware monitoring). Only turn on software monitoring if there is no other way to hear what you are recording.
10.
Click on the Input pop-up menu. The Input menu will appear.
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11.
Select the input (for mono format) or inputs (for stereo format) of the audio interface into which your microphone or instrument is plugged.
12.
Click on OK. Your new Real Instrument track will be added to the Track List.
NOTE Notice that the Real Instrument track you created is blue, and the Software Instrument tracks you created in the previous chapter were green. This is one way you can quickly tell whether a track contains a Real Instrument or a Software Instrument.
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Recording Real Instrument Performances Now that you have created a Real Instrument track, you can record onto it. You can either record straight through your entire song, or you can choose a small section to cycle over and over again.
Recording a Real Instrument Performance The first thing you’ll probably want to do is record yourself playing a song, so we’ll start by recording a Real Instrument performance.
1.
Click on the Real Instrument track you want to play. The track will be selected.
2.
Click on Control. The Control menu will appear.
3.
Click on Count In. A check mark will appear in front of the command. This means that GarageBand will now give you a one-measure count in when you click on the record button.
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4.
Click on the record button. You will hear the metronome counting you in.
5. Play your instrument. The playhead will advance across the Timeline. You will see a purple audio region created as you perform.
6.
Click on the record button when you are finished recording. The Real Instrument track will stop recording, but playback will continue. You will see the purple audio region fill in with the digital audio waveform that you just recorded.
TIP If you want to stop recording and playback at the same time, you can skip Step 6 and go directly to Step 7. You can also press the R key on your keyboard to toggle recording on and off.
7.
Click on the play button when you want playback to stop. The playhead will stop moving.
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TIP You can also press the spacebar on your keyboard to toggle the play function.
NOTE You don’t have to start recording at the beginning of the song. If you want to start recording at some measure other than measure one, simply move the playhead to the desired measure, and then click on the record button.
Cycle Recording Using a Real Instrument Just as you did with Software Instrument tracks, you can use cycle recording when you are recording Real Instrument tracks. However, cycle recording on Real Instruments is significantly different than cycle recording on Software Instrument tracks. Whereas normal recording records from the moment you click on record until the end of the song, recording Real Instruments in cycle mode allows you to record only inside a specific section of a song. (Audio engineers call this a punch-in recording.) Unlike cycle recording in Software Instrument tracks, in Real Instrument tracks you cannot build up regions by recording multiple passes.
1.
Click on the Real Instrument track that you want to cycle record. The track will be selected.
2. Click on the cycle button. The cycle region ruler will appear below the time ruler.
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TIP You can also press the C key to toggle cycle mode on and off.
3.
Click and hold on the right edge of the yellow cycle region in the cycle region ruler. The cursor will turn into a bar with arrows on either side.
4.
Drag the cycle region to the desired measure. The cycle region will extend to the measure you selected.
5. Release the mouse button. The cycle region will be set. 6.
Repeat Steps 3 through 5 for the left edge if you want to adjust both the start and end points of the cycle region. When you are satisfied with the cycle region, move on to Step 7.
TIP If you want to move the entire cycle region to a different location in the song, you can click and hold the mouse button in the middle of the cycle region, and then drag it to a new location.
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7.
Click on Control. The Control menu will appear.
8.
Click on Count In. A check mark will appear in front of the command. This means that GarageBand will now give you a one-measure count in when you click on the record button.
NOTE If you already have turned on Count In once, you don’t need to do it again. You will see the check mark in front of Count In, indicating that it is turned on until you choose to turn it off. You can skip directly from Step 6 to Step 9.
9.
Click on the record button. An empty audio region the length of the cycle region will be created.
NOTE Recording will begin at the current location of the playhead, so make sure the playhead is at the beginning of your song if you want to record from the beginning.
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10. Play your instrument. The playhead will advance across the Timeline until the end of the cycle region, recording what you play. When it reaches the end of the cycle region, the digital audio waveform will appear in the audio region, and you will hear what you have just recorded. 11.
Click on the record button when you are finished recording. The Real Instrument will stop recording, but playback will continue.
12.
Click on the play button when you want playback to stop. The playhead will stop moving.
13.
Click on the cycle button to turn off cycle mode.
Playing Back Your Real Instrument Performance Playing back performances you record in GarageBand is very straightforward. The only real setup requirement is that you set the endpoint of the song.
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1.
Click on the position slider of the Timeline scroll bar.
2.
Drag the slider until you reach the purple end-of-song marker.
TIP You can also click on the right horizontal scroll arrow to scroll to the end-of-song marker. Alternatively, you can press the END key on your Apple Pro keyboard (if you have one) to jump directly to the purple endof-song marker.
3.
Click on the end-of-song marker. The marker will be selected.
4.
Drag the end-of-song marker to the right edge of your longest MIDI region.
NOTE GarageBand doesn’t like its end-of-song marker to be dragged to a measure number less than 32. If your performance is less than 32 measures, you might find that your song has to be at least 32 measures long. Most of the time, GarageBand will not let you make your song less than 32 measures.
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5.
Click on the return to song start button. The playhead will return to the beginning of the song.
TIP You can also press the Z key to return the playhead to the beginning of the song.
6.
Click on the play button. Your song will play until the endof-song marker.
NOTE You can stop playback at any time by clicking the play button (or pressing the spacebar) again. You can return to the start of the song at any time by clicking on the return to song start button again (or pressing the Z key).
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Editing Real Instrument Regions Recording real instruments digitally has major advantages over recording on tape. The fidelity of digital recording is better than all but the most expensive professional reel-to-reel multitrack tape recorders. And what’s really exciting is that editing digital recordings only requires a computer, instead of a razor blade and splicing tape! As basic as GarageBand is, it still offers you some powerful ways to edit your digital audio waveform— the digital recording of your audio.
Opening an Audio Region in the Editor Before you can do any audio region editing, you must open the region in the Editor.
1.
Click on the audio region you want to edit. The selected region will appear brighter than the unselected regions.
2a.
Click on the Track Editor button. The Track Editor will open in the bottom third of the GarageBand interface. OR
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2b.
Click on Control. The Control menu will appear.
3.
Click on Show Editor. The Track Editor will open in the bottom third of the GarageBand interface.
TIP Once you have selected an audio region, you can also press COMMAND + E to open the Track Editor. Alternatively, you can double-click on an audio region to both select and open the Track Editor in a single step.
Exploring the Editor with an Audio Region Open Before you learn how to use the Editor, you should become familiar with its components and what it shows you.
• Track Name field. The name of your track is displayed here. You can also type a new name for your instrument in this text field.
• Zoom slider. Use this slider to zoom in on the section of the region you want to edit.
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• Transpose slider. The transpose slider is only active if your audio region is an Apple Loop. I will discuss Apple Loops in Chapter 7, “Working with Apple Loops.”
• Waveform display. This display shows you what the digital audio waveform of your recording looks like. The most important things for you to notice are where the signal looks loud (takes up most of the window) and where it looks quiet (doesn’t extend too far from the center of the window).
Erasing Audio in the Editor You can use the waveform view to zoom in very closely to your waveform and erase a section that you don’t like (or erase background noise, and so on).
1. Click on Control. The Control menu will appear.
2. Click on Snap to Grid. The check mark will disappear in front of the command. This means that GarageBand will allow you to select a piece of audio that is smaller than the grid divisions.
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TIP You can press COMMAND + G to toggle Snap to Grid on and off instead of following Steps 1 and 2.
NOTE If the section of audio you want to erase happens to be the same as one grid step, you do not need to turn off Snap to Grid. However, you will find that turning it off will give you far more freedom in what you can select.
3. Click and drag the zoom slider to zoom in on your audio region.
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4.
Move the cursor to the beginning of the piece of audio you want to erase. The cursor will turn into a crosshair.
5.
Click and drag on the piece of audio you want to erase.
6.
Release the mouse button. The piece of audio will be selected.
7.
Click on Edit. The Edit menu will appear.
8.
Click on Delete.
TIP You can also press the DELETE key on your keyboard instead performing Steps 7 and 8.
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9.
Confirm that the piece of audio you selected is now deleted. The waveform in the Editor and the audio region in the Arrange window should reflect your edit.
TIP If you turned off Snap to Grid, be sure to turn it back on if you think you might need it again for editing or arranging!
Moving Audio Regions in the Editor Normally, moving audio regions is done in the Arrange window, as you will learn in Chapter 8, “Arranging Your Song.” However, if you want to move an audio region with finer precision than the Arrange window offers, you can use the Editor.
1. Click and drag the zoom slider to zoom in on your audio region. 2.
Move the cursor to the beginning of the audio region you want to move. The cursor will turn into a bar with left and right arrows.
3.
Click on the edge of the audio region you want to move and drag the mouse as far left or right as you want to move the audio region. The waveform will move as you drag.
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4.
Release the mouse button. The audio region will be moved. This will be reflected in both the Editor and the Arrange window.
Looping Audio Regions in the Editor Normally, looping (creating repeating copies of) audio regions is done in the Arrange window, as you will learn in Chapter 8. However, if you want to loop an audio region with finer precision than the Arrange window offers, you can use the Editor.
1.
Click and drag the zoom slider to zoom in on your audio region.
2.
Move the cursor to the beginning audio region you want to loop. The cursor will turn into a bar with a circular arrow (a loop) to the right of it.
3.
Click on the edge of the audio region you want to loop and drag the mouse as far left or right as you want to loop the audio region. The waveform will extend as you drag.
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4. Release the mouse button. The audio region will be looped to the release point. This will be reflected in both the Editor and the Arrange window.
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7
Working with Apple Loops So you want to create a complete song, but you don’t know how to play every instrument? Apple Loops are here for you! An Apple Loop is a short piece of music that you can add to your song. It can be either notes for a Software Instrument track or a piece of audio that you can use on a Real Instrument track. In many cases, an Apple Loop includes both MIDI (for a Software Instrument track) and audio (for a Real Instrument track). Not only that, but Apple Loops will automatically play back in the proper key and tempo of your song. Finally, Apple Loops also instantly bring up the proper Software Instruments and effects so you don’t have to do it manually. In this chapter, you will learn how to: Browse through your Apple Loops Add an Apple Loop to your song Transpose an Apple Loop Add new Apple Loops to GarageBand
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Browsing Apple Loops GarageBand makes it easy to locate and audition (preview) Apple Loops so you can choose the right one. There are a number of different ways to browse your Apple Loop library, depending on your personal preferences.
Opening the Loop Browser Before you can browse and audition your Apple Loops, you need to open the Loop Browser.
1.
Click on Control. The Control menu will appear.
2.
Click on Show Loop Browser. The Loop Browser will appear.
TIP Alternatively, you can click on the Loop Browser button to display the Loop Browser. You can also press COMMAND + L to show or hide the Loop Browser.
Exploring the Loop Browser The Loop Browser has two modes—Button view and Column view. The following sections explain how to browse your Apple Loops in each mode. However, first you should be familiar with four common elements in the Loop Browser.
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• View buttons. Click on these buttons to select Button view or Column view when you are browsing loops.
• Scale menu. This pop-up menu allows you to search for Apple Loops by scale.
• Text Search window. You can search for Apple Loops by typing a keyword here.
• Volume slider. You can use this slider to adjust the volume at which you audition Apple Loops. You should also be familiar with the information presented in the results list for each Apple Loop.
• Type. This column will display a musical note if the Apple Loop is a Software Instrument loop or an audio waveform graphic if the Apple Loop is a Real Instrument (audio) loop.
• Name. This column contains the name of the Apple Loop.
• Tempo. This column contains the original tempo of the Apple Loop.
• Favorites. A check mark in this box will select an Apple Loop for inclusion in your list of Apple Loop favorites.
• Beats. This column lets you know how many beats the Apple Loop is.
• Key. This column displays the key at which the Apple Loop was originally performed.
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Browsing Loops in Button View The first browsing view I’ll explain is Button view.
1.
Click on the Button View button. If the Loop Browser is not already in Button view, it will switch to Button view.
2.
Click on the button for the musical instrument for which you are searching. Apple Loops will appear in the results list. Only those buttons relevant to your selection will remain available.
3.
Click on the button for the musical style that you want for your instrument. The Apple Loops in the results list will conform to your selection. Only those buttons relevant to your selection will remain available.
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4. Click on any remaining buttons that are available to further narrow down your selection. The options will be selected.
5.
Click on an Apple Loop in the results list. The Loop will play repeatedly at the current song tempo and key. This is called auditioning an Apple Loop.
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CAUTION If the Apple Loop you audition has a different tempo and/or key in its Tempo and Key columns than the tempo and key of your song, the Apple Loop might not sound as it was intended. This is neither good nor bad—you might prefer the Apple Loop at the tempo of your song, for example. But be aware that if you want to audition an Apple Loop as it was originally meant to be used, you need to match the tempo and key of your song to the tempo and key of the Loop. Tempo and key matching is more of an issue for Real Instrument Apple Loops than Software Instrument Apple Loops. It’s easier for GarageBand to perfectly match MIDI notes to your song’s tempo and key than pre-recorded audio.
TIP If your song is currently playing when you click on an Apple Loop to audition, both the song and the Apple Loop will play. GarageBand starts auditioning Apple Loops in sync with the current song position. This is an excellent way to hear how a loop will sound at a given song position. If you are auditioning entire Apple Loops, you will want to have the song playing as you audition your Loop. However, this might end up sounding pretty jumbled if you’re auditioning a number of loops one after the other. You might want to make sure the song itself isn’t playing when you audition many Apple Loops quickly, one after the other. If you want to stop playback of the selected Loop, simply click on the Loop again.
6.
Click in the Favorites check box if you want to save this Loop among your Favorites. Later, if you want to use one of the Apple Loops you saved to your Favorites, you can recall it by using the Favorites button.
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7. Repeat Steps 5 and 6 for as many Apple Loops as you want to audition.
Browsing Loops in Column View If you prefer to browse your Apple Loop collection in a more “explorer” or list-view style of interface, you can choose Column view.
1.
Click on the Column View button. If the Loop Browser is not already in Column view, it will switch to Column view.
2. Click on the entry in the Loops column for the type of Loop you want to find. The Category column will fill with the Loop categories that match your selection. (This will include instrument categories if you chose By Instrument, genre categories if you chose By Genres, and so on.)
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3. Click on the entry in the category column that you want for your Loop. The Keyword column will fill with Apple Loop libraries that conform to your selection.
4.
Click on the entry in the instrument column to select those instruments. The selected instruments will appear in the results list.
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5.
Click on an Apple Loop in the results list. The Loop will play repeatedly at the current song tempo and key. This is called auditioning an Apple Loop.
6.
Click in the Favorites check box if you want to save this Loop among your Favorites. You can later recall the Apple Loop from the Favorites category.
7.
Repeat Steps 5 and 6 for as many Apple Loops as you want to audition.
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Refining Results by Keyword You can enter a keyword in either Button view or Column view to further refine your results.
1.
Type a keyword for your Apple Loop search.
2. Press the RETURN key. The remaining Apple Loops in the results list will all contain the keyword you entered.
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3. Click on an Apple Loop in the results list. The Loop will play repeatedly at the current song tempo and key. 4.
Click in the Favorites check box if you want to save this Loop among your Favorites. You can later recall the Apple Loop from the Favorites category.
5.
Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for as many Apple Loops as you want to audition.
6.
(Optional) Click on the Cancel button in the search box if you want to return to the complete results list.
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Refining Results by Scale Apple Loops will automatically conform to the key of your song. However, if the Apple Loop has to change its key to fit your song, it might sound and feel different than it did in its original key. One way to reduce this effect is to stick to Apple Loops that have the same scale type (major, minor, and so on) as your song.
1.
Click on the Scale pop-up menu. The menu will appear.
2. Click on the scale type of your song. The results list will now only contain Apple Loops that match the scale type you selected.
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3. Click on an Apple Loop in the results list. The Loop will play repeatedly at the current song tempo and key. 4.
Click in the Favorites check box if you want to save this Loop among your Favorites. You can later recall the Apple Loop from the Favorites category.
5.
Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for as many Apple Loops as you want to audition.
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Adding an Apple Loop to Your Song After you audition the Apple Loops you want in your song, you’ll no doubt want to add them. GarageBand makes this very easy.
Adding an Apple Loop without a Previously Created Track If you want to add an Apple Loop to your song, you don’t need to create a track or do any preparation.
1. Click and hold the mouse button on the Apple Loop you want to add to your song.
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2.
Drag the Apple Loop to an empty area of the Timeline at which you want your Apple Loop to start (below all the existing tracks in your song).
3.
Release the mouse button. GarageBand will place your Apple Loop on the Timeline and automatically create the proper type of track (Software Instrument or Real Instrument) for the Apple Loop.
4.
Click on the play button. You will hear your Apple Loop as part of your song.
NOTE If the playhead is past the bar at which you added your Apple Loop, you might need to rewind the playhead first.
TIP If you want to stop playback, you can click on the play button again. You can also press the spacebar to start and stop playback.
