How To Use Garageband On The Mac

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GarageBand
  • Work with percussionists in GarageBand for Mac. Use Drummer to add dynamic percussion parts to your song, available in three percussion styles—Latin, Pop, or Songwriter. Add percussion to your GarageBand song using Drummer.
  • So you want to learn how to use GarageBand on a Mac. Apple’s GarageBand is a great choice of recording software (DAW) if you’re just getting started with recording, as it’s free and relatively simple to use. In this tutorial, I hope to walk you through the basics to help get you started.

Use Drummer Loops in GarageBand for Mac. Quickly add drums to your song using Drummer Loops, a type of Apple Loop that you can customize to fit your song. Work with percussionists in GarageBand for Mac. Use Drummer to add dynamic percussion parts to your song, available in three percussion styles—Latin, Pop, or Songwriter. Apr 11, 2020  That means that you can only use the official version of the GarageBand app on devices such as the iPhone, iPad, or Mac. However, we can guide you with an alternative way to download and install the GarageBand app on your PC that runs a Windows 10, 8, or 7 OS.

Guide Using GarageBand App

GarageBand on Mac: It is clear that music is one of the essential entertaining components that not only soothes your soul but also gives you a fascinating experience that is worth remembering. If you are passionate for music, you might even go a step further to compose and record original music to share with other people isn’t it? This is why GarageBand has come around to get you covered!

At first, you will discover that GarageBand can be defined as a software application developed by Apple Inc that can enable you (as a user) to record music or podcasts. Interestingly, it is seamlessly functions well on Mac computers thus giving you a unique opportunity to compose your own music without necessarily going to the studio.

How To Use GarageBand on Mac Super Effectively!

How GarageBand Works on Mac

You will discover that when it comes on how to use GarageBand on Mac effectively, the process is pretty simple. Actually, within a short span of time, you will be producing your next hit song using GarageBand. Another interesting fact is that once you have GarageBand on your Mac, you don’t actually require having the knowledge of playing different instruments. Every musical setting is catered for and all that you will require is to launch your music. Check this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBpqpJ-6KCg on how to use GarageBand on Mac effectively.

The system used to create music and podcasts on GarageBand will also help you in creating multiple tracks with the aid of pre-made loops (extensive loop library), pre-made Music Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) onboard keyboard, Voice recordings and other series of different musical effects. One thing that you will discover while using GarageBand in recording is that the music possesses great quality and appears absolutely professional. The harmonious tones and music effect combination will indeed make your recording amazing.

As a novice musician, GarageBand introduces you to a new world of entertainment and gives you a simple and easy-to-use platform that is worth recording for. Besides, GarageBand supports different sound formats except for the MP3 and those formats with less than 8-bits.

Getting Started with GarageBand

Apparently, you will realize that GarageBand applies the MIDI information to the software instrument in your Mac in order to synthesize functional music. Once you have ensured that the GarageBand has been effectively plugged in, you can even have the ability to play piano and other instruments. You can further go ahead and translate them to Software instruments which can offer you a wide range of sounds you can choose or create.

Steps on how to use GarageBand on Mac effectively

For you to fully integrate GarageBand into your Mac and get the best outcome there are simple steps that you will actually need to take. They include the following:

Create A New Project

It all starts with coming up with a new conceptualized song that you want to compose, right? Before you get down to record your hit from your own idea to the ultimate release, you will be required to go the popup menu and choose tab “New Project”. The display shown below should appear at the screen of your Mac Computer.

The next step that you will be required to take is to select the “Loops” template then click on the “Choose” button. This will in turn introduce you to a dialog box like the one shown below:

You can save the new project under the name of your song, for instance in the example above, “My Song” has been used to identify the new project under the GarageBand. After accepting the options to remain as default, you can proceed to click on the button “Create”. On the other hand, you can adjust the key and the tempo that your song can perfectly fit in before clicking on the create button. Once you are done, you will be ready to experience the complete interface displayed by the GarageBand. What will be remaining is now to go through the entire studio interface offered before you!

Exploring the GarageBand Interface

At the GarageBand interface, you will notice that there are different components that have been placed to help you get the best music from your composition. Here are some of the components that you will come across:

Standard Playback Controls

You will discover that these controls are located at the bottom side of the window. They are meant to help you make different adjustments in relation to the song that you are composing. Apparently, features contained here include fast forward, reversing the song and even jumping to the introductory part of the song.

