Mac 101: GarageBand

Summary
Apple computers have long been the tool of choice for recording professionals around the world, but you don't need thousands of dollars worth of gear and a record producer to make professional-sounding recordings. With GarageBand, all you need is an appreciation for music.

session with a complete 3D view of the instruments. GarageBand 5 is part of the iLife '09 package. It includes music instruction. It allows the user to buy instructional videos by contemporary artists. It also contains new features for electric guitar players, including a dedicated 3D Electric Guitar Track containing a virtual stompbox pedalboard, and virtual amplifiers with spring reverb and tremolo. GarageBand 5 also includes a cleaner and redesigned user interface, as well as Project Templates. GarageBand 6, also known as GarageBand '11, is part of the iLife '11 package, which was released on October 20, 2010. This version brings new features, such as Flex Time, a tool to adjust the rhythm of a recording; the ability to match the tempo of one track with another instantly; additional guitar amps and stompboxes; 22 new lessons for guitar and piano; and How Did I Play?, a tool to measure the accuracy and progress of a piano or guitar performance in a lesson.

microphone or plugging the instrument directly in (or through an audio interface/mixer), you can record an instrument being played or vocals. You can apply several effects to the waveform such as "Glam" if you wanted an electrical guitar sound or "Deeper Vocals" to pitch down a particular track. GarageBand can convert software instrument loops into real instrument loops to reduce CPU overhead. Both tracks can be used together in the final production. A software instrument drum line could loop continuously, a real instrument track plays a melody recorded on the trombone, while a third track plays separately recorded vocals. Software, Real, and Electric Guitar Tracks can all be edited using the Track Editor, where common copy, split, paste commands can be used. Also, all of these tracks can be further manipulated by advanced functions such as Enhance Tuning also known as Auto Tuning, Enhance Timing, and Transposing. From GarageBand 3 onwards, a movie track can be added to allow for accurate film scoring, and a Podcast track can also be added to provide a photo stream for iPods with screens.

Whether you want to record your musical performances or build up a song using loops, anyone can create a masterpiece with GarageBand. GarageBand is a multitrack recording application that contains a complete collection of audio tools for experienced recording veterans and novices alike. You can record real audio pieces, play with software instruments, create parts using Apple Loops, add effects, mix your music and play it all back with iTunes or include in your iMovies.

Interface
GarageBand has a standard multi-track dragand-drop interface where different (pre-) recorded sections, or loops, are strung together on separate tracks. The program comes with pre-made loops to speed up song creation. GarageBand uses two types of media: software instruments (either recorded from GarageBand or imported from MIDI files), and real instruments (either recorded or imported audio files). Software instruments are instruments built into the application similar to a synthesizer, and appear green in GarageBand. The software instruments included in the retail version of GarageBand range from a Grand Piano, to synth-based effects. More instruments may be purchased via Apple's Jam Packs or third-party software. There are several ways of recording a software instrument section, but the preferable method is to connect a MIDI keyboard using a USB cable or a MIDI interface, and have the session recorded in GarageBand. GarageBand also includes both an on-screen Grand Piano, and a "Musical Typing" window. The versatility of software instruments extends to the pre-made loops provided by Apple. For instance, a loop designed for an electric piano could be placed on a church organ track to create a more religious feel. In addition to a standard piano-roll editing system (with musical notes presented on the vertical axis, and time or beats presented on the horizontal axis), GarageBand can compile real musical notation based on the (pre-) recorded track. Starting with GarageBand 4 ('08), this notation can be printed. Notes can be added; modified in length, position or pitch; or deleted. The other type of track is called a "Real Instrument" track presented in blue. Using a