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Adding an Apple Loop to a Previously Created Track Sometimes you might want to create a track in advance for your Apple Loop. You can easily add an Apple Loop to an existing track.
Adding an Apple Loop to an Empty Real Instrument Track You can add either a Real Instrument (blue) or a Software Instrument (green) Apple Loop to an empty Real Instrument track.
1.
Create a Real Instrument track as described in Chapter 6.
2.
Click and hold the mouse button on the Apple Loop you want to add to your song.
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3.
Drag the Apple Loop to an area of the Timeline inside the track lane of the empty Real Instrument track.
4.
Release the mouse button. GarageBand will place your Apple Loop on the Real Instrument track. You will see its audio region in the track lane for that track.
5.
Click on the play button. You will hear your Apple Loop as part of your song.
NOTE Keep in mind that if you drag a Software Instrument Apple Loop onto a Real Instrument track, the Apple Loop will turn into an audio waveform just like a Real Instrument Apple Loop. This means that the Apple Loop will lose a Software Instrument’s special features, such as the ability to MIDI edit its notes and change its Software Instrument. However, the Apple Loop will still play at the proper tempo and transpose to the proper key of your song.
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Adding an Apple Loop to an Empty Software Instrument Track You can also add a Software Instrument Apple Loop to a previously created Software Instrument track.
1.
Create a Software Instrument track as described in Chapter 5.
2.
Click and hold the mouse button on the Apple Loop you want to add to your song.
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3.
Drag the Apple Loop to an area of the Timeline inside the track lane of the empty Software Instrument track.
4.
Release the mouse button. GarageBand will place your Apple Loop on the Software Instrument track. You will see its MIDI region in the track lane for that track.
5.
Click on the play button. You will hear your Apple Loop as part of your song.
NOTE Software Instrument tracks can only accept Software Instrument Apple Loops. However, Software Instrument Apple Loops contain both MIDI and audio information and can be used on both Software and Real Instrument tracks. Real Instrument (blue) Apple Loops only contain audio.
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Adding an Apple Loop to an Existing Track Finally, you might want to add an Apple Loop to a track that already has material on it. You can add an Apple Loop to a track with other Apple Loops, Software Instrument performances, or Real Instrument performances.
1.
Click and hold the mouse button on the Apple Loop you want to add to your song.
2.
Drag the Apple Loop to an area of the track lane before or after the existing regions on that track.
CAUTION Do not overlap your Apple Loop onto existing regions! GarageBand doesn’t allow regions to overlap; any portion of a region that ends up underneath your Apple Loop will be deleted.
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3.
Release the mouse button. GarageBand will place your Apple Loop on the track at the location you have specified. The Apple Loop’s region will display either its audio waveform or MIDI notes, depending on whether it was added to a Real Instrument track or a Software Instrument track.
NOTE When you are adding an Apple Loop to a Real Instrument track, you can add either a Real Instrument Apple Loop or a Software Instrument Apple Loop. Both loops contain audio data. When you are adding an Apple Loop to a Software Instrument track, you can only add a Software Instrument Apple Loop. Real Instrument loops do not contain MIDI data.
4.
Click on the play button. You will hear your Apple Loop as part of your song.
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Transposing an Apple Loop Because Apple Loops are pre-recorded and pre-performed professional music clips, they do not require any additional editing or manipulation. However, you might want to edit or manipulate the Apple Loop. You can edit Apple Loops just as you would any other MIDI or audio region. And with Real Instrument Apple Loops, you have an additional option: You can transpose (change the tuning) of your Apple Loop. Your Apple Loop will be in tune with your song, of course, but you might want to alter the tuning by a certain number of semitones, or half-note steps, in order to change its sound. This is very easy to do.
CAUTION Transposing MIDI note Apple Loops only changes MIDI note positions. This does not alter the sound of the Apple Loop at all. Transposing audio Apple Loops, however, requires processing the pre-recorded audio. This can result in an unnatural-sounding Apple Loop. If you transpose an audio Apple Loop and it doesn’t sound good to you, try using a Software Instrument Apple Loop.
1.
Click on the Real Instrument Apple Loop you want to transpose. The Apple Loop will be selected.
2.
Click on Control. The Control menu will appear.
3.
Click on Show Editor. The Track Editor will appear.
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NOTE Alternatively, you can click on the Editor button to open the Track Editor. You can also press COMMAND + E to accomplish this task.
4.
Click and drag the Transpose slider left or right to transpose your Apple Loop. The number in the text box will display how many semi-tones up or down you have transposed your Loop. Your Apple Loop will be transposed to that value.
NOTE You can transpose your Apple Loop up to one octave higher (a value of +12) or one octave lower (a value of -12) in one semi-tone step.
TIP If you know exactly how many semi-tones you want to transpose your Apple Loop, you can type the number directly into the text field.
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Adding Apple Loops to GarageBand You are not limited to using only the Apple Loops that were included with GarageBand. There are companies that sell CDs of Apple Loops, and you can find free Apple Loops on the Internet as well. Adding new Apple Loops to GarageBand is as easy as adding songs to iTunes!
1.
Confirm that the folder or disk containing the Apple Loops you want to add to GarageBand is visible on the desktop.
2.
Click on Control. The Control menu will appear.
3.
Click on Loop Browser. The Loop Browser will appear.
NOTE Alternatively, you can click on the Loop Browser button to open the Loop Browser. You can also press COMMAND + L to accomplish the task.
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4. Click on the Apple Loop folder on your desktop (or on the disk that is mounted on the desktop). The folder or disk will be selected.
5.
Drag the Apple Loop folder onto the right side of the Loop Browser. The contents of the folder will be copied to your Apple Loops folder, and GarageBand will index the new Apple Loops.
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6.
Confirm that your Apple Loops have been added to the Loop Browser by browsing for them using the methods described in this chapter.
8
Arranging Your Song With the help of the previous chapters, you’ve added up all the pieces. Your GarageBand project has Software Instrument performances, Real Instrument performances, and Apple Loops. Now its time to turn this project into a complete song! Just like you can arrange words using a word processor, you can rearrange the different regions on your tracks in GarageBand. You can select specific passages you want to repeat, move regions around, create new regions from existing regions, remove regions, and so on. In other words, you can completely reorganize your song and explore new arrangements! As you’ll find, GarageBand makes all this as easy and intuitive as possible. In this chapter, you will learn how to: Use the Timeline grid Adjust the Timeline horizontal zoom Split, join, move, and loop regions Cut, copy, and paste regions Use a track’s mixer functions while arranging
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Using the Timeline Grid When you move regions around on the Timeline, if you’re not careful, you could misalign the regions just enough to make your entire song sound out of sync or otherwise ruin its feel. To make sure your various tracks all line up properly, GarageBand offers a grid in the Timeline so that your regions will automatically align with the beat ruler at whatever value you set. The grid is an invaluable aid when you are arranging a song, and I would highly recommend keeping it on at all times.
Turning the Grid On and Off When you are arranging, you will almost always want your regions to snap to the grid value, but you can easily toggle this feature on and off.
1.
Click on Control. The Control menu will appear.
2. Click on Snap to Grid. A check will appear next to the Snap to Grid command, indicating that the option is selected. TIP You can also press COMMAND + G to toggle Snap to Grid on and off.
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Setting the Timeline Grid Value By default, the Timeline grid is usually set to Automatic (which tries to pick the most relevant grid value for your song), and either quarter notes, eighth notes, or sixteenth notes. These are very common and useful bar divisions in popular music, and GarageBand selects them based on how many notes you have in each bar in your various regions on the Timeline, as well as the current zoom setting. If you want fewer snap divisions inside each bar, you can reduce the grid values by selecting longer notes. If you want more snap divisions, you can increase the grid value by choosing shorter notes. If you want your grid to snap to triplets (in which there are three counts for each division in the bar), you can choose a fraction in the triplets section of the grid value menu. If you want to set your grid to snap with a swing (a more delayed groove than directly on the beat), you can chose a fraction in the swing section.
1.
Click on the Timeline Grid button. The Timeline Grid menu will appear.
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2. Click on the note value that you want to be the grid value. All regions that you move will snap to the nearest point that falls on the selected grid value. NOTE Make sure that Snap to Grid is turned on, or your regions will not snap to any grid value!
Adjusting the Timeline Horizontal Zoom The next few sections discuss actions that you can do with regions on the Timeline. However, you might feel that the current horizontal zoom doesn’t allow you enough room to perform precise actions, or you might want to change the zoom so the automatic snap value can change to a smaller amount. Either way, adjusting the Timeline zoom is very easy.
1.
Click and hold on the zoom slider.
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2. Drag the slider right or left to increase or decrease the current horizontal zoom level of the Timeline. 3.
Release the mouse button. The horizontal zoom will be adjusted and the bar ruler in the Timeline will reflect the new zoom level.
Splitting Regions If you record a performance, it will appear on the Timeline as one large region. If you want to manipulate only a portion of that region—for example, if you want to grab one section to be the chorus of your song—you will need to split the region.
1a.
Click on the region you want to split. OR
1b.
Click and drag on the Timeline over the multiple regions you want to split. The regions over which you dragged will all be selected.
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TIP When you are selecting more than one region to split, you can also hold down the SHIFT key and click on each individual region.
2.
Click and hold the mouse button on the playhead.
3.
Drag the playhead to the location on the Timeline at which you want to split your region(s).
TIP If you already know exactly where you want to place the playhead, you can click the mouse in the beat ruler at that location, and the playhead will instantly appear there.
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Click on Edit. The Edit menu will appear.
5.
Click on Split.
TIP You can bypass Steps 4 and 5 by pressing COMMAND + T to split regions at the playhead location.
The region(s) will be split where the playhead crosses them.
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Joining Regions Just as you can split regions, you can also join two adjacent regions into a single region. However, unlike splitting, which can be done to regions on different tracks at the same time, you can only join regions on the same track—although you can join more than two regions into one single region if they are all on the same track. But it’s important to note that you can’t join regions from Real Instrument Apple Loops.
1.
Click and hold the mouse button on the Timeline near the multiple regions you want to join.
2.
Drag the mouse over the regions you want to join.
3.
Release the mouse button. The regions over which you dragged will all be selected.
4.
Click on Edit. The Edit menu will appear.
5.
Click on Join Selected.
TIP You can also press COMMAND + J to join the regions at the playhead location, bypassing Steps 4 and 5.
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The selected regions will be joined in a single region.
Moving Regions Moving regions in GarageBand couldn’t be more simple and straightforward.
1.
Click and hold the mouse button on the Timeline near the multiple regions you want to move.
2.
Drag the mouse over the regions you want to move.
3.
Release the mouse button. The regions over which you dragged will all be selected.
4.
Click and hold the mouse button on one of the selected regions.
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5.
Drag the region(s) to the new location.
6.
Release the mouse button. The region(s) will be moved to the new location.
TIP You can move a single region by simply clicking and holding the region you want to move, and then dragging it to the new location.
NOTE Although you won’t normally want to do this, you can also move regions vertically between tracks. However, you can only move audio regions to Real Instrument tracks and MIDI regions to Software Instrument tracks.
Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Regions Cut, copy, and paste are probably the most universal and widely understood computer editing features. And they work just how you’d expect in GarageBand.
Cutting and Pasting Regions In GarageBand terms, cutting involves removing a region from its current location and placing it on your Mac’s Clipboard. This internally stores the region and removes it from your Timeline. Pasting means depositing that region at the current playhead location.
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1.
Select the region(s) you want to cut. The region(s) will be selected.
2.
Click on Edit. The Edit menu will appear.
3.
Click on Cut. The region(s) you have selected will be removed from the Timeline.
TIP You can also press COMMAND + X to cut selected regions, skipping Steps 2 and 3.
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CAUTION It is sometimes tempting to use the Cut command to erase one or more regions. I strongly discourage you from getting in this habit. Because Cut replaces the current contents of the Mac’s Clipboard, you might not only erase the region(s), but you might also remove a region from the Clipboard that you wanted to keep there! If you want to erase one or more regions, use the Delete command in the Edit menu or press the DELETE key on your keyboard.
4.
Click and hold the mouse button on the playhead. The playhead will be selected.
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5. Drag the playhead to the location on the Timeline at which you want to paste your region(s). TIP If you already know exactly where you want to place the playhead, you can click on the location in the beat ruler, and the playhead will instantly appear there. This action would replace Steps 4 and 5.
6.
Click on Edit. The Edit menu will appear.
7.
Click on Paste.
TIP You can press COMMAND + V to paste your regions, bypassing Steps 6 and 7.
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The region(s) you cut will be returned to the Timeline, on the same track from which they were cut, beginning at the playhead. The playhead will be located after the pasted region(s).
Copying and Pasting Regions Like cutting, copying places the selected region or regions onto the Clipboard. Unlike cutting, however, copying leaves the region that you copied on the Timeline. This is very useful when you want to add a region to another location on the Timeline by using Paste, but you don’t want to remove the original region.
1.
Select the region(s) you want to copy. The region(s) will be selected.
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Click on Edit. The Edit menu will appear.
3.
Click on Copy. The region(s) you have selected will be added to the Clipboard.
TIP You can also press COMMAND + C to copy selected regions, skipping Steps 2 and 3.
4.
Click and hold the mouse button on the playhead. The playhead will be selected.
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5.
Drag the playhead to the location on the Timeline at which you want to paste your region(s).
6.
Click on Edit. The Edit menu will appear.
7.
Click on Paste.
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The region(s) you copied will be added to the Timeline, on the same track from which they were copied, beginning at the playhead. The playhead will be located after the pasted region(s).
Looping Regions These days, much popular music consists of looping, meaning taking a musical pattern or riff and repeating it over and over again. You explored Apple Loops in the last chapter, and although these short musical performances definitely lend themselves to looping, you can loop any region or any length that you want. And GarageBand makes looping as easy as can be!
1.
Select the region(s) you want to loop. The region(s) will be selected.
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NOTE You can select more than one loop in the same track, but only the rightmost one will actually loop. Therefore, you should limit your looping selections to multiple vertical regions.
2.
Move the mouse to the right edge of the region(s) to be looped. The cursor will change to a circular arrow next to a bar.
CAUTION Be absolutely sure you see the loop cursor described in Step 2. The cursor may change to the resize cursor (which I describe in the next sub-section) in addition to the loop cursor, and it’s very easy to mistake the two if you aren’t careful.
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3. Click on the region(s) and drag them as far right as you want them to loop. You will see the region(s) duplicate as many times as can fit in the distance you have moved the cursor. 4.
Release the mouse button. The region(s) will be looped successfully.
Resizing Regions You can choose to shorten or lengthen regions, in addition to looping them. This is useful if you want a region to last a different number of measures than its current length. Or perhaps you want to loop a smaller version of a region; you can resize the region to the exact length you want, and then loop it.
1.
Select the region(s) you want to resize. The region(s) will be selected.
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CAUTION You cannot resize regions that are actually loops. You can easily tell a loop from a region because loops have no boundaries on their left side and no text with a region name. If you select more than one region, you must be able to resize all of them. If any of the regions selected are loops that cannot be resized, you will be unable to resize the entire selection.
NOTE You cannot resize a Real Instrument region beyond its original length because there was no audio recorded past the original end of the region. On the other hand, you can resize a Software Instrument region beyond its original length because MIDI regions are simply “containers” for MIDI notes, and you can always use the Pencil Tool to add more notes to the region in the Editor.
2.
Move the mouse to the right or left edge of the region(s) to be resized. The cursor will change to a bar with an arrow pointing away from the region.
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CAUTION If you are resizing from the right edge of one or more regions, be absolutely sure you see the resize cursor described in Step 2. The cursor might change to the loop cursor in addition to the resize cursor, and it’s very easy to mistake the two if you aren’t careful. Because you can only loop from the right edge, if you are resizing from the left edge you don’t need to worry about the cursor becoming a loop cursor.
3.
Click on the region(s) and drag them to the right or left, depending on whether you are lengthening or shortening them. The region(s) will be resized based on the distance you have moved the cursor.
4.
Release the mouse button. The regions will be resized successfully.
Using Track Mixer Functions While Arranging While you are moving, looping, resizing, cutting, and pasting tracks, you might want to hear—or not hear—different tracks or combinations of tracks. Each track offers you some basic ways to control playback for it.
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Muting a Track If you want one or more of the tracks in the Track List to not play, you can mute the track(s).
1.
Click on the Mute button for the track. The regions on the track will be grayed out, and when you play your song, this track will remain silent.
Soloing a Track If you only want to hear specific tracks in the Track List, you can solo the track(s).
1. Click on the Solo button for the track. The regions on every non-soloed track will be grayed out, and when you play your song, you will hear only the soloed track (or tracks).
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Panning a Track When you are arranging your song, it might help you to hear tracks at different positions in the stereo field. GarageBand allows you to do this by panning, or adjusting the track’s location in the stereo panorama.