Loops Library

On the right end of this GarageBand interface, you will discover that there are loops which are known to induce more impact to the song. Actually, they act as musical snippets that you can introduce them to your song. Another thing to note is that there are other predefined loops that you can apply when in need of songs meant for different games. You will also notice that there are some loops that will appear grayed-out; this implies that they have not been pre-packaged for use in your GarageBand. You can choose the option of downloading it (from the Apple Store) by clicking on the option “Download Now” and go ahead to compose your song with the upgraded feature.

Another thing; how will you be able to identify the entire list of loops that are contained in the GarageBand? Actually, this will require you to go the option “All Drums” where you will be introduced to different loops that you can choose from. For instance, below is a screen display of what you are bound to see:

The timeline

What is the purpose of this feature? Essentially, this feature is located at the middle part of the GarageBand interface and it is the platform for drug-dropping loops for different tracks.

From the diagram above, you will notice that the timeline is able to represent your song in a linear dimension; this tends to give you a unique opportunity to make adjustments to some parts contained in the song so that it can meet expected standards. This is especially in relation to the tone and sounds.

Tracks pane

This component is found at the left side of the screen. It is one of the essential features that allow you to create different tracks. It comes along with the list of instruments that you can apply in when you are composing your song. Each time you click on this track pane, all those components will be displayed.

In order to create a new track, you will have to click on the “+” button that is found on the lower left side of the GarageBand interface as shown below:

There is also the second alternative where you can just select the option “Track” and proceed to click on the “New Track” button. This will introduce you to a new platform where you can compose a new hit song.

2. Selecting the Instrument to use

Once you have obtained the perfect loops, the next thing is to get the right instrument that will help you to best compose your song. In the available options, you will come across the “Real Instrument”, “Software Instrument” and “Electric Guitar”. Apparently, “Real Instrument” gives you a chance to make recording with the aid of a microphone installed in your computer.

For the “Electric Guitar”, it gives you the option to customize different recordings made using the electric guitar by applying different delay settings and inbuilt amplifier. On the other hand, “Software Instruments” will enable you to use GarageBand instruments that are inbuilt when you are recording a track.

3. Proper arrangement of track

In most cases, you will come to understand that music is mostly created from different small fragments that are known as motifs. These can be represented by predefined loops which when combined makes up the track. You will be required to drag and drop the loops (the most preferred is the Orchestral Strings 08) in the middle part of the screen (the timeline). In relation to how long your track will be (in seconds), this will be displayed by the timeline.

It is good for you to move the loop to the top part (especially if it is your first track). With the aid of a “Snap ToGrid” feature, you can end up creating fixed intervals for your loops. To extend the loop a bit slightly on the left side of the screen, you can apply the pinch gesture that is located on the track pad. You will discover that proper alignment of the loop will always ensure that your track comes out perfectly with the correct sound formation. How to download sounds into garageband video.

You should also ensure that you have dragged the loop to the edge of the right side where you want the track to stop playing. In most cases, the loops will be repeated thrice before you have reached the far right end as shown below:

4. Introducing different beats

Once you have ensured that the orchestral part has come out clearly, the next step will be to introduce different percussions into the timeline. This mostly comes in form of drums. For you to effect this, you will go to the “Kits” option and then select the “Effected Drum Kit 02” and drug and drop in the middle pane below the initial bar.(it should preferably be in line with the middle loop). You can try to play the song to see if the tension is coming out clearly as required.

5. Adding Piano

You can select the “Piano” option from the Loops Library then drag and drop the loop with “Emotional Piano” in the middle of the timeline and it should align itself well with the last loop for track as shown below:

It is good to ensure that the drum beats are still playing so that the outcome of the song should appear accomplished.

6. Introducing the Bass and Bass +++

This component is meant to give your track a great and resounding intonation that will have a strong effect to your song. To get the bass component, select the “Base” category and go ahead to choose and one of the options of the “Groovy Electric Bass” to the middle pane and in line with the last loop of the track at the far right. The base loop can be shortened and then recopied as shown below so that it can come out perfectly.