Features of GarageBand
Audio recording GarageBand is a streamlined digital audio workstation (DAW) and music sequencer, which can record and play back multiple tracks of audio. Built-in audio filters allow the user to enhance the audio track for recording guitar instruments, etc. The tuning system can also effectively imitate the auto-tune effect when tuned to the maximum. Virtual software instruments GarageBand can play realistic, sampled instruments, used for creating songs or playing music live using over 100 sampled or synthesized instruments, which can be played using a USB or MIDI keyboard connected to the computer, or using an onscreen virtual keyboard. Additional instruments are available in the five GarageBand Jam Packs, which are separate expansion packs offered by Apple. Some of the virtual instruments include: piano, various drum kits, guitar, bass guitar, and a wide variety of synthesizers. The synthesizers are broken into 2 groups; (virtual) analog and digital. Each synthesizer has a wide variety of editing options. These often include richness, glide, cut off, standard attack, decay sustain and release. MIDI editing GarageBand can import MIDI files, and offers piano roll or notation-style editing and playback. Whilst offering a comprehensive control over MIDI files, Garageband does not include several key features, such as a sequencer for drum tracks. However, many of these shortcomings have been addressed with each successive release of Garageband. Music lessons

History
GarageBand was developed by Apple under the direction of Dr. Gerhard Lengeling, formerly of the German company Emagic, makers of Logic Audio. (Emagic was acquired by Apple in July 2002.) The application was announced during Steve Jobss keynote speech at the Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco on 6 January 2004; musician John Mayer assisted with its demonstration. GarageBand 2 was announced at the (2005) Macworld Conference & Expo on January 11, 2005. It shipped, as announced, around 22 January 2005. Major new features included the abilities to view and edit music in musical notation, to record up to 8 tracks at once, to fix timing and pitch of recordings, to automate track pan position, master volume, and master pitch, to transpose both audio and MIDI, and to import MIDI files. GarageBand 3, announced at 2006s Macworld Conference & Expo, includes a 'podcast studio', including the ability to use more than 200 effects and jingles, and integration with iChat for remote interviews. GarageBand 4, aka GarageBand '08, is part of iLife '08. It incorporates the ability to record separately sections of a song such as bridges, and chorus lines, support for automation of tempos and instruments, create and export iPhone ringtones, and a "Magic GarageBand" feature which includes a virtual jam

A new feature of GarageBand '09 is the ability to download pre-recorded music lessons from GarageBand's Lesson Store for guitar and piano. There are two types of lesson available in the Lesson Store: Basic Lessons which are a free download and Artist Lessons which must be purchased. The first Basic Lessons for both guitar and piano are included with GarageBand. In both types of lesson a music teacher presents the lesson which is in a special format offering high quality video and audio instructions. The lessons include a virtual guitar or piano which demonstrates finger position and a musical notational area to show the correct musical notations. The music examples used in these lessons features popular music. In an Artist Lesson the music teacher is the actual famous musician and songwriter who composed the song being taught in the lesson. As of November 2009 the artists featured are: Sting (Roxanne,Message in a

(1) A section of a song which is usually repeated between each verse. (2) An effect in which copies of the original sound are played back later. Each copy is played back slightly out of tune from the original. Used to create the sound of several voices or instruments playing together. clipping Distortion caused when the volume level exceeds the maximum that can be accurately reproduced. See distortion. combo A guitar amplifier in which the amplifier electronics and the speaker are together in the same cabinet.

effects, including Bass Reduction, Treble Reduction, and Visual EQ. flanger An effect similar to a chorus, but in which the copies of the sound are also played back more out of tune from the original signal. See also phaser. gain Equivalent to volume. Specifically, an increase in the level of an electronic audio signal. intro In a song, the beginning, usually lasting until the start of the first verse. key

compressor An effect in which the difference between the loudest and softest parts of a song or track is decreased. Compression can add punch and focus to a song, and make the song sound better when played on equipment with a narrower dynamic range. decibel Abbreviated as dB. A unit of measure for the volume or loudness of a sound. The decibel scale is a logarithmic scale in which 1 dB is approximately the smallest change in volume audible to human ears. distortion The effect produced when the volume level

Musical term for a musical scale starting on a specific note or pitch. That note is called the root or tonic of the scale. mashup A song created by mixing together pieces of other songs. measure A regular group of beats, heard together as a larger rhythmic unit. metronome A device that marks regular intervals of time, such as musical beats, by sounding a click.

Bottle, Fragile), Sarah McLachlan (Angel), Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy (I Don't Care, Sugar, We're Goin' Down), Norah Jones (Thinking About You), Colbie Caillat (Bubbly), Sara Bareilles (Love Song), John Fogerty (Proud Mary, Fortunate Son, Centerfield), Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic (Apologize), Ben Folds (Brick, Zak and Sara), John Legend (Ordinary People), and Alex Lifeson of Rush (Tom Sawyer, Limelight, Working Man, The Spirit of Radio).
No new Artist Lessons have been released in 2010, and Apple has not announced plans to release any more.