1. Click and hold the mouse button on the Pan knob. The knob will be selected.
2. Drag the Pan knob up to pan your track to the right or down to pan your track to the left. 3.
Release the mouse button. The track will be panned to the direction you chose.
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Adjusting the Volume of a Track You might want one track to be louder or softer while you are arranging your tracks.
1. Click and hold the mouse button on the volume slider.
2.
Drag the volume slider right or left, depending on whether you want to raise or lower the track’s volume.
3.
Release the mouse button. The track will play back at the volume level you set.
9
Effects, Plug-Ins, and Software Instrument Parameters When you have all the parts to your song where you want them, you can polish and alter the sound of each track with effects—different processors that alter the sound of your audio or Software Instrument. GarageBand offers you a selection of high-quality effects you can use to process your tracks. If the included effects aren’t enough, you can install third-party effects, called plug-ins, and use them as well. In fact, Software Instruments are technically just another form of plug-in, so you can switch them and adjust their parameters just like you can for any other effect or plug-in. In this chapter, you will learn how to: Access the effects on each track Add and remove effects Adjust GarageBand Software Instrument parameters Adjust GarageBand effect parameters Use third-party effect plug-ins
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Accessing a Track’s Effects Each track contains a number of effects. The effects that are turned on and how they are initially configured depends in large part on the instrument type you initially chose for your track. You can, however, adjust the parameters of all effects on any track at any time. You access effects through the Track Info window.
1.
Click on the name of the track. The track will be selected.
2.
Click on Track. The Track menu will appear.
3. Click on Show Track Info. The Track Info window will appear. TIP You can also press COMMAND + I to access the Track Info window for the selected track, bypassing Steps 2 and 3. Alternatively, you can double-click on a track to access its Track Info window.
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4.
Click on the Details triangle.
The Track Info window will expand to reveal all the track’s effects.
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Adding and Removing Effects Many of the effects on each track—such as the Compressor, Equalizer, Echo, Reverb, and Gate if it is a Real Instrument track—are permanently included in every track. However, you can choose whether you want to use them. Each track also has two slots for you to add additional effects.
Turning Effects On and Off Turning on or off the GarageBand effects couldn’t be easier.
1. Click on the effect’s check box. If the effect was turned off, a check mark will appear and the effect will be turned on. If the effect was turned on, the check mark will disappear and the effect will be turned off. CAUTION Keep in mind that turning off an effect might change the sound of your track!
Selecting an Effect for an Effects Slot In addition to the standard effects on each track, you can add an effect of your choice into each of the two effects slots. If the type of track you created already has one or more effects created in those slots, you can change these effects to any other included effect.
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1. Click on the pop-up menu for one of the effects slots. The menu will appear.
2. Click on the effect of your choice.
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The effect will be selected and turned on.
Removing an Effect from an Effects Slot If you want to completely remove an effect from an effects slot (usually to free up the slot for another effect), the procedure is much like adding an effect.
1.
Click on the pop-up menu for the effect you want to remove. The menu will appear.
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Click on None.
The effects slot will be empty.
CAUTION Keep in mind that adding or removing an effect might drastically change the sound of your track!
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Changing the Software Instrument Generator Technically, the Software Instruments included in GarageBand are very similar to effects and plug-ins. This means that they fit into slots just like effects do, and you can switch them around in exactly the same way.
1.
Click on the Generator pop-up menu. The available Software Instruments will appear.
2.
Click on the Software Instrument of your choice.
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The Software Instrument will be switched to the Instrument you have chosen.
CAUTION Keep in mind that switching Software Instruments will drastically change the sound of your track!
Adjusting Software Instrument and Effect Parameters As you get deeper into creating music with GarageBand, you might feel that the exact tone of a particular Software Instrument is not exactly what you are looking for. Lucky for you, each Software Instrument has one or more parameters that can alter its sound. Some instrument parameters change the instrument’s sound subtly, while others change the sound drastically. Each of the Software Instruments also has presets—or factory-programmed parameter settings—that are previously set (hence the name “preset”) for you to call up instantly. Like Software Instruments, effects have the same style of parameter control and preset menu, so this information is applicable to effects as well.
Accessing Software Instrument and Effect Parameters Each Software Instrument and almost every effect has its own edit window in which you can access its parameters.
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1.
Click on the Edit Parameter button.
The Software Instrument parameter dialog box will open.
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Adjusting Software Instrument and Effect Parameter Sliders You can use horizontal sliders to adjust the parameters for all Software Instruments and effects.
1.
Click and hold the mouse button on the slider for the parameter you want to adjust. The slider will be selected.
2.
Drag the slider to adjust the parameter.
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Accessing the Preset Menu There are two places where you can access Software Instrument or effect presets—in the Track Info window or in the Software Instrument/effect window.
Accessing Presets from the Track Info Window Sometimes you will want to choose a preset without adjusting any other Software Instrument or effect parameters. In that case, the Track Info window will be the most convenient place to select a preset.
1.
Click on the preset pop-up menu. The menu will appear.
2. Click on the preset you want to use.
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The preset you chose will appear in the Track Info window.
CAUTION If you have made any adjustments to the current preset and you attempt to choose another preset, an alert will pop up, asking whether you want to save your changes into a new preset. If you don’t want to lose all your adjustments, click on Save and give the preset a name.
Accessing Presets from the Software Instrument Window 1.
Click on the up-and-down arrows of the preset menu in the Software Instrument window. The preset menu will appear.
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2. Click on the preset you want to use.
The preset you chose will be shown in the Software Instrument window.
CAUTION If you have made any adjustments to the current preset and you attempt to choose another preset, an alert will pop up, asking you if you want to save your changes into a new preset. If you don’t want to lose all your adjustments, click on Save and give the preset a name.
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TIP When you begin to get comfortable with the instruments and effects, the best way to use the presets is to find the preset that fits your material, and then make some adjustments from there if necessary.
Software Instrument Presets and Parameters This section includes a brief description of each Software Instrument in GarageBand, as well as its presets and parameters. Don’t feel you have to memorize what each of these sliders or parameters means for each instrument; use this section as a reference when you are editing your Software Instruments.
Piano The Piano Software Instrument offers you the sound of a highquality acoustic piano.
Piano Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the instrument. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• Grand Piano. This preset approximates the settings of a grand piano.
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Piano Parameters • Volume. This is the piano’s volume. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the instrument softer, while adjusting the slider to the right will make it louder.
• Cutoff. This determines at what frequency the treble of the notes will be stopped, or cut off. Adjusting the slider to the left will increase the treble cutoff. Adjusting the slider to the right will reduce the treble cutoff.
• Release. This controls how fast the notes will fade out once they are no longer being triggered. Adjusting the slider to the left results in a very quick release, which is good for shorter notes. Adjusting the slider to the right results in a very long hold for each note, which is better for sustaining notes.
NOTE The Piano instrument very slowly fades out held notes, like a real piano. This is part of the instrument; it cannot be adjusted by the Release parameter.
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Strings The Strings Software Instrument emulates the sound of a string ensemble.
Strings Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the instrument. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• String Ensemble. This preset approximates the settings of a string ensemble.
Strings Parameters • Volume. This is the Software Instrument’s volume. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the instrument softer, while adjusting the slider to the right will make it louder.
• Cutoff. This determines at what frequency the treble of the notes will be stopped, or cut off. Adjusting the slider to the left will increase the treble cutoff. Adjusting the slider to the right will reduce the treble cutoff.
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• Attack. This determines how fast the note will reach its peak volume. A slow attack means the notes will rise slowly to their peak volume, while a fast attack means that notes will trigger at their peak volume.
• Release. This controls when the string will fade-out notes when they are no longer being triggered. Adjusting the slider to the left results in a very quick release, which is good for shorter notes. Adjusting the slider to the right results in a very long hold for each note, which is better for sustaining notes.
Horns The Horn Software Instrument emulates the sound of a horn section.
Horns Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the instrument. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• Pop Horn Section. This preset approximates the settings of a pop music horn section.
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Horns Parameters • Volume. This is the Software Instrument’s volume. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the instrument softer, while adjusting the slider to the right will make it louder.
• Cutoff. This determines at what frequency the treble of the notes will be stopped, or cut off. Adjusting the slider to the left will increase the treble cutoff. Adjusting the slider to the right will reduce the treble cutoff.
• Attack. This determines how fast the note will reach its peak volume. A slow attack means the notes will rise slowly to their peak volume, while a fast attack means that notes will trigger at their peak volume.
• Release. This controls how fast the notes will fade-out when they are no longer being triggered. Adjusting the slider to the left results in a very quick release, which is good for shorter notes. Adjusting the slider to the right results in a very long hold for each note, which is better for sustaining notes.
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Woodwind Woodwind offers you the sounds of various woodwind instruments.
Woodwind Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the instrument. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• Alto Sax. This preset approximates the settings of an alto saxophone.
• Pop Flute. This preset approximates the sound of a flute performed in a popmusic setting.
• Tenor Sax. This preset approximates the sound of a tenor saxophone.
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Woodwind Parameters • Volume. This is the Software Instrument’s volume. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the instrument softer, while adjusting the slider to the right will make it louder.
• Cutoff. This determines at what frequency the treble of the notes will be stopped, or cut off. Adjusting the slider to the left will increase the treble cutoff. Adjusting the slider to the right will reduce the treble cutoff.
• Attack. This determines how fast the note will reach its peak volume. A slow attack means the notes will rise slowly to their peak volume, while a fast attack means that notes will trigger at their peak volume.
• Release. This controls how fast the notes will fade out when they are no longer being triggered. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in a very quick release, which is good for shorter notes. Adjusting the slider to the right will result in a very long hold for each note, which is better for sustaining notes.
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Guitar This Software Instrument offers three styles of guitar.
Guitar Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the instrument. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• Classical Acoustic Guitar. This preset offers the sound of a nylon-stringed classical guitar.
• Clean Electric Guitar. This preset offers the sound of an electric guitar without distortion.
• Steel String Acoustic. This preset offers the sound of a steel-stringed acoustic guitar.
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Guitar Parameters • Volume. This is the Software Instrument’s volume. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the instrument softer, while adjusting the slider to the right will make it louder.
• Cutoff. This determines at what frequency the treble of the notes will be stopped, or cut off. Adjusting the slider to the left will increase the treble cutoff. Adjusting the slider to the right will reduce the treble cutoff.
• Release. This controls how fast the notes will fade out when they are no longer being triggered. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in a very quick release, which is good for shorter notes. Adjusting the slider to the right will result in a very long hold for each note, which is better for sustaining notes.
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Bass Bass offers a number of variations of electric and standup bass.
Bass Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the instrument. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• Fingerstyle Electric Bass. This preset offers the sound of an electric bass guitar being played fingerstyle.
• Fretless Electric Bass. This preset offers the sound of a fretless electric bass guitar.
• Muted Electric Bass. This preset offers the sound of muting the notes of an electric bass guitar.
• Slapped Electric Bass. This preset offers the sound of slapping notes on an electric bass guitar.
• Upright Jazz Bass. This preset offers the sound of an upright jazz bass.
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Bass Parameters • Volume. This is the instrument’s volume. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the instrument softer, while adjusting the slider to the right will make it louder.
• Cutoff. This determines at what frequency the treble of the notes will be stopped, or cut off. Adjusting the slider to the left will increase the treble cutoff. Adjusting the slider to the right will reduce the treble cutoff.
• Release. This controls how fast the notes will fade out once they are no longer being triggered. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in a very quick release, which is good for shorter notes. Adjusting the slider to the right will result in a very long hold for each note, which is better for sustaining notes.
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Drum Kits This Software Instrument offers you a number of different drum kits.
Drum Kits Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the instrument. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• Dance Kit. This preset offers drum sounds popular in modern dance music.
• Hip Hop Kit. This preset offers drum sounds designed for hip hop music.
• Jazz Kit. This preset offers drum sounds typical in a jazz drum kit.
• Pop Kit. This preset offers drum sounds designed for modern pop music.
• Rock Kit. This preset offers drum sounds typical in rock music.
• Techno Kit. This preset offers drum sounds designed for techno music.
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Drum Kit Parameters • Volume. This is the drum kit’s volume. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the instrument softer, while adjusting the slider to the right will make it louder.
• Cutoff. This determines at what frequency the treble of the notes will be stopped, or cut off. Adjusting the slider to the left will increase the treble cutoff. Adjusting the slider to the right will reduce the treble cutoff.
• Release. This controls how fast the drum sounds will fade out once they are no longer being triggered. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in a very quick release, which is good for shorter sounds. Adjusting the slider to the right will result in a very long hold for each sound, which is better for sustaining sounds.
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Electric Piano The Electric Piano Software Instrument offers two popular ’70s electric pianos.
Electric Piano Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the instrument. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• Tine Piano. This preset offers the sound of a tine-based electric piano.
• Whirly. This preset offers the sound of a ’70s Wurlitzer electric piano.
Electric Piano Parameters • Volume. This is the piano’s volume. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the instrument softer, while adjusting the slider to the right will make it louder.
• Model. These radio buttons determine whether the Software Instrument will use its Tine or Whirly generator.
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• Decay. This controls how long it will take each note to fade out. A short decay means the notes will diminish rapidly. A long decay means each note will fade out very slowly.
Analog Basic Analog Basic recreates the sound of classic ’70s analog synthesizers.
Analog Basic Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the instrument. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• Attack Bass. This preset recreates the sound of a bass synth with a very fast attack.
• Brassy Synth. This preset offers the sound of a synthesized brass section.
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• Dance Synth. This preset recreates a popular synth sound common in modern dance music.
• Eighties Synth Brass. This preset recreates a brass synth sound popular in ’80s newwave music.
• Fifth Lead. This preset offers a lead synth sound, in which each note you play consists of the note you play and the fifth note in that note’s scale.
• Funky Fifth. This preset offers a funky synth sound, in which each note you play consists of the note you play and the fifth note in that note’s scale.
• Octave Brass. This preset recreates a synthesized brass sound, in which each note you play consists of the note you play and the note an octave higher.
• Percussive Fifth. This preset offers the sound of a percussive synth, in which each note you play consists of the note you play and the fifth note in that note’s scale.
• Plucky Lead. This preset recreates the plucked sound of analog synthesizers.
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• Short Play. This preset offers the sound of a polyphonic synthesizer with a short note release.
• Square Fifth. This preset offers the sound of a synth playing a square wave, in which each note you play consists of the note you play and the fifth note in that note’s scale.
• Sweet Pulse. This preset offers the sound of smooth analog synth pulses.
Analog Basic Parameters • Volume. This is the Software Instrument’s volume. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the instrument softer, while adjusting the slider to the right will make it louder.
• Mix. This controls how hollow-sounding or brightsounding the synth will be. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the synth more hollow-sounding, while adjusting the slider to the right will make it more present and trebly.
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• Tuning. This control tunes one synthesizer tone generator (called an oscillator) relative to a second one. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the synth sound narrower, while adjusting the slider to the right will make it sound wider.
• Cutoff. This determines at what frequency the treble of the notes will be stopped, or cut off. Adjusting the slider to the left will increase the treble cutoff. Adjusting the slider to the right will reduce the treble cutoff.
• Resonance. This determines where in the frequency range there will be a sharp peak in the analog synth’s filter response. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in the resonance peak being at the low end of the synth tone, while adjusting the slider to the right will result in the resonance peak being at the high end of the synth tone.
• Attack. This determines how fast the note will reach its peak volume. A slow attack means the notes will rise slowly to their peak volume, while a fast attack means that notes will trigger at their peak volume.
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• Decay. This controls how long it will take each note to fade out. A short decay means the notes will diminish rapidly. A long decay means each note will fade out very slowly.
• Sustain. This determines how long each note will continue at its peak volume. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in less sustain, while adjusting the slider to the right will result in more sustain.
Analog Mono The Analog Mono Software Instrument emulates classic ’70s monophonic analog synthesizers.
Analog Mono Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the instrument. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• Dark & Dirty. This preset recreates the sound of a slightly distorted, bass-heavy mono synth.
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• Drive Lead. This preset offers the sound of a slightly distorted, very present mono synth.
• Kick Bass. This preset recreates a popular synthesized kick drum sound.
• Mini Bass 1. This preset recreates a bass sound from the seminal ’70s monophonic synthesizer, the Minimoog.
• Mini Bass 2. This preset recreates another bass sound from the Minimoog.
• Mini Dance. This preset recreates a sound from the Minimoog that is very popular in modern dance music.
• Mini Lead 1. This preset recreates a lead sound from the Minimoog.
• Mini Lead 2. This preset recreates another lead sound from the Minimoog.
• Mini Q Lead. This preset recreates a very resonant lead sound from the Minimoog.
• Techno Line. This preset offers the sound of a mono synthesizer part that is popular in techno music.
• Trance Sequence. This preset offers the sound of a mono synthesizer part that is popular in sequenced techno music.
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Analog Mono Parameters • Volume. This is the Software Instrument’s volume. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the instrument softer, while adjusting the slider to the right will make it louder.