Sometimes the bass may not perform as expected; what should you do? This is where you will be required to adjust the base using the Bass +++. This is achieved through introducing the loop editor (using Command +E) on the timeline and then applying changes to the bass loops once you have selected each of them. You can actually change the pitch value (mostly by reducing its value) so that the bass can sound better. Once you have merged all these components, it is now time to play your track and feel how it sounds. You will be amazed on how the tone of the sounds will perfectly come out!

Exporting the track

Once you discover that the recording has come out quite well, the next thing will be to transfer it to the media platform or files that you can easily access. It is wise to ensure that the music in lying perfectly at the timeline, both for the starting part and the finishing point. This will enable you to get the entire content without some parts being left out. At first, check to ensure that the “Snap To Grid” has been disabled so that you can easily locate the starting and end points.

You can then use the loop markers (yellow in color) found at the top part in order to set the starting and end points. Note: At first you will have to go to the Playback Controls and click the Loop button so as to get the loop markers.

The last thing that will be remaining is to export the track to the location where you prefer it to be stored. This can be done through selecting the option “Share Export Song To Disk” and you will immediately get your song transferred!

Before you export your song, there is great need to ensure that the file being exported is well-structured to function well in your device. You can do this through applying the “MP3 Encoder” feature and the “Compress”. Besides, you can choose “Custom” option and select the bitrates that you prefer (most common one is the 320kbps). Your song will be well exported and you can then save it on the file that is accessible with your apps. That is simply how to use GarageBand for Mac effectively.

If you are not aware, let me tell you GarageBand is Apple’s freeware digital audio workstation which means this software enables you to create, customise of the mix up your music just like a professional music composer, available for download from the Apple app store for all iOS and Mac devices, absolutely free. Garageband is available for Apple devices officially and comes with advanced features including in-app recording, Virtual studio technology, MIDI editing, a collection of instruments and loops, artist lessons, etc; gets better when all of that packed into an intuitive and easy to use interface.

The music composing app has all the instruments and sounds that can help you in creating great music. In this post, you will get to know, how to create music on it. If you are using a windows PC you can download garageband on PC here.

How to get GarageBand on Mac?

Download

Installing GarageBand on apple devices is super easy. Make sure you have latest MacOS installed on your Macbook, iMac or iPhone. Apple is rolling new updates to improves the bugs and fix them quite often, if available just update to the latest MacOS. Once you are done, now you can proceed.

Installation:

You can download GarageBand for Mac from the Apple’s official website named, APP STORE. Initially, it came as the pre-installed app for iPhone as well as on Mac computers but now the GarageBand is available on App store and it’s just a click-away from installation.

For more clarity, Here are the detailed steps for you:

Mac

1. Open the Launchpad and then look for App Store in it.

2. Once you found the App Store, open it.

3. Now, on the App Store, look for GarageBand. It would be the first app you will see. Simply click and download.

4. Once you install the app, it is ready to use.

5. Go ahead and create some soulful music on your Apple beast.

How to use GarageBand on Mac?

Using GarageBand on Mac or any apple device is really easy, the interface is same. GarageBand offers you different project templates that you can choose as per your need. Before creating the music, here is some basic stuff you need to know:

Step 1: Opening the Project

First of all, you need to open the project area where you will create music. To do that, open the app and go to File menu and then select ‘New‘. You can also use shortcut key by pressing ⌘+N to open the new project.

You will find a couple of options. In songwriter mode, you will get the preset instruments, audio and other stuff you need to create a new song. Similarly, in Electronic, you will get the preset trance sounds, bass and drum kicks that will help you in creating EDM and other electronic music.

You can choose either of them as per your need but if you want to start from scratch without any preset sounds, simply open Empty Project. Garageband songs ipad.

Step 2: Adding Instruments on Empty Project:

If you have chosen the Empty project, here is what you need to do to start creating music on GarageBand. On the new empty project, you will get a basic Classic Electric Piano. Use your keyboard to play the Piano notes and to record it. You can see the Piano Keyboard on your screen by going to Windows > Show Musical Typing or press ⌘+K.

If you wanted to add more Tracks, simply click on the + icon (see screenshot), select Empty Project and add another track. Choose any instrument you wanted to add in your song and go on.

Using Loops on GarageBand:

Once you opened the project, now it is time to create some music on it. Creating music on GarageBand is so easy and so much fun, honestly. There is an inbuilt library of Loops that you can use in your songs as well. There are loops from different Genres, Moods, Instruments. You can sort the