MIDI Acronym for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. A standard protocol used for communication between electronic musical instruments and computers. You can play the Software Instruments in GarageBand using a MIDIcompatible music keyboard. mix To blend the parts of a song together into a cohesive whole. You mix a song by adjusting track volume and pan levels, adding effects, and making changes to the master track. note Musical term for the pitch or frequency of a sound. Most common scales, including the major and minor scales, have 7 notes. The chromatic scale has 12 notes. octave Musical term for a note either twice or half the pitch of another note. There are 12 semitones between notes an octave apart. outro

exceeds the maximum that can be accurately reproduced. Heard as a sharp, crackling sound, which is undesirable in most circumstances.

GLOSSARY
Amp Short for amplifier, especially an electric guitar amplifier. The two types of guitar amp are a combo and a stack. GarageBand includes a variety of amp models that simulate the sound of a famous guitar amplifiers. audio Sound, especially when recorded or transferred to an electrical signal. automation Method of creating changes over time in a project. In GarageBand, you automate volume, pan, tempo, and other parameters by adding control points to automation curves, then dragging the control points to change the value of the parameter over time. beat The regular, repeating rhythmic pulse of a song. bpm Abbreviation for beats per minute, the measure of the tempo of a song. chorus

dynamic (1) A change occurring over time. (2) The range from the lowest to the highest volume level, called dynamic range. echo An effect in which copies of the original sound are played back later in time, often creating the sense of the sound happening in a large space. Sometimes called delay. effect A device, or computer algorithm, used to produce a change to an audio signal. Popular music styles use a variety of effects to add character to sounds. Examples of common effects include compression, equalizer (EQ), echo, and reverb. GarageBand includes a variety of professional-quality effects, including stompbox effects for electric guitars. EQ Abbreviated form of equalizer or equalization. A widely-used effect in which specific frequencies of a sound are increased or decreased in volume. Using an equalizer can produce both subtle and dramatic changes in the quality of a sound. GarageBand includes several types of EQ

The final part of a song, often repeated over and over while the sound fades out. pan Short for panorama. The position of a sound in the stereo field between the left and right speakers. An instrument's pan position helps create the sense of where the instrument exists in space.

To move notes or scales up or down by a phaser An effect in which copies of the original sound are played back slightly later in time, and played out of phase with the original. Creates a characteristic "whooshing" sound, something like a jet plane flying by. pitch The perceived highness or lowness of a sound. In music, the pitch of a sound is expressed as a musical note. Scientifically, pitch corresponds to the sound's frequency. remix To create a new version of a song by adding or removing material, changing effects, and making other edits, so that the new version is recognizably different. reverb Short for reverberation. An effect that recreates the sound of an acoustic space by playing back many copies of the original signal at slightly varied times and volume levels. scale Musical term for a group of related notes that forms the basis for a melody, a series of chords, or an entire song. The most common scales are the major scale and minor scale. semitone Musical term for the smallest distance between two notes. Larger distances, called intervals, are measured by the number of semitones. There are 12 semitones between each octave. stack A guitar amplifier with a separate "head" containing the amplifier electronics stacked on top of a speaker cabinet. stompbox A guitar effect pedal that can be quickly turned on or off by pressing a button with the guitarist's foot. take One of several recordings of a section or part of a song. Musicians aften record several takes in sequence, and then choose the one they like best, or edit the best parts of each into a composite take. tablature A type of musical notation that shows players where to put their fingers, for example on a guitar fretboard. Abbreviated as TAB. tempo The speed or rate at which rhythmic beats occur in a song, measured in beats per minute (bpm). timing The precision with which notes and other musical events align with the beats and measures of a song, or with another note value. transpose volume The perceived loudness of a sound, measured in decibels. velocity For a USB or MIDI keyboard, a measure of how hard you press each key as you play. Software Instrument notes played at a higher velocity sound different from notes played at a lower velocity. URL A website's address, which you enter in a browser to go to the website. A typical URL looks like this: http://www.apple.com specific number of semitones, resulting in their being in a new key.