• Glide. This determines how quickly one note will change to another. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in a short glide, meaning notes will switch very quickly, while adjusting the slider to the right will result in a long glide, meaning the notes will seem to “swoop” into each other.
• Mix. This controls how hollow-sounding or brightsounding the synth will be. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the synth more hollow-sounding, while adjusting the slider to the right will make it more present and trebly.
• Cutoff. This determines at what frequency the treble of the notes will be stopped, or cut off. Adjusting the slider to the left will increase the treble cutoff. Adjusting the slider to the right will reduce the treble cutoff.
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• Resonance. This determines where in the frequency range there will be a sharp peak in the analog synth’s filter response. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in the resonance peak being at the low end of the synth tone, while adjusting the slider to the right will result in the resonance peak being at the high end of the synth tone.
• Attack. This determines how fast the note will reach its peak volume. A slow attack means the notes will rise slowly to their peak volume, while a fast attack means that notes will trigger at their peak volume.
• Decay. This controls how long it will take each note to fade out. A short decay means the notes will diminish rapidly. A long decay means each note will fade out very slowly.
• Richness. This determines how detuned the two tone generators (oscillators) will be. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in a less complex texture (with less oscillator detuning), while adjusting the slider to the right will result in a more complex texture (with more oscillator detuning).
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Analog Pad Analog Pad recreates the lush atmospheric, sustained sounds of classic analog synthesizers from the ’70s.
Analog Pad Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the instrument. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• Analog Dreams. This preset offers an evolving, dream-like analog synthesizer tone.
• Atmo Pad 1. This preset offers a recreation of a ’70s analog synthesizer pad sound.
• Atmo Pad 2. This preset offers another recreation of a ’70s analog synthesizer pad sound.
• Chill Pad. This preset recreates an analog synthesizer pad popular in ambient music.
• Dancy Pad. This preset recreates an analog synthesizer pad popular in dance music.
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• HPF Polysynth. This preset offers a polyphonic synthesizer sound with a highpass filter (HPF) cutting out the low tones.
• LPF Sweep. This preset offers a modulating (sweeping) analog synthesizer sound with a low-pass filter (LPF) cutting out the high tones.
• Phasing HiPaPad. This preset offers an analog pad sound with a high-pass filter (HPF) cutting out the low tones that varies in pitch due to phase shifting.
• Phasing LoPaPad. This preset offers an analog pad sound with a low-pass filter (LPF) cutting out the high tones that varies in pitch due to phase shifting.
• Silent Pad. This preset offers a very quiet analog pad sound.
• Swell Pad. This preset offers an analog pad with volume swells.
• Warm Pad. This preset offers an analog pad sound with a warm, mid-rangy sound.
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Analog Pad Parameters • Volume. This is the Software Instrument’s volume. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the instrument softer, while adjusting the slider to the right will make it louder.
• Modulation. This determines how fast the sweeping movement of the patch will occur. Adjusting the slider to the left results in slower movement, meaning the sound will appear to sweep very slowly, while adjusting the slider to the right results in faster movement, meaning the notes will modulate rapidly.
• Character. This determines how soft and gentle or sharp and in-your-face the pad tone will be. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the synth tone more soothing and soft, while adjusting the slider to the right will make it more sharp and present.
• Cutoff. This determines at what frequency the treble of the notes will be stopped, or cut off. Adjusting the slider to the left will increase the treble cutoff. Adjusting the slider to the right will reduce the treble cutoff.
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• Resonance. This determines where in the frequency range there will be a sharp peak in the analog synth’s filter response. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in the resonance peak being at the low end of the synth tone, while adjusting the slider to the right will result in the resonance peak being at the high end of the synth tone.
• Cutoff Envelope. This determines where in the frequency range the cutoff of the envelope, or animating filter, will be. Adjusting this parameter to the left will place the cutoff in the low frequencies, while adjusting the slider to the right will put the cutoff in the high frequencies.
• Duration. This controls how long the envelope will modulate the sound. A short duration means the envelope will stop modulating the sound after a short amount of time. A long duration means the envelope will continue modulating the sound for a long time.
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• Animation. This controls how much animation the envelope will add to your synth pad. A low animation value means that the envelope will not have much of an effect on your sound. A high animation value means that the filter will add a dramatic amount of movement to your analog pad sound.
Analog Swirl This Software Instrument emulates an analog synthesizer that is constantly moving and evolving.
Analog Swirl Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the instrument. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• Analog Swell. This preset offers an analog synthesizer tone that swells in volume.
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• Ballad King. This preset offers a recreation of an analog pad popular in rock and pop ballads.
• Dream Synth. This preset offers a recreation of a modulating, dream-like analog synthesizer pad sound.
• Funky Synth. This preset recreates a modulated synth sound popular in funk music.
• Medium Sweep. This preset recreates an analog synthesizer sound that sweeps at a medium speed (not too fast and not too slow).
• Poly Basic 1. This preset offers a basic polyphonic analog synthesizer sound.
• Poly Basic 2. This preset offers another basic polyphonic analog synthesizer sound.
• PWM Arpeggio. This preset recreates an arpeggio, meaning it goes up and down a scale of notes, created by a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) synthesizer.
• PWM Atmosphere. This preset recreates an atmospheric synth sound from a PWM synthesizer.
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• PWM Slow Brass. This preset recreates a slowly modulating brass synth sound from a PWM synthesizer.
• Resonance Organ. This preset offers a synthesized organ sound with a resonance peak.
• Slow PWM Sweep. This preset recreates a slowly sweeping synth sound from a PWM synthesizer.
Analog Swirl Parameters • Volume. This is the Software Instrument’s volume. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the instrument softer, while adjusting the slider to the right will make it louder.
• Modulation. This determines how fast the sweeping movement of the sound will occur. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in slower movement, meaning the sound will appear to sweep very slowly, while adjusting the slider to the right will result in faster movement, meaning the notes will modulate rapidly.
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• Cutoff. This determines at what frequency the treble of the notes will be stopped, or cut off. Adjusting the slider to the left will increase the treble cutoff. Adjusting the slider to the right will reduce the treble cutoff.
• Resonance. This determines where in the frequency range there will be a sharp peak in the analog synth’s filter response. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in the resonance peak being at the low end of the synth tone, while adjusting the slider to the right will result in the resonance peak being at the high end of the synth tone.
• Attack. This determines how fast the note will reach its peak volume. A slow attack means the notes will rise slowly to their peak volume, while a fast attack means that notes will trigger at their peak volume.
• Decay. This controls how long it will take each note to fade out. A short decay means the notes will diminish rapidly. A long decay means each note will fade out very slowly.
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• Sustain. This determines how long each note will continue at its peak volume. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in less sustain, while adjusting the slider to the right will result in more sustain.
• Release. This controls how fast the notes will fade out once they are no longer being triggered. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in a very quick release, which is good for shorter notes. Adjusting the slider to the right will result in a very long hold for each note, which is better for sustaining notes.
Analog Sync Analog Sync emulates tones from analog synthesizers that would synchronize (sync) two oscillators (sound generators) together to produce their sound.
Analog Sync Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the instrument. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
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• Color 19. This preset offers a polyphonic analog sync sound.
• Dry Bass. This preset offers a very raw bass synth sound.
• Feedback Lead. This preset features an analog synth tone that feeds back onto itself, making the tone very present and unstable, like guitar feedback.
• Sync Lead A. This preset recreates a synchronized lead synth tone.
• Sync Lead B. This preset recreates another synchronized lead synth tone.
• Sync Pad A. This preset emulates a synchronized pad synth sound.
• Sync Pad B. This preset emulates another synchronized pad synth sound.
• Sync Percussive. This preset offers a synchronized percussive synth tone.
• Synced Waves. This preset recreates the sound of a synthesizer sound composed of two synced sine waves.
• Syrenade. This preset offers a warm and lush synchronized analog synth tone.
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Analog Sync Parameters • Volume. This is the Software Instrument’s volume. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the instrument softer, while adjusting the slider to the right will make it louder.
• Sync. This controls how synchronized the two sound generators (oscillators) are. A low value means that the oscillators are not very synced, resulting in a less harsh tone; a high value means the oscillators are very synced, resulting in a more harsh, grating tone.
• Sync Modulation. This controls how modulated the synchronization of the oscillators will be. A low value will result in a very static, nonmodulated sound. A high value will result in a highly modulated (moving) sound.
• Sync Envelope. This controls the volume filter (or envelope). If you adjust the slider to the right, the envelope will not have much impact on the Software Instrument’s overall sound. If you adjust the slider to the left, the sync envelope will have a very pronounced effect on the sound.
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• Cutoff. This determines at what frequency the treble of the notes will be stopped, or cut off. Adjusting the slider to the left will increase the treble cutoff. Adjusting the slider to the right will reduce the treble cutoff.
• Attack. This determines how fast the note will reach its peak volume. A slow attack means the notes will rise slowly to their peak volume, while a fast attack means that notes will trigger at their peak volume.
• Decay. This controls how long it will take each note to fade out. A short decay means the notes will diminish rapidly. A long decay means each note will fade out very slowly.
• Sustain. This determines how long each note will continue at its peak volume. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in less sustain, while adjusting the slider to the right will result in more sustain.
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Digital Basic Digital Basic is a recreation of a basic digital synthesizer of the style popularized in the ’80s.
Digital Basic Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the instrument. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• Bali Bells. This preset offers a digital version of thin percussive bell sounds.
• Crushed Bells. This preset offers another digital version of thin percussive bell sounds.
• Digital Softpad. This preset offers a soft pad sound reminiscent of old digital synthesizers.
• Digital Synth A. This preset emulates a generalized digital synthesizer-like tone.
• FM Bells A. This preset recreates the bell sounds from a classic ’80s FM (frequency modulation)-based digital synthesizer.
• FM Bells B. This preset recreates more bell sounds from a classic ’80s FM synthesizer.
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• FM Bellsynth. This preset offers another recreation of a combination bell and synthesizer tone from an ’80s FM synthesizer.
• FM Percussion A. This preset offers a percussive frequency modulated synthesizer sound.
• FM Percussion B. This preset offers another percussive FM synthesizer sound.
• FM Polysynth. This preset offers a polyphonic FM synthesizer sound.
• Glassy Pad 1. This preset offers a hollow, trebly digital pad sound.
• Metallic Atmo A. This preset emulates a metallic-sounding atmospheric pad from a digital synthesizer.
• Metallic Atmo B. This preset emulates another metallicsounding atmospheric pad from a digital synthesizer.
• Metallic Pad. This preset recreates a metallic-sounding pad from a digital synthesizer.
• Trilogy. This preset emulates a synth patch that combines three tones from a digital synthesizer.
• Vibra Roads. This preset emulates a digital synthesizer’s recreation of a tine-based electric piano sound.
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Digital Basic Parameters • Volume. This is the Software Instrument’s volume. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the instrument softer, while adjusting the slider to the right will make it louder.
• Mix. This control blends the FM tone with the direct (nonmodulated) synth tone. Adjusting the slider to the left will favor the FM tone, while adjusting the slider to the right will favor the direct tone.
• Tuning. This controls the pitch of the synth in semitones. Adjusting the slider to the left will lower the tone, while adjusting the slider to the right will raise the tone.
• Harmonics. This adds or reduces the harmonics, or musical overtones, in the sound. If you adjust the slider to the right, the sound will have a lesser number of harmonics, making it sound less complex. If you adjust the slider to the left, the sound will have more harmonics, making it sound more complex.
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• Timbre. This determines how dark or bright the sound will be. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the sound darker. Adjusting the slider to the right will make the sound brighter.
• Attack. Attack determines how fast the note will reach its peak volume. A slow attack means the notes will rise slowly to their peak volume, while a fast attack means that notes will trigger at their peak volume.
• Decay. Decay controls how long it will take each note to fade out. A short decay means the notes will diminish rapidly. A long decay means each note will fade out very slowly.
• Release. This controls how fast the notes will fade out once they are no longer being triggered. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in a very quick release, which is good for shorter notes. Adjusting the slider to the right will result in a very long hold for each note, which is better for sustaining notes.
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Digital Mono This Software Instrument is a recreation of a monophonic digital synthesizer.
Digital Mono Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the instrument. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• Bass Plus. This preset offers a monophonic digital synth bass sound.
• Dark Bass. This preset offers a mono digital synth bass sound with a darker tone.
• DnB Bass. This preset recreates a bass sound popular in “Drum ‘n’ Bass”style techno.
• Hard Pulse Bass. This preset offers a harsh digital synth bass pulse sound.
• Iron Bass. This preset offers a metallic bass sound.
• Knock Bass. This preset recreates a digital bass sound modeled after a door-knock style of sound.
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• Old FM Bass. This preset recreates a bass sound from an ’80s FM synthesizer.
• Over and Over. This preset offers a rich, harmonic mono digital synth sound.
• Plastic Bass. This preset recreates a very cold, synthetic-sounding digital bass synth.
• Sine Bass. This preset offers a digital bass sound comprised of a sine wave.
• Wooden Pulse Bass. This preset offers an unharmonic digital bass pulse sound.
Digital Mono Parameters • Volume. This is the Software Instrument’s volume. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the instrument softer, while adjusting the slider to the right will make it louder.
• Tuning. This controls how low or high the tone of the synth’s sound will be. Adjusting the slider to the left will lower the tone, while adjusting the slider to the right will raise the tone.
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• Harmonics. This adds or reduces the harmonics, or musical overtones, in the sound. If you adjust the slider to the right, the sound will have a lesser number of harmonics, making it sound less complex. If you adjust the slider to the left, the sound will have more harmonics, making it sound more complex.
• Timbre. This determines how dark or bright the sound will be. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the sound darker. Adjusting the slider to the right will make the sound brighter.
• Timbre Envelope. This is a filter that affects the timbre of the sound. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in the envelope having very little effect, while adjusting the slider to the right will result in the envelope having a more pronounced effect on the sound.
• Decay. This controls how long it will take each note to fade out. A short decay means the notes will diminish rapidly. A long decay means each note will fade out very slowly.
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• Richness. This determines how complex the texture of the tone will be. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in a less complex texture, while adjusting the slider to the right will result in a more complex texture.
• Distortion. This effect is used to add gain and “dirt” to your digital synth sound. Adjusting this parameter to the left will add less distortion to your synth sound. Adjusting this parameter to the right will add more distortion to your synth sound.
Digital Stepper The Digital Stepper Software Instrument is a digital synthesizer that plays more than one note for each note you play. These additional notes are in harmonic “steps” from your original note.
Digital Stepper Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the instrument. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
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• Chorus Organ A. This preset offers a rich, wide-sounding stepped digital organ sound.
• Crosswaves A ModW. This preset offers a stepped sound created from the sound of two sound waves. You can adjust the blend of these two waves in real-time using the modulation wheel on your MIDI controller.
• Crosswaves B ModW. This preset offers another stepped sound created from the sound of two sound waves, as above.
• Crush Stepper. This preset recreates a digital synth sound with very cut-off notes.
• Dry Organ. This preset offers a stepped organ sound that is not as wide-sounding as the Chorus Organ preset.
• Electro Steps. This preset recreates a very electronic, ’70s-sounding analog stepped synth sound.
• Icy Pad. This preset offers a very thin, trebly digital pad sound.
• One World. This preset offers a rich, harmonic stepped digital synth sound.
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• Talking Organ. This preset recreates a stepped digital organ sound in which the notes have a timbre reminiscent of vowel sounds.
• Voodoo Groove A. This preset offers a very rhythmic, stepped digital synth sound.
• Voxy Pad. This preset recreates a stepped digital pad in which the notes have a timbre reminiscent of vowel sounds.
Digital Stepper Parameters • Volume. This is the Software Instrument’s volume. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the instrument softer, while adjusting the slider to the right will make it louder.
• Balance. This controls the blend between the tone resembling an analog synthesizer and a digital synthesizer. Adjusting the slider to the left will favor analog synth tone, and adjusting the slider to the right will favor digital synth tone.
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• Modulation. This determines how fast the sweeping movement of the sound will occur. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in slower movement, meaning the sound will appear to sweep very slowly, while adjusting the slider to the right will result in faster movement, meaning the notes will modulate rapidly.
• Harmonics. This adds or reduces the harmonics, or musical overtones, in the sound. If you adjust the slider to the right, the sound will have a smaller number of harmonics, making it sound less complex. If you adjust the slider to the left, the sound will have more harmonics, making it sound more complex.
• Harmonic Steps. This determines how long or short (large or small) each harmonic step will be. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the steps smaller (shorter). Adjusting the slider to the right will make the steps longer (larger).
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• Cutoff. This determines at what frequency the treble of the notes will be stopped, or cut off. Adjusting the slider to the left will increase the treble cutoff. Adjusting the slider to the right will reduce the treble cutoff.
• Cutoff Steps. This determines how long or short (large or small) each cutoff step will be. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the steps smaller (shorter). Adjusting the slider to the right will make the steps longer (larger).
• Duration. This determines the length of the stepped pattern. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in a shorter pattern, while adjusting the slider to the right will result in a longer pattern.
Tonewheel Organ This Software Instrument recreates the sound of a classic tonewheel organ.
Tonewheel Organ Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the instrument. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
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• Cathedral (full). This preset recreates the sound of a cathedral organ.
• Circus Organ. This preset emulates the sound of a circus organ.
• Jazz Organ. This preset recreates an organ sound popular in jazz music.
• Percussion Organ. This preset emulates a very percussive organ sound.
• Pop Organ. This preset recreates an organ sound used in pop music.
• Rock Organ. This preset recreates an organ sound popular in rock music.
Tonewheel Organ Parameters • Volume. This is the Software Instrument’s volume. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the instrument softer, while adjusting the slider to the right will make it louder.
• Drawbars. This controls how many drawbars your organ sound will have. (In electric organs, more drawbars result in more intense harmonics and overtones.) Adjusting the slider to the left will add drawbars to your sound, while adjusting the slider to the right will reduce the number of drawbars.
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• Percussion Level. You can blend the percussion sounds from the second and third keyboard tiers of a tonewheel organ for your sound. Adjusting the slider to the left will emphasize the secondlevel percussion, while adjusting the slider to the right will emphasize the thirdlevel percussion.
• Percussion Time. This determines how long the organ’s percussion will sound. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the percussion time shorter. Adjusting the slider to the right will make the percussion time longer.
• Click. This determines the loudness of the clicks between notes. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in the clicks being softer, while adjusting the slider to the right will result in the clicks being louder.
• Distortion. This effect is used to add gain and “dirt” to your organ sound. Adjusting this parameter to the left will add less distortion to your organ sound. Adjusting this parameter to the right will add more distortion to your organ sound.
• Rotary Speaker. This determines which rotary speaker effect the organ sound will use. You can choose between a chorale effect, a brake effect, or a tremolo effect.
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Electric Clavinet Electric Clavinet emulates the sound of a popular electric clavinet from the ’70s.
Electric Clavinet Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the instrument. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• Clean Clav. This preset recreates the sound of a clean (non-distorted) clavinet.
• Funky Lizzard. This preset emulates a very popular funky clavinet sound from the ’70s.
• Low Damp. This preset recreates clavinet sound in which the damper is not pronounced.
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Electric Clavinet Parameters • Volume. This is the Software Instrument’s volume. Adjusting the slider to the left will make the instrument softer, while adjusting the slider to the right will make it louder.
• Damper. This emulates the effect of dampening, or deadening, the tone. Adjusting the damper to the left will reduce the dampening effect, while adjusting it to the right will add more dampening to the sound.
Effects Presets and Parameters Every Software Instrument track includes four effects, and every Real Instrument track includes five effects. In addition, GarageBand includes 12 effects that you can insert into the two configurable effects slots in each track. This section contains a brief description of each effect, its presets, and its parameters, starting with the effects common to all tracks.
Basic Track Effects Each Software Instrument track includes the Compressor, Equalizer, Echo, and Reverb effects. Each Real Instrument track includes the Gate effect in addition to these. With the exception of the Equalizer effect, these are all very simple effects that do not offer presets or more than a single parameter.
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The Gate Effect This effect is only present on Real Instrument tracks. The Gate effect silences the track after the material on the track drops below a certain threshold. This is very useful for silencing a recording that has some lowlevel background noise and the like. The slider adjusts the threshold of the Gate effect between 0 and 100.
The Compressor Effect The Compressor effect reduces the volume difference between the loudest notes and the softest notes. This gives your track a more even level. The slider adjusts the strength of the Compressor effect from 0 to 100.
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The Echo Effect The Echo effect, sometimes called delay, repeats the material on your track in time to the song tempo. The slider adjusts the number of echoes from 0 to 100.
The Reverb Effect The Reverb effect adds a sense of space to your track, as if the track is being played in the middle of a room or large hall. The slider adjusts the level of the Reverb effect from 0 to 100.
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Equalizer The Equalizer effect is more involved, and you need to access its presets and editor as explained in the “Adjusting Software Instrument and Effect Parameters” section earlier in this chapter. The Equalizer effect works like the equalizer—or the treble, mid, and bass knobs—on your stereo. It adjusts the frequencies in the track. GarageBand’s Equalizer effect even lets you shift the midrange frequency.
Equalizer Preset Menu
TIP The best way to use the GarageBand equalizer is to find the preset that fits your material, and then make some adjustments from there if necessary.
• Add Brightness. This preset boosts the brightness of a track.
• Add Fullness to Snare. This preset is designed for use on snare drums.
• Add Sharpness. This preset adds treble and reduces the midrange of a track.
• Bass Boost. This preset boosts the bass of your track.
• Big Drum. This preset is designed to boost drums.
• Brighten Strings. This preset is designed to boost the brightness of strings.
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• Clear Vocals. This preset is designed to make vocals more understandable.
• Drum Refresh. This preset is designed for use on drums.
• Flat. This preset offers a completely unadjusted EQ for you to adjust to your own taste.
• Hi-Fi. This preset attempts to replicate the frequency response of a home stereo.
• Improve Guitars. This preset is designed for use on guitars.
• Increase Bass Pluck. This preset is designed for use on bass guitars.
• Mid Reduce. This preset reduces the midrange frequencies in a track.
• Reduce “S.” This preset reduces the sibilance, or harsh-sounding “S” syllables, in vocals.
• Stronger Bass. This preset offers a strong boost of a track’s bass frequencies.
• Vocal Presence. This preset is designed for use on vocals.
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Equalizer Parameters • Bass Gain. This allows you to cut or boost the bass frequency.
• Mid Gain. This allows you to cut or boost the midrange frequency.
• Mid Frequency. This allows you to select the midrange frequency that is best for your track.
• Treble Gain. This allows you to cut or boost the treble frequency.
Treble Reduction This effect will reduce the treble of your track.
Treble Reduction Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the effect. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• Hard. This preset reduces the treble dramatically.
• Medium. This preset reduces the treble moderately.
• Soft. This preset reduces the treble slightly.
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Treble Redution Parameter • Frequency. This determines the frequency at which the effect will reduce the treble.
Bass Reduction This effect will reduce the bass of your track.
Bass Reduction Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the effect. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• Hi Pass. This preset removes all frequencies below the frequency threshold.
• Remove Bass. This preset removes the bass frequencies. • Remove Deep Bass. This preset removes the lowest bass frequencies.
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Bass Reduction Parameter • Frequency. This parameter selects the threshold at which the effect will reduce or remove bass.
Distortion Distortion is an effect used to add gain and “dirt.” The classic example of using distortion is on a rock guitar.
Distortion Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the effect. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• Distortion 1. This preset offers a standard distortion effect.
• Distortion 2. This preset offers a very loud distortion effect. • Distortion 3. This preset offers a darker distortion effect. • Distortion 4. This preset offers a very fuzz-like distortion effect.
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Distortion Parameters • Drive. This determines how much distortion the effect will add. Adjusting this slider to the left will add less distortion, while adjusting the slider to the right will add more.
• Tone. This determines whether the tone of the distortion will be dark and midrange-y or bright and trebly. Adjusting this slider to the left will result in a darker tone, while adjusting the slider to the right will result in a brighter tone.
• Output Level. This determines the output volume of the distortion effect. Adjusting this slider to the left will result in a lower volume, while adjusting this slider to the right will result in a higher volume.
Overdrive Overdrive is basically the same as distortion, but without as much “dirt.”
Overdrive Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the effect. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
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• Drive 1. This preset offers a standard overdrive effect.
• Drive 2. This preset offers a very loud overdrive effect.
• Drive 3. This preset offers a warm overdrive effect.
Overdrive Parameters • Drive. This determines how much overdrive the effect will add. Adjusting this slider to the left will add less overdrive, while adjusting this slider to the right will add more.
• Tone. This determines whether the tone of the overdrive will be dark and midrange-y or bright and trebly. Adjusting this slider to the left will result in a darker tone, while adjusting the slider to the right will result in a brighter tone.
• Output Level. This determines the output volume of the overdrive effect. Adjusting this slider to the left will result in a lower volume, while adjusting the slider to the right will result in a higher volume.
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Bitcrusher The Bitcrusher effect emulates the sound of early digital recordings at low sample and bit rates.
Bitcrusher Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the effect. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• 6 Bit Resynth. This preset reduces your audio fidelity to six bits.
• Classic 8 Bit. This preset recreates the sound of early eight-bit digital recordings.
• Demaged Bits. This preset offers a distorted-sounding bitcrushing effect.
• Digitizer. This preset emulates the sound of very quantized low-bit recordings.
• Soft Bit Reduction. This preset offers a very subtle bit-reducing effect.
• Wave Destruction. This preset offers a very pronounced, distortedsounding bitcrushing effect.
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Bitcrusher Parameters • Resolution. This parameter adjusts the bit rate to which the effect will reduce the source material. Adjusting this parameter to the left will result in more drastic reduction to the bit rate of the source material, while adjusting the parameter to the right will result in subtler bit reduction.
• Sample Rate Reduction. This parameter reduces the sample rate of the source material. Adjusting the parameter to the left will result in less sample rate reduction, while adjusting the parameter to the right will result in more sample rate reduction.
Automatic Filter The Automatic filter adds sweeping, moving filter effects.
Automatic Filter Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the effect. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
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• Deep and Slow Resonance. This preset creates a slowmoving, deep filter effect.
• Downbeat Saw. This preset creates a saw wave filter that sweeps in time with the downbeats of your song.
• Fast Saw Filter. This preset offers a fast, sweeping saw wave filter.
• FM Filter. This preset offers a filter based on those in FM synthesizers.
• Resonance Filter. This preset creates a filter with a very pronounced resonance.
• Sixteenth Pulse. This preset creates a filter that pulses every sixteenth note in time to your song.
• Soft Auto Wah. This preset creates a subtle sweep that sounds like it opens and closes on your notes, like a guitar “wah wah” pedal.
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Automatic Filter Parameters • Frequency. This determines the frequency of the filter. Adjusting this slider to the left will select a lower frequency, while adjusting this slider to the right will select a higher frequency.
• Resonance. This determines the frequency of the filter’s resonance. Adjusting this slider to the left will reduce the resonance frequency, while adjusting the slider to the right will raise the resonance frequency.
• Intensity. Intensity controls how pronounced and in what direction the filter will sweep through its frequency range. Adjusting this slider toward Down will result in a downward sweep. Adjusting the slider toward Off will reduce the intensity of the sweep (until the filter has no sweep at all at the Off setting). Adjusting this slider toward Up & Down will result in a sweep that rises and then falls.
• Speed. This controls the speed of the filter sweep. Adjusting this slider to the left will slow down the filter sweep, while adjusting the slider to the right will speed up the filter sweep.
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Chorus The Chorus effect modulates the material to give it added depth and movement.
Chorus Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the effect. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• Faster Modulation. This preset creates a fast, sweeping chorus effect.
• Light Chorus. This preset offers a subtle chorus effect.
• Medium Chorus. This preset offers a more pronounced chorus effect.
• Smooth Chorus. This preset offers a very liquid chorus effect.
• Spread Stereo. This preset creates a chorus effect that adds to a track’s stereo separation.
• Stage Chorus. This preset emulates a chorus effect like those found in guitar effects boxes.
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Chorus Parameters • Intensity. This controls how pronounced the chorus effect will be. Adjusting this slider to the left will result in a more subtle chorus effect. Adjusting the slider to the right will result in a more pronounced chorus effect.
• Speed. This controls the speed of the chorus modulation. Adjusting this parameter to the left will slow down the modulation, while adjusting the parameter to the right will speed up the modulation.
Flanger The Flanger effect is basically a chorus effect with feedback. By feeding back the effect to itself, the effect will flange, or achieve intense and metallic sweeping modulation.
Flanger Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the effect. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• Full Range. This preset creates a flanging effect that sweeps the entire frequency range.
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• Make Wide. This preset offers a flanging effect that creates the illusion of a wide stereo field.
• Medium Flange. This preset offers a pronounced flanging effect.
• Organic. This preset creates a very natural, liquid flanging effect.
• Resonator. This preset creates a metallic flanging effect.
• Soft Flange. This preset creates a subtle flanging effect.
• String Flange. This preset offers modulation designed for string sounds.
Flanger Parameters • Intensity. This controls how pronounced the Flanger effect will be. Adjusting this slider to the left will result in a more subtle flanging effect. Adjusting the slider to the right will result in a more pronounced flanging effect.
• Speed. This controls the speed of the flanger modulation. Adjusting this parameter to the left will slow down the modulation, while adjusting this parameter to the right will speed up the modulation.
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• Feedback. Feedback controls how much of the flanger signal will be fed back to itself. The more you feed back, the more metallic the sound will be. Adjusting this slider to the left will result in less feedback, while adjusting the slider to the right will result in more feedback.
Phaser Phaser is another modulation effect that creates pitch-based sweeps by feeding back a sound on top of itself, slightly delayed.
Phaser Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the effect. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• Circle Phases. This preset creates a phaser modulation in which the source material seems to be modulating up and down in a circle.
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• Deep Phase. This preset offers a very pronounced phaser effect.
• Old Phaser. This preset recreates the sound of ’60s and ’70s phaser effects.
• Singing Phase. This preset creates a very bright phaser effect.
• Slow & Deep. This preset offers a slow, pronounced phaser effect.
• Surrounding. This preset creates a phaser effect that seems to engulf the source material.
Phaser Parameters • Intensity. This controls how pronounced the phaser effect will be. Adjusting this slider to the left will result in a more subtle phasing effect. Adjusting the slider to the right will result in a more pronounced phasing effect.
• Speed. This controls the speed of the phaser modulation. Adjusting this slider to the left will slow down the modulation, while adjusting this slider to the right will speed up the modulation.
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• Feedback. This controls how much of the phaser signal will be fed back to itself. The more you feed back, the more out of phase the sound will be. Adjusting this slider to the left will result in less feedback, while adjusting this slider to the right will result in more feedback.
Tremolo Tremolo is a modulation effect that vibrates the volume of a sound up and down, and sometimes the stereo position from side to side.
Tremolo Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the effect. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• Circular Struction. This preset creates a tremolo effect that pans across the stereo field.
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• Fast Pan. This preset offers a very fast panning tremolo effect.
• Leslie Rotor. This preset recreates the sound of a Leslie rotary speaker cabinet.
• Medium Pan. This preset creates a pronounced panning effect.
• Mono Tremolo. This preset offers a pronounced tremolo effect.
• Slow and Wide. This preset creates a slow tremolo effect with a wide panning field.
• Soft and Fast. This preset creates a soft tremolo effect that pans across the stereo field quickly.
• Ultra Pan. This preset creates a very pronounced panning effect.
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Tremolo Parameters • Intensity. This controls how pronounced the tremolo effect will be. Adjusting this slider to the left will result in a more subtle tremolo effect. Adjusting the slider to the right will result in a more pronounced tremolo effect.
• Speed. This controls the speed of the tremolo modulation. Adjusting this slider to the left will slow down the modulation, while adjusting this slider to the right will speed up the modulation.
• Auto Panning. If this check box is unchecked, the tremolo will only modulate the pitch up and down. If this box is checked, the effect will also modulate the pitch from side to side in the stereo field.
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Auto Wah This effect is based on the classic guitar envelope filter effect pedal, known as a wah wah pedal due to the way the filter sound resembles a vocalist saying “wah.”
Auto Wah Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the effect. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• Bass Snap. This preset intensifies the snap of bass sounds.
• Bass Wah. This preset emulates a wah effect that would be used with bass guitars.
• Crunch Wah. This preset emulates a wah effect that would be used with distorted electric guitars.
• Cry Baby. This preset emulates a specific wah pedal used by Jimi Hendrix with his electric guitars.
• Filter Ducks. This preset creates the effect of the filters reducing the volume of your source material when it gets louder.
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• Hi Pass Autofilter. This preset creates a wah effect that only allows high frequencies through.
• Light Peak. This preset offers a gentle peak at the filter frequency.
• Static Peak. This preset offers a peak at a nonmodulating frequency.
• Wow. This preset creates an inverted wah effect that sounds like someone saying “wow” instead of someone saying “wah.”
Auto Wah Parameters • Mode. These buttons allow you to choose from six different emulations of modern and classic wah pedals.
• Sound. This controls the tone of the wah effect. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in a lower, darker tone, while adjusting the slider to the right will result in a brighter, more trebly tone.
• Reaction. This determines how sensitive the opening and closing of the wah effect will be to the dynamics of the source material. Adjusting this slider to the left will make the effect less responsive to the dynamics of the track, while adjusting this slider to the right will make the effect more responsive.
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Amp Simulation This effect emulates the sound of classic tube-based guitar amplifiers.
Amp Simulation Preset Menu • Make Preset. This option saves your current adjustments as a new preset.
• Manual. This is the default setting for the effect. It is designed for you to adjust manually.
• American Clean. This preset emulates the clean channel of a classic American amplifier.
• American Crunch. This preset emulates the heavily compressed, distorted sound of a popular American hard rock amplifier.
• American Overdrive. This preset emulates the overdrive channel of a classic American amplifier.
• British Crunch. This preset emulates the distortion of a classic British amplifier that defined rock and roll.
• British Lead. This preset emulates the overdriven sound of another classic British amplifier.
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Amp Simulation Parameters • Model. These buttons allow you to choose from four different amplifier emulations consisting of two American and two British guitar amplifiers.
• Pre Gain. This control emulates the preamp gain knob of a guitar amplifier. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in less preamp gain, while adjusting the slider to the right will result in more preamp gain.
• Low. This control emulates the low EQ knob of a guitar amplifier. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in less low end, while adjusting the slider to the right will result in more low end.
• Mid. This control emulates the midrange EQ knob of a guitar amplifier. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in less midrange, while adjusting the slider to the right will result in more midrange.
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• High. This control emulates the high EQ knob of a guitar amplifier. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in less high end, while adjusting the slider to the right will result in more high end.
• Presence. This control emulates the negative feedback knob of a guitar amplifier. Adjusting the slider to the left will result in less presence (a sort of dampening of the sound), while adjusting the slider to the right will result in more presence (adding clarity, bite).
• Master. This control emulates the master volume knob of a tube guitar amp, determining how much signal gets into the power section of the amp. Adjusting this slider to the left will result in a quieter, cleaner sound. Adjusting this slider to the right will result in a louder, more powerful, more distorted sound.
• Output Level. This determines the output volume of the Amp Simulation effect. Adjusting this slider to the left will result in a lower volume, while adjusting this slider to the right will result in a higher volume.
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Using Third-Party Software Instruments and Effects Like most music creation programs on the Macintosh, GarageBand is compatible with the Audio Unit plug-in format. This means you can add an Audio Unit component—either a Software Instrument or an effect—from any manufacturer, and it will automatically show up in GarageBand for you to use. There are many Audio Unit plug-ins available commercially, and there are even some available for free download over the Internet. Most of the ones you have to purchase have demos for you to try out first.
NOTE The documentation for the Audio Unit you want to use will explain the installation procedure.
Accessing Third-Party Plug-In Software Instruments You access third-party Software Instruments the same way you access GarageBand’s own Software Instruments.
1.
Click on the Generator pop-up menu in the Software Instrument Generator slot of your Software Instrument track. The menu of available Software Instruments will appear.
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2.
Scroll past the GarageBand Software Instruments until you see the Audio Unit Modules.
3.
Click on the Audio Unit Module of your choice.
The Software Instrument will be switched to the instrument you have chosen. The editor for that instrument will open on your screen. You can now access the presets and parameters of your Audio Unit Software Instrument.
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Accessing Third-Party Plug-In Effects You access third-party Audio Unit effects the same way you access GarageBand’s own effects.
1.
Click on the up-and-down arrows in the effect slot of your track. The menu of available effects will appear.
2.
Scroll past the GarageBand Effects until you see the Audio Unit Effects.
3.
Click on the Audio Unit Effect of your choice.
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The effect will appear in the effect slot. The editor for that effect will open on your screen. You can now access the presets and parameters of your Audio Unit Effect.
10
Completing Your Song In the previous chapters, you learned how to record Real and Software Instrument performances. You’ve added Apple Loops, and you’ve arranged, cut, pasted, edited, and looped your tracks until your song was organized the way you wanted it. You’ve added effects and processed them until they sounded the way you wanted them to sound. Now it’s time to add the finishing touches to your masterpiece and share it with the world! In this chapter, you will learn how to: Mix the volume level of each track Mix the panorama position of each track Automate the volume of your tracks Automate the master volume of your song Export your song to iTunes Explore further options in music creation on the Mac
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Mixing Your Song You’ve got all the parts to your song right, but they don’t quite sound the way you imagined when you put them together. That is where mixing comes in. Mixing means taking each individual track and blending its volume and stereo position with the other tracks. This results in a song that sounds more dynamic, interesting, and polished. GarageBand not only allows you to set the volume level and panorama position for each track; you can even have the program automate (automatically adjust) a track’s volume. Finally, you can add volume automation to the master volume as well.
Mixing the Volume Levels of Your Tracks In any song, you want some parts to be louder than others. You already know which slider is the volume slider; now you will use it to adjust the volumes of multiple tracks.
1. Click on the cycle button. The cycle region ruler will appear below the time ruler. TIP You can also press the C key to toggle cycle mode on and off.
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2.
Click and hold on the right edge of the yellow cycle region in the cycle region ruler. The cursor will turn into a bar with arrows to either side.
3.
Drag the cycle region to the end of the song. The cycle region will extend to the measure you chose.
4.
Release the mouse button. The cycle region will be set.
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TIP I’m assuming you want the entire song to cycle while you are concentrating on mixing volumes. However, you don’t have to cycle the entire song if you don’t want to. You can repeat Steps 2 through 4 for the left edge of the cycle region to set a bar other than bar 1 as the beginning of your cycle. If you want to move the entire cycle region to a different location in the song, you can click and hold the mouse button in the middle of the cycle region, and then drag the region to a new location. This is useful if you want to mix your song in sections— for example, eight or 16 bars at a time.
5.
Click on the play button. Your song will start to play.
TIP Alternatively, you can press the spacebar to start and stop playback instead of using the play button.
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6. Click and hold the mouse button on the volume slider for the track whose volume you want to adjust.
7.
Drag the volume slider to the left or right to lower or raise the volume of the track, respectively. The volume slider will move to the new location.
8.
Release the mouse button. The volume for the track will be adjusted.
TIP If you find that you want to start over with one or more tracks, you can press and hold the OPTION key and click on the volume slider of the track(s) to reset the volume to its default position, which is no volume adjustment (also known as unity gain).
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9.
Repeat Steps 6 through 8 for as many tracks as you feel need volume adjustments. If you adjust one track and decide that a track you previously adjusted needs to be readjusted, you can adjust that track again. Because your song is in cycle mode, it will continue playing.
10.
Click on the play button. Playback of your song will stop.
11. Click on the cycle button. Your song will no longer be in cycle mode.
Mixing the Pan Position of Your Tracks Another creative mixing technique is to vary the position of a track in the stereo field, which is also called adjusting the panorama (abbreviated to pan) position. This can help separate two sounds that are fighting for the same aural space. Adjusting the pan position can also make your mixes seem more engaging and textured. You’ll definitely want to experiment with this technique! You already know which knob is the Pan knob; now you will use it to adjust the pan position of multiple tracks.
1.
Click on the cycle button. The cycle region ruler will appear below the time ruler.
TIP You can also press the C key to toggle cycle mode on and off.
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2.
Click and hold on the right edge of the yellow cycle region in the cycle region ruler. The cursor will turn into a bar with arrows on either side.
3.
Drag the cycle region to the end of the song. The cycle region will extend to the measure you chose.
4.
Release the mouse button. The cycle region will be set.
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TIP I’m assuming you want the entire song to cycle while you are concentrating on mixing pan positions. However, you don’t have to cycle the entire song if you don’t want to. You can repeat Steps 2 through 4 for the left edge of the cycle region to set a bar other than bar 1 as the beginning of your cycle. If you want to move the entire cycle region to a different location in the song, you can click and hold the mouse button in the middle of the cycle region, and then drag the cycle region to a new location. This is useful if you want to mix your song in sections—for example, eight or 16 bars at a time.
5.
Click on the play button. Your song will start to play.
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6.
Click and hold on the Pan knob of the track for which you want to adjust the pan position.
7.
Drag the mouse up to move the pan position to the right. Drag the mouse down to move the pan position to the left. The Pan knob will turn toward the direction indicated by your mouse movements.
8.
Release the mouse button. The track will be placed at the point in the stereo field dictated by the new position of the Pan knob.
TIP If you find that you want to start over with one or more tracks, you can press and hold the OPTION key and click on the Pan knob of a track to reset the pan to its default position, which is no pan adjustment (with the track in the center of the stereo field).
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9.
Repeat Steps 6 through 8 for as many tracks as you want to place in different parts of the stereo field. If you decide that a track you previously adjusted needs to be readjusted, you can adjust that track again. Because your song is in cycle mode, it will continue playing.
10.
Click on the play button. Playback of your song will stop.
11. Click on the cycle button. Your song will no longer be in cycle mode.
Automating the Volume of a Track Sometimes, you might find that you want the volume of a track to be soft in one part, then louder, then soft again. Or you might want a track to fade in or fade out. GarageBand lets you draw a mini-timeline of volume changes for each track, known as a volume curve. You automate the volume by adding a control point on the volume curve at the point at which you want the volume to change, and then moving that control point to the volume you desire. When GarageBand plays, it will automatically change the volume based on the volume curve. Since it happens automatically, it is called automation. Automation in GarageBand is powerful, flexible, and simple!
NOTE Why is the mini-timeline called the volume curve? Because in more powerful audio and MIDI production applications, you aren’t limited to adding control points; you can add very smooth and precise volume ramps and curves. So even though you can’t actually make a smooth curve on GarageBand’s volume curve, Apple retained the accepted name for this line.
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Activating Track Volume Automation You can activate volume automation for every track in your Track List in the same way, regardless of track type.
1.
Click on the track for which you want to activate volume automation.
2.
Click on the down triangle button. The volume automation lane will appear.
3.
Click in the Track Volume check box. Volume automation will be activated for that track.
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4.
Confirm that the Track Volume check box is checked and that the volume curve changed to a deeper shade of blue (for a Real Instrument track) or green (for a Software Instrument track).
Adding Control Points The volume automation points are called control points—the same as the MIDI controller points were in Chapter 5. To create a volume change, you first need to add control points to the volume curve.
1. Move the mouse pointer to the location on the volume curve at which you want to add a control point.
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2. Click the mouse button. A new control point will appear.
Moving Control Points Once you have added control points, you can move them to the volume you desire. The volume of the track will then be controlled by the angle of the volume curve between control points.
1.
Click and hold the mouse button on a control point. The point will be selected.
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2. Drag the control point in any direction. The control point will move to the new location. 3.
Release the mouse button. The control point will be placed at the new location.
Adjusting the Volume for a Segment of a Track All volume adjustments are done by creating and moving points, as you just learned. The preceding exercise showed a fade-in (a gradual increase of volume). Fade-ins and fade-outs (gradual decreases of volume) only require two points—the initial song control point and the new one you add. But adjusting the volume of only a segment of your track will require four control points.
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1.
Scroll the Timeline to the location where you want to adjust the volume of a track.
NOTE Depending on whether you have already adjusted the horizontal zoom of your Timeline, you might want to drag the horizontal zoom slider (discussed in the previous chapter) to the right to increase the zoom level. When you are creating a number of control points at once, it’s a good idea to have a high zoom level for a higher resolution.
2.
Position the mouse at the beginning of the segment for which you want to adjust the volume.
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3.
Click the mouse button. A control point will be created.
4.
Move the mouse slightly to the right.
NOTE When I say “slightly” in Step 4, that’s exactly what I mean. The less you move your mouse, the more precise your volume adjustment will be.
5.
Click the mouse button. A control point will be created.
6. Position the mouse at the location at which you want your track to return to its original volume.
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7. Click the mouse button. A control point will be created. 8.
Move the mouse slightly to the right.
9.
Click the mouse button. A control point will be created.
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10.
Click on the third control point. The control point will be selected.
11. Press and hold the SHIFT key on your Macintosh keyboard and click on the second control point. Both the second and third control points will be selected.
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12. Click and hold on the second control point. 13.
Drag the control points up or down. The volume between the second and third control points will be adjusted.
Automating the Master Track of Your Song You explored the Master Track in Chapter 4. But the Master Track has another important use for your song—its volume curve controls the master volume for your entire song. As you can with all the other tracks in GarageBand, you can automate the volume of the Master Track.
Activating Master Track Automation You activate Master Track automation differently than you activate volume automation for other track types.
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1.
Click on Track. The Track menu will appear.
2.
Click on Show Master Track. The Master Track will appear.
TIP You can also press COMMAND + B to show the Master Track, bypassing Steps 1 and 2.
3.
Click in the Master Volume check box. Master Volume automation will be activated.
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Creating a Song Fade-Out with Master Track Automation The Master Track is automated exactly the same way as any other track. This means all the exercises for adding and moving control points and adjusting volume for only a segment of a track also apply to automating the Master Track. Please refer to the exercises earlier in this chapter to learn how to use the volume curve for the Master Track. I do want to give you one exercise specifically for the Master Track, however. The most popular use for Master Track automation is to fade out your song at the end, which requires the creation of two automation points.
1.
Move the mouse pointer to the location on the volume curve at which you want to begin your fade-out.
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2. Click on the volume curve. A control point will appear. 3.
Move the mouse pointer to the location on the volume curve directly below the end-of-song marker.
4. Click on the volume curve. A control point will appear. 5.
Click and hold on the control point. The control point will be selected.
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6.
Drag the control point to the bottom of the Master Track automation lane. The master output will begin to lower at your first control point and will continue to drop until the end of your song.
NOTE Just as all the automation exercises in the “Automating the Volume of a Track” section apply to automating the Master Track, you can use the steps for this exercise on creating a fade-out on a regular track as well.
Exporting Your Song to iTunes Finally, your work has paid off and you have completed your first song in GarageBand. It’s time to share it! Even if you don’t plan to share your song with anyone, you might have an iPod or another media player that you want to use to listen to your song. Or perhaps you just want to place your song in your iTunes library so you can listen to it with all your other songs. GarageBand can create a single stereo file of your song that includes all of your tracks, track automation, and master volume automation, and then put it in your playlist in iTunes.
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1.
Click on File. The File menu will appear.
2. Click on Export to iTunes. The export process will begin.
The Creating mixdown progress bar will show you how much of your export has been completed.
NOTE If you decide that you do not want to complete the export process, you can click on the Cancel button to stop the process.
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After the mixdown, a playlist with your name will be created in iTunes. This playlist will include all your exported GarageBand songs. Now you’re ready to move your song to other playlists or your iPod, or share it with your friends!
NOTE GarageBand exports all songs at CD quality. Technically, this means your song will be a 16-bit, 44.1-kHz AIFF file, just like a song copied to your Macintosh from a compact disc. If you want to compress your song to MP3, AAC, or any other format, you will need to do that on your own. You can use iTunes itself to compress your file, if you need to. In general, you will not need to compress your song if you just want to listen to it in iTunes or on your iPod. You will only need to compress your song if you are going to post it on the Internet or you need to reduce your song file size to share it with your friends.
Further Music Creation Options on the Macintosh Once you get the hang of GarageBand, you might just find that making music on your Mac is contagious. Have you caught the bug? If you have, don’t worry—you have many options!
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Loop-Based Music Creation Tools If you fell in love with making music using Apple Loops, there are a number of great applications that are built around using loops. Here are two fantastic examples.
• Apple Computer’s own Soundtrack lets you compose music using Apple Loops, ACID loops, and audio files— as well as your own audio and MIDI recordings. As its name implies, Soundtrack not only allows you to compose songs, but you can also match them up to video. This is a must-have for the sound-to-picture crowd!
• Ableton Live is a best-in-class audio loop sequencer that allows you to record and manipulate loops in unimaginably flexible and professional ways. It does not support Apple Loops; however, if you launch Ableton Live after you launch GarageBand, Live will synchronize with GarageBand so you can use GarageBand for your Apple Loops and Live for its own looping wizardry!
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Software Studio Applications Software studio music creation applications are programs that offer you their own complete set of software instruments with which you can make music. There are a number of such studio-in-a-box tools, but the most popular one is Propellerhead’s Reason. It offers fantastic software instruments, high-quality effects, and great looping tools. It does not support Apple Loops; however, if you launch Reason after you launch GarageBand, Reason will synchronize with GarageBand so you can use GarageBand for your Apple Loops and Reason for its own top-quality software instruments!
Digital Audio Sequencers Imaging a more powerful version of GarageBand, with professional audio editing features, full recording-studio capabilities, high-quality software instruments, the ability to read and write to nearly any professional audio format, and so on. This describes the digital audio workstations. Most modern music is recorded digitally on Pro Tools, Logic, Cubase, or Digital Perfomer—four world-class digital audio applications available for the Macintosh.
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Logic Pro by Emagic, a subsidiary of Apple Computer, is an excellent example of a flexible and powerful digital audio sequencer. It offers unbeatable software instruments, audio editing and processing, MIDI sequencing and editing, and media management. Future versions of Logic should be able to open your GarageBand songs directly and use Apple Loops.
A
Adding the GarageBand Jam Pack DVD GarageBand comes with more than 2 GB of professional-quality Software Instruments and Apple Loops. (In fact, many of the Software Instruments are taken from Emagic’s Logic Pro, a truly professional digital audio sequencing program.) This is more than enough for you to create exciting, polished songs using GarageBand. However, you might want more. When you are ready to expand GarageBand, the GarageBand Jam Pack offers an additional 3 GB of Apple Loops, instruments, and effects to GarageBand. This appendix will walk you through installing the GarageBand Jam Pack DVD.
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1.
Insert the GarageBand Jam Pack DVD into your DVD drive. The GarageBand Jam Pack DVD icon will appear on your desktop and the GarageBand Jam Pack window will appear.
2.
Double-click on Read Before You Install GarageBand Jam Pack. The ReadMe text file will open in TextEdit.
3.
Click on the scroll arrow to read the entire text file. This will familiarize you with the GarageBand Jam Pack system requirements and features.
NOTE You don’t need to worry too much about the system requirements; they are the same as the requirements for GarageBand. If your Mac can run GarageBand, it can run the GarageBand Jam Pack. The main thing to make sure is that your hard drive has enough room (3 GB) to install the Jam Pack.
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4.
293
Click on TextEdit. The TextEdit menu will appear.
5. Click on Quit TextEdit. TextEdit will close. TIP You can also press COMMAND + Q to quit TextEdit, bypassing Steps 4 and 5.
6.
Double-click on GarageBand_Jam_Pack.pkg. The GarageBand Jam Pack installer will launch.
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7.
Click on Continue. The installer will run a program in the background, verifying that it can install the GarageBand Jam Pack on your computer.
8.
Click on Continue in the Introduction window. The installer will proceed to the ReadMe window.
NOTE If you have GarageBand Jam Pack version 1.0, the ReadMe file that you read in Step 3 is the same as what is in the ReadMe window in Step 9. You don’t need to read it again unless you want to.
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9.
Click on Continue. The installer will proceed to the License window.
10.
Click on the scroll arrow to read the entire software license.
11.
Click on Continue. The license agreement box will appear.
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12.
Click on Agree. The installer will proceed to the Select Destination window.
13.
Click on the icon for the hard drive onto which you want to install the GarageBand Jam Pack.
CAUTION If the GarageBand Jam Pack cannot be installed onto a hard drive, an exclamation point will appear over the drive’s icon.
14.
Click on Continue. The installer will proceed to the Installation Type screen.
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15. Click on Install. The GarageBand Jam Pack will begin to install and a Product Registration dialog box will open.
• If you have previously registered your GarageBand Jam Pack, if your computer is not connected to the Internet, or if you don’t want to register your product during installation, click on Later.
• If you have not registered your GarageBand Jam Pack yet and your computer is connected to the Internet, click on Register Online to quickly register your GarageBand Jam Pack with Apple Computer while the DVD is installing. Apple’s Web site will walk you through the registration procedure.
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16.
Click on Close. You have successfully installed the GarageBand Jam Pack! You can now access the additional Apple Loops, effects, and instruments the same way you access the basic ones.
B
GarageBand Online Resources A great place to look for information, resources, and communities of people who use GarageBand is on the Internet. Here are just a few Web sites to get you started.
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APPENDIX B: GARAGEBAND ONLINE RESOURCES
Official Apple GarageBand Web Site GarageBand: http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband
Free Apple Loops Bitshift Audio/GlareSoft: http://www.bitshiftaudio.com Access Music: http://www.access-music.de Directions in Music: http://www.directionsinmusic.com Drums on Demand (free and commercial Apple Loops): http://www.drumsondemand.com
Online GarageBand Communities iCompositions.com: http://www.icompositions.com MacJams.com: http://www.macjams.com SonicCat.com: http://www.soniccat.com AppleGarage: http://www.applegarage.com
Index A AAC, 287 Ableton Live loops, 288 About This Mac dialog box, 2-3 accessing. See selecting ACID loops, 288 acoustic guitars, 190-191 Add Track button, 23, 62, 96 adding loops GarageBand, 142-144 songs, 132-139 aliases, 14 Amp Simulation effect, 256-258 amps, 256-258 analog basic synthesizers, 197-201 analog mono synthesizers, 201-204 analog pad synthesizers, 205-209 analog swirl synthesizers, 209-213 analog sync synthesizers, 213-216 Apple GarageBand. See GarageBand Loops. See loops Soundtrack, 288
applications, studios, 289 audio. See Real Instruments audio sequencers, 289-291 Audio Unit Effects, 261-262 Audio Unit Modules, 259-260 auditioning loops Button view, 123-125 Column view, 127 Authenticate dialog box, 9-10 Auto Wah effect, 254-255 Automatic Filter effect, 243-245 automating Master Track, 281-285 volume, 272-281
B background noise, 233 bass, 192-193 Bass Reduction effect, 238-239 beats beats per minute (bpm), 42 loops, 121 time signatures, 48 beats per minute (bpm), 42 Bitcrusher effect, 242-243 blue tracks (Real Instruments), 101 bpm (beats per minute), 42
browsing. See Loop Browser buffer (audio), 21 Button view, 122-125 Button View button, 122 buttons Add Track, 23, 62, 96 Button View, 122 Close, 37-38 Column View, 127 Cycle, 73, 104 Edit Parameter, 178 Fix Timing, 82, 85 Loop Browser, 23, 120-121, 142 mono, 99 Mute, 166 New Folder, 32 Play, 79, 109 Record, 71-72, 103 Solo, 166 stereo, 99 Timeline Grid, 147 Track Editor, 23, 81-82, 110 Track Info, 66 view buttons, 121
C C keyboard shortcut, 73, 105 CD, installing GarageBand, 4
302
INDEX
Chorus effect, 246-249 clavinets, 231-232 Clipboard, 158-161 Close button, 37-38 Close command (File menu), 36 closing GarageBand, 36-39 songs, 36-39 windows, 48 Column view, 125-127 Column View button, 127 COMMAND keyboard shortcut, 90 COMMAND+, (comma) keyboard shortcut, 17 COMMAND+B keyboard shortcut, 46, 282 COMMAND+C keyboard shortcut, 159 COMMAND+E keyboard shortcut, 81, 111 COMMAND+G keyboard shortcut, 113, 146 COMMAND+I keyboard shortcut, 47, 66 COMMAND+J keyboard shortcut, 152 COMMAND+K keyboard shortcut, 68 COMMAND+L keyboard shortcut, 120, 142 COMMAND+N keyboard shortcut, 34 COMMAND+O keyboard shortcut, 28 COMMAND+OPTION+N keyboard shortcut, 62, 96 COMMAND+Q keyboard shortcut, 38 COMMAND+S keyboard shortcut, 32 COMMAND+T keyboard shortcut, 151, 170
COMMAND+V keyboard shortcut, 157 COMMAND+W keyboard shortcut, 36, 48 COMMAND+X keyboard shortcut, 155 commands Control menu Count In, 71, 102 Show Editor, 81, 111 Show Loop Browser, 120, 142 Snap to Grid, 112, 146 Edit menu Copy, 159 Cut, 155 Delete, 114, 156 Join Selected, 152 Paste, 157, 160 Split, 151 Undo, 85 File menu Close, 36 Export to iTunes, 286 New, 34, 42, 49, 54 Open, 28 Quit, 38 Revert to Saved, 33 Save, 32 Save As, 30 GarageBand menu, Preferences, 17 Track menu New Track, 62, 96 Show Master Track, 46, 51, 57, 282 Show Track Info, 170 Track Info, 66 Window menu, Keyboard, 68, 70 communities, Web sites, 300 compressing songs, 287
Compressor effect, 233 Control menu commands Count In, 71, 102 Show Editor, 81, 111 Show Loop Browser, 120, 142 Snap to Grid, 112, 146 control points, volume, 272-281 CONTROL+Z keyboard shortcut, 85 controls, transport controls, 23-25 Copy command (Edit menu), 159 copying regions, 158-161 Count In command (Control menu), 71, 102 CPU, system requirements, 2 creating folders, 32 notes, 89-90 songs, 34-35 tracks Real Instruments, 96-101 Software Instruments, 62-65 Cubase, 289-290 cursors, 162, 165 Cut command (Edit menu), 155 cutting regions, 154-158 cycle button, 73, 104 cycling. See also loops dragging, 74, 105 moving, 74, 105 toggling, 73, 105 tracks Real Instruments, 104-107 Software Instruments, 73-77
D delaying tempo, 234 Delete command (Edit menu), 114, 156
INDEX
DELETE keyboard shortcut, 114, 156 deleting effects, 174-175 loops, 138 regions Timeline, 156 Track Editor, 112-115 demo songs installing, 11 loading, 13-16 playing, 24-25 desktop aliases, 14 devices, audio, 17-20 dialog boxes. See also windows About This Mac, 2-3 Authenticate, 9-10 Install DVD, 4-11 New Project, 34-35 key, 54-56 tempo, 42-44 time signatures, 49-51 New Track, 62-65, 96-101 Open, 15-16, 28-29 Preferences, 17-21 Save, 30-32 Software Instrument parameters, 178 digital audio sequencers, 289-291 digital basic synthesizers, 217-220 digital mono synthesizers, 221-224 Digital Performer, 289-290 digital sample rates, 242-243 digital stepper synthesizers, 224-228 Display menu (Track Editor), 82 displaying. See opening distortion, 239-241
Distortion effect, 239-241 docking GarageBand, 14 dragging. See also moving cycling, 74, 105 GarageBand, 14 drawing (Pencil Tool), 89-90 drum kits, 194-195 DVD, installing GarageBand, 4
E Echo effect, 234 Edit menu commands Copy, 159 Cut, 155 Delete, 114, 156 Join Selected, 152 Paste, 157, 160 Split, 151 Undo, 85 Edit Parameter button, 178 editing Software Instruments effects, 177-183 tracks, 80-94 Real Instruments, 110-117 effects Audio Unit Effects, 261-262 fade-ins, 272-276 fade-outs, 283-285 GarageBand Jam Pack, 291 overview, 169 plug-ins, 261-262 slots, 232 Software Instrument parameters/presets, 177-183 tracks Amp Simulation, 256-258 Auto Wah, 254-255 Automatic Filter, 243-245 Bass Reduction, 238-239
303
Bitcrusher, 242-243 Chorus, 246-249 Compressor, 233 deleting, 174-175 Distortion, 239-241 Echo, 234 Equalizer, 235-237 Flanger, 247-249 Gate, 233 mute, 233 opening, 170-172 Overdrive, 240-241 Phaser, 249-251 Real Instruments, 97, 232 Reverb, 234 selecting, 172-174 Software Instruments, 176-177, 232 Treble Reduction, 237-238 Tremolo, 251-253 electric bass, 192-193 electric clavinets, 231-232 electric guitars, 190-191 electric pianos, 196-197 Emagic Logic Pro, 290-291 END keyboard shortcut, 78, 108 end-of-song marker Real Instruments, 108 Software Instruments, 77-78 Equalizer effect, 235-237 erasing. See deleting exclamation points (installing GarageBand), 7 Export to iTunes command (File menu), 286 exporting songs, 285-287
F fade-ins, 272-276 fade-outs, 283-285
304
INDEX
fast-forwarding songs, 23-25 favorites (loops) Button view, 124 Column view, 127 Loop Browser, 121 field, Track Names, 82, 111 File menu commands Close, 36 Export to iTunes, 286 New, 34, 42, 49, 54 Open, 28 Quit, 38 Revert to Saved, 33 Save, 32 Save As, 30 files. See songs filters, Automatic Filter effect, 243-245 Fix Timing button, 82, 85 Flanger effect, 247-249 flutes, 188-189 folders, creating, 32 fretless bass, 192-193
G G3 Macintoshes. See Software Instruments GarageBand aliases, 14 closing, 36-39 docking, 14 dragging, 14 installing, 1 CD, 4 DVD, 4 exclamation points, 7 instructions, 3-10 license, 6-7 location, 7-8 passwords, 9-10 system requirements, 2-3
Jam Pack installing, 292-298 overview, 291 launching, 13-16 loops, adding, 142-144 quitting, 38-39 Web site, 300 GarageBand menu command, Preferences, 17 Gate effect, 233 Generator menu, 176, 259-262 grand pianos, 183-184 green tracks (Software Instruments), 101 grids Timeline opening, 146 overview, 146 values, 147-148 toggling, 146 Track Editor, 112-113 groups, tracks, 63 guitars, 190-191 acoustic, 190-191 bass, 192-193 distortion, 239-241 electric, 190-191 steel, 190-191 tube-based amps, 256-258 wah wah, 244, 254-255
H hardware monitoring, 100 horns, 186-187
I icons (tracks) Real Instruments, 98-99 Software Instruments, 64 iLife. See GarageBand input, audio, 17-20
Input menu, 100-101 Install DVD dialog box, 4-11 Installation Type window, 8-9 installing demo songs, 11 GarageBand, 1 CD, 4 DVD, 4 exclamation points, 7 instructions, 3-10 license, 6-7 location, 7-8 passwords, 9-10 system requirements, 2-3 GarageBand Jam Pack, 292-298 instruments audio, 17-20 real. See Real Instruments software. See Software Instruments track lists, adding, 23 iPod, 285-287 iTunes, 285-287
J Join Selected command (Edit menu), 152 joining regions, 152-153
K key. See also notes loops, 54 browsing, 130-131 Loop Browser, 121, 124 Master Tracks, 57-59 New Project dialog box, 54-56 notes, 54 overview, 54 Real Instruments, 59 scales, 54
INDEX
Software Instruments, 59 transposing, 54 Keyboard command (Window menu), 68, 70 keyboard shortcuts C, 73, 105 COMMAND, 90 COMMAND+, (comma), 17 COMMAND+B, 46, 282 COMMAND+C, 159 COMMAND+E, 81, 111 COMMAND+G, 113, 146 COMMAND+I, 47, 66 COMMAND+J, 152 COMMAND+K, 68 COMMAND+L, 120, 142 COMMAND+N, 34 COMMAND+O, 28 COMMAND+OPTION+N, 62, 96 COMMAND+Q, 38 COMMAND+S, 32 COMMAND+T, 151, 170 COMMAND+V, 157 COMMAND+W, 36, 48 COMMAND+X, 155 CONTROL+Z, 85 DELETE, 114, 156 END, 78, 108 OPTION, 267 R, 72, 103 SHIFT, 87, 150 SHIFT+COMMAND+S, 30 spacebar, 72, 79, 104, 109 Z, 79, 109 keyboards MIDI. See also Software Instruments Track Editor, 91-94 tracks, 67 troubleshooting, 67
onscreen, 68-72 organs, 228-230 pianos, 183, 184 electric, 196-197 grand, 183-184 tine, 196-197 Wurlitzer, 196-197 keywords, browsing loops, 128-129 knobs, Pan. See panning
L launching. See opening license, GarageBand, 6-7 License window, 6-7 list. See Track List loading. See opening location installing GarageBand, 7-8 songs, 31, 35 Logic, 289-290 Logic Pro, 290-291 Loop Browser, 120-131 beats, 121 Button view, 122-125 auditioning, 123-125 favorites, 124 Column view, 125-127 auditioning, 127 favorites, 127 favorites, 121 key, 121, 124-131 keywords, 128-129 loops, 121 names, 121 opening, 120 overview, 120-121 Scale menu, 121 scales, 130-131 tempo, 124
305
Text Search window, 121 types, 121 view buttons, 121 volume slider, 121 Loop Browser button, 23, 120, 142 loop cursor, 162, 165 loops. See also cycling Ableton Live, 288 ACID, 288 auditioning Button view, 123-125 Column view, 127 browsing, 120-131 Button view, 122-125 Column view, 125-127 key, 124, 130-131 keywords, 128-129 scales, 130-131 tempo, 124 deleting, troubleshooting, 138 favorites Button view, 124 Column view, 127 GarageBand, adding, 142-144 GarageBand Jam Pack, 291 Loop Browser beats, 121 Button view, 122-125 Column view, 125-127 favorites, 121 instrument types, 121 key, 121 names, 121 opening, 120 overview, 120-121 Scale menu, 121 Text Search window, 121 view buttons, 121 volume slider, 121 overview, 119
306
INDEX
loops (continued) regions joining, 152 overlapping, 138 size, 164 Timeline, 161-163 Track Editor, 116-117 troubleshooting, 162 songs adding, 132-139 key, 54 Timelines, 132-135 transposing, 140-141 Soundtrack, 288 time signatures, 53 tracks Real Instruments, 134-139 Software Instruments, 135-139 troubleshooting, 135 Web sites, 300
M Macintoshes, G3. See Software Instruments Master Tracks automating, 281-285 key, 57-59 opening, 46 tempo, 46-48 time signatures, 51-53 master volume, 22 measures. See time memory, system requirements, 2 microphones, 17-20 MIDI controller. See MIDI keyboards MIDI keyboards. See also Software Instruments Track Editor, 91-94
tracks, 67 troubleshooting, 67 mixing overview, 264 regions panning, 270 volume, 266 tracks, 22, 165-168 Master, 281-285 panning, 268-272 unity gain, 267 volume, 264-268, 272-281 modulation, 247-251 mono tracks (Real Instruments), 99 mono button, 99 moving. See also dragging cycling, 74, 105 notes Software Instruments, 85-87 Track Editor, 85-87 playheads, 150 regions Real Instruments, 154 Software Instruments, 154 Timeline, 153-154 Track Editor, 115-116 MP3, 287 Mute button, 166 mute effect, 233 muting tracks, 166
N names loops, 121 songs, 31, 35 New command (File menu), 34, 42, 49, 54 New Folder button, 32 New Project dialog box, 34-35 key, 54-56
tempo, 42-44 time signatures, 49-51 New Track command (Track menu), 62, 96 New Track dialog box, 62-65, 96-101 noise, troubleshooting, 233 notes. See also key key, 54 Software Instruments (Track Editor) creating, 89-90 moving, 85-87 selecting, 87 size, 88-89 timing, 84-85 time signatures, 48 Track Editor, 82-83 volume, troubleshooting, 233
O onscreen keyboard, 68-72 Open command (File menu), 28 Open dialog box, 15-16, 28-29 opening demo songs, 13-16 GarageBand, 13-16 grid (Timeline), 146 Loop Browser, 120 Master Tracks, 46 regions (Track Editor), 80-81, 110-111 songs, 28-29 tracks effects, 170-172 information, 47 OPTION keyboard shortcut, 267 organs, 228-230 output, audio, 17-20 Overdrive effect, 240-241 overlapping regions (loops), 138
INDEX
P Pan knob, 167 panning mixing regions, 270 tracks, 268-272 Pan knob, 167 tracks, 167 panorama. See panning parameters (Software Instrument effects), 177-183 passwords, installing GarageBand, 9-10 Paste command (Edit menu), 157, 160 pasting Timeline regions, 154-161 Pencil Tool, 89-90 performance, audio, 21 Phaser effect, 249-251 pianos, 183, 184 electric, 196-197 grand, 183-184 tine, 196-197 Wurlitzer, 196-197 Play button, 79, 109 playback audio, 21 tracks Real Instruments, 107-109 Software Instruments, 77-79 playheads moving, 150 Software Instruments, 71-72, 79, 109 playing demo songs, 24-25 songs (transport controls), 23-25 toggling, 72, 104
tracks (Software Instruments), 67-69 plug-ins effects, 261-262 Software Instruments, 259260 Preferences command (GarageBand menu), 17 Preferences dialog box, 17-21 presets (Software Instrument effects), 177-183 Pro Tools, 289-290 programs, studios, 289 projects. See songs Proprellerhead Reason, 289 punch-in recording, 104
Q Quit command (File menu), 38 quitting GarageBand, 38-39 songs, 38-39
R R keyboard shortcut, 72, 103 RAM system requirements, 2 ReadMe window, 5-6 Real Instruments buffer size, 21 devices, 17-20 indicator (Loop Browser), 121 input, 17-20 instruments, 17-20 key, 59 microphones, 17-20 ouput, 17-20 overview, 95 performance, 21 regions deleting, 112-115 joining, 152
307
looping, 116-117 moving, 115-116, 154 opening, 110-111 size, 164 speakers, 17-20 speed, 21 toggling cycling, 105 playing, 104 recording, 103 Track Editor deleting regions, 112-115 grid, 112-113 looping regions, 116-117 moving regions, 115-116 opening regions, 110-111 overview, 111-112 Track Names field, 111 Transpose slider, 112 Waveform window, 112-115 zoom slider, 82, 86, 111-113 tracks blue, 101 creating, 96-101 cycling, 104-107 editing, 110-117 effects, 97, 232 end-of-song marker, 108 hardware monitoring, 100 icons, 98-99 loops, 134-139 measures, 102, 103 mono, 99 playback, 21, 107-109 punch-in recording, 104 recording, 102-107 selecting, 97 software monitoring, 99-100 stereo, 99 tempo, 45 troubleshooting, 21
308
INDEX
Reason, 289 Record button, 71-72, 103 recording punch-in recording, 104 Real Instruments, 102-107 Software Instruments, 70-77 toggling, 72, 103 transport controls, 23 regions deleting, 112-115, 156 loops joining, 152 overlapping, 138 size, 164 Timeline, 161-163 Track Editor, 116-117 troubleshooting, 162 mixing panning, 270 volume, 266 moving, 115-116, 154 opening, 80-81, 110-111 Real Instruments joining, 152 moving, 154 size, 164 Software Instruments moving, 154 size, 164 Timeline copying, 158-161 cutting, 154-158 deleting, 156 joining, 152-153 loops, 161-163 moving, 153-154 pasting, 154-161 selecting multiple, 150 size, 163-165 splitting, 149-151 removing. See deleting
resize cursor, 162, 165 Reverb effect, 234 Revert to Saved command (File menu), 33 rewinding songs (transport controls), 23, 25 rhythms. See beats
S sample rates, 242-243 Save As command (File menu), 30 Save command (File menu), 32 Save dialog box, 30-32 saving songs, 30-33 folders, 32 location, 31 naming, 31 undoing, 33 versions, 33 saxophones, 188-189 Scale menu (Loop Browser), 121 scales loops, browsing, 130-131 key, 54 searching. See Loop Browser Select Destination window, 7-8 selecting notes Software Instruments, 87 Track Editor, 87 regions, multiple, 150 tracks effects, 172-174 Real Instruments, 97 Software Instruments, 65-66 sequencers, 289-291 SHIFT keyboard shortcut, 87, 150 SHIFT+COMMAND+S keyboard shortcut, 30
Show Editor command (Control menu), 81, 111 Show Loop Browser (Control menu), 120, 142 Show Master Track (Track menu), 282 Show Master Track command (Track menu), 46, 51, 57 Show Track Info command (Track menu), 170 showing. See opening sites, 300 size buffer, 21 notes, 88-89 regions, 163-165 slap bass, 192-193 sliders tempo slider, 44-45 transpose slider, 82, 112 velocity slider, 82 volume slider Loop Browser, 121 tracks, 168 zoom Timeline, 23, 148-149 Track Editor, 82, 86, 111, 113 slots (effects), 232 Snap to Grid (Control menu), 146 Snap to Grid command (Control menu), 112 Snap to Grids. See grids Software Instrument parameter dialog box, 178 Software Instruments Audio Unit Modules, 259-260 bass, 192-193 drum kits, 194-195 effect parameters/presets, 177-183 electric clavinets, 231-232
INDEX
flutes, 188-189 G3 Macintoshes, 16 GarageBand Jam Pack, 291 guitars, 190-191 acoustic, 190-191 distortion, 239-241 electric, 190-191 steel, 190-191 tube-based amps, 256-258 wah wah, 244, 254-255 horns, 186-187 indicator (Loop Browser), 121 key, 59 notes creating, 89-90 moving, 85-87 selecting, 87 size, 88-89 timing, 84-85 overview, 61 pianos, 183-184 electric, 196-197 grand, 183-184 tine, 196-197 Wurlitzer, 196-197 plug-ins, 259-260 regions moving, 154 size, 164 saxophones, 188-189 strings, 185-186 synthesizers analog basic, 197-201 analog mono, 201-204 analog pad, 205-209 analog swirl, 209-213 analog sync, 213-216 digital basic, 217-220 digital mono, 221-224 digital stepper, 224-228 time signatures, 53
toggling cycling, 73 playing, 72 recording, 72 tonewheel organs, 228-230 Track Editor creating notes, 89-90 Display menu, 82 Fix Timing button, 82 MIDI keyboards, 91-94 moving notes, 85-87 note size, 88-89 note timing, 84-85 notes, 82-83 opening regions, 80-81 overview, 81-83 selecting notes, 87 Track Names field, 82 Transpose slider, 82 Velocity slider, 82 zoom slider, 82, 86, 111, 113 tracks creating, 62-65 cycling, 73-77 editing, 80-94 effects, 176-177, 232 end-of-song marker, 77-78 green, 101 groups, 63 icons, 64 loops, 135-139 measures, 71 MIDI keyboard, 67 onscreen keyboard, 68-72 playback, 77-79 playheads, 71-72, 79, 109 playing, 67-69 recording, 70-77 selecting, 65-66 types, 63
309
troubleshooting, 67 woodwinds, 188-189 software monitoring, 99-100 solo tracks, 166 Solo button, 166 songs, 27 AAC, 287 closing, 36-39 compressing, 287 creating, 34-35 location, 35 naming, 35 demo songs installing, 11 loading, 13-16 playing, 24-25 exporting, 285-287 fast-forwarding, 23, 25 iPod, 285-287 iTunes, 285-287 key, 41 loops, 54 Master Tracks, 57-59 New Project dialog box, 54-56 notes, 54 overview, 54 Real Instruments, 59 scales, 54 Software Instruments, 59 transposing, 54 loops adding, 132-139 Timelines, 132-135 transposing, 140-141 mixing, overview, 264 MP3, 287 opening, 28-29 playing, 23, 25 quitting, 38-39 recording, 23
310
INDEX
songs (continued) regions. See regions rewinding, 23, 25 saving, 30-32 folders, 32 location, 31 naming, 31 undoing, 33 versions, 33 stopping, 23 sync, troubleshooting, 146 tempo, 22, 41 bpm, 42 Master Tracks, 46-48 New Project dialog box, 42-44 overview, 42 tempo slider, 44-45 time display, 22 time signatures beats, 48 loops, 53 Master Tracks, 51-53 measures, 48 New Project dialog box, 49-51 notes, 48 overview, 48-49 Software Instruments, 53 tracks. See tracks Soundtrack loops, 288 spacebar keyboard shortcut, 72, 79, 104, 109 speakers, 17-20 speed. See tempo Split command (Edit menu), 151 splitting Timeline regions, 149-151 starting. See opening
steel guitars, 190-191 stereo panning mixing, 268-272 regions, 270 Real Instruments, 99 stereo button, 99 stopping songs (transport controls), 23 strings, 185-186 studios (software), 289 sync, troubleshooting, 146 synthesizers analog basic, 197-201 analog mono, 201-204 analog pad, 205-209 analog swirl, 209-213 analog sync, 213-216 digital basic, 217-220 digital mono, 221-224 digital stepper, 224-228 system requirements, 2-3
T tempo, 21-22, 41 bpm, 42 delaying, 234 loops, 124 Master Tracks, 46-48 New Project dialog box, 42-44 overview, 42 Real Instruments, 45 tempo slider, 44-45 troubleshooting, 45 tempo slider, 44-45 Text Search window (Loop Browser), 121 third-party software. See plug-ins
time display, 22 Real Instruments, 102-103 Software Instruments, 71 signatures beats, 48 loops, 53 Master Tracks, 51-53 measures, 48 New Project dialog box, 49-51 notes, 48 overview, 48-49 Software Instruments, 53 Timeline Grid button, 147 Timeline Grid menu, 147-148 Timelines, 22 grids, 146 opening, 146 values, 147-148 loops, songs, 132-135 regions copying, 158-161 cutting, 154-158 deleting, 156 joining, 152-153 loops, 161-163 moving, 153-154 pasting, 154-161 selecting multiple, 150 size, 163-165 splitting, 149-151 zoom slider, 23, 148-149 timing, notes, 84-85 tine pianos, 196-197 toggling cycling, 73, 105 grid, 146 playing, 72, 104 recording, 72, 103
INDEX
tonewheel organ, 228-230 Tool, Pencil, 89-90 Track Editor Real Instruments deleting regions, 112-115 grid, 112-113 looping regions, 116-117 moving regions, 115-116 opening regions, 110-111 overview, 111-112 Track Names field, 111 Transpose slider, 112 Waveform window, 112-115 zoom slider, 82, 86, 111-113 Software Instruments creating notes, 89-90 Display menu, 82 Fix Timing button, 82 MIDI keyboards, 91-94 moving notes, 85-87 note size, 88-89 note timing, 84-85 notes, 82-83 opening regions, 80-81 overview, 81-83 selecting notes, 87 Track Names field, 82 Transpose slider, 82 Velocity slider, 82 zoom slider, 82, 86, 111, 113 Track Editor button, 23, 81, 110 Track Info button, 66 Track Info command (Track menu), 66 Track Info window, 47, 66, 170-171 Track List, 22 instruments, adding, 23 tracks muting, 166
panning, 167 solo, 166 volume slider, 168 Track menu commands New Track, 62, 96 Show Master Track, 46, 51, 57, 282 Show Track Info, 170 Track Info, 66 Track Names field (Track Editor), 82, 111 tracks effects Amp Simulation, 256-258 Auto Wah, 254-255 Automatic Filter, 243-245 Bass Reduction, 238-239 Bitcrusher, 242-243 Chorus, 246-249 Compressor, 233 deleting, 174-175 Distortion, 239-241 Echo, 234 Equalizer, 235-237 Flanger, 247-249 Gate, 233 mute, 233 opening, 170-172 Overdrive, 240-241 Phaser, 249-251 Real Instruments, 232 Reverb, 234 selecting, 172-174 Software Instruments, 176-177, 232 Treble Reduction, 237-238 Tremolo, 251-253 instruments, adding, 23 loops Real Instruments, 134-139
311
Software Instruments, 135-139 troubleshooting, 135 Master automating, 281-285 key, 57-59 opening, 46 tempo, 46-48 time signatures, 51-53 mixing, 22, 165-168 panning, 268-272 unity gain, 267 volume, 264-268, 272-281 modulation, 247-251 muting, 166 panning, 167, 268-272 Real Instruments blue, 101 creating, 96-101 cycling, 104-107 editing, 110-117 effects, 97 end-of-song marker, 108 hardware monitoring, 100 icons, 98-99 key, 59 loops, 134-139 measures, 102-103 mono, 99 playback, 107-109 punch-in recording, 104 recording, 102-107 selecting, 97 software monitoring, 99-100 stereo, 99 tempo, 45 regions. See regions sample rates, 242-243
312
INDEX
tracks (continued) Software Instruments creating, 62-65 cycling, 73-77 editing, 80-94 end-of-song marker, 77-78 green, 101 groups, 63 icons, 64 key, 59 loops, 135-139 measures, 71 MIDI keyboard, 67 onscreen keyboard, 68-72 playback, 77-79 playheads, 71-72, 79, 109 playing, 67-69 recording, 70-77 selecting, 65-66 types, 63 solo, 166 tempo delaying, 234 Master Tracks, 46-48 troubleshooting, 235-237 background noise, 233 loops, 135 note volume, 233 viewing information, 47 volume automating, 272-281 control points, 272-281 fade-ins, 272-276 fade-outs, 283-285 mixing, 264-268, 272-281 mute effect, 233 muting, 166 notes, troubleshooting, 233 vibrating, 251-253 volume slider, 168
transport controls, 23-25 Transpose slider (Track Editor), 82, 112 transposing key, 54 loops, 140-141 Treble Reduction effect, 237-238 Tremolo effect, 251-253 troubleshooting audio, 21 loops deleting, 138 regions, 162 tracks, 135 MIDI keyboard, 67 Software Instruments, 67 songs sync, 146 tempo, 45 tracks, 235-237 background noise, 233 loops, 135 note volume, 233 tempo, 234 tube-based amps, 256-258
U Undo command (Edit menu), 85 undoing saving, 33 unity gain, 267 upright bass, 192-193
V values, grid, 147-148 Velocity slider (Track Editor), 82 versions, songs, 33 vibrating volume, 251-253 view buttons (Loop Browser), 121 viewing. See opening
views Button, 122-125 Column, 125-127 virtual keyboards, 68-72 volume automating, 272-281 control points, 272-281 fade-ins, 272-276 fade-outs, 283-285 mixing regions, 266 tracks, 264-268, 272-281 unity gain, 267 mute effect, 233 muting, 166 notes, troubleshooting, 233 slider, 22 vibrating tracks, 251-253 volume curve, 272-281 volume slider Loop Browser, 121 tracks, 168 volume curve, 272-281 volume slider Loop Browser, 121 tracks, 168
W wah wah guitars, 244, 254-255 Waveform window (Track Editor), 112-115 Web sites, 300 Window menu command, Keyboard, 68, 70 windows. See also dialog boxes closing, 48 Installation Type, 8-9 License, 6-7 ReadMe, 5-6
INDEX
Select Destination, 7-8 Text Search, 121 Track Editor. See Track Editor Track Info, 47, 66, 170-171 Waveform, 112-115 woodwinds, 188-189 Wurlitzer pianos, 196-197
X-Z Z keyboard shortcut, 79, 109 zoom slider Timeline, 23, 148-149 Track Editor, 82, 86, 111, 113
313
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You’ve mastered the basic features of GarageBand with GarageBand Ignite!. Now get ready for the next step. GarageBand ™ CSi Starter is the ideal tool for beginners who are ready to jump in and get their hands dirty with some interactive training. This one-of-a-kind tutorial CD-ROM offers a multitude of movie tutorials that allow you to work your way through a basic production from start to finish as you quickly get down to the business of producing a song with GarageBand. Sit back and watch a DAW pro show you the ins and outs and then switch over to GarageBand and try it yourself. Use the quizzing feature to test your skills along the way! Work your way through easy-to-follow tutorials, including: ■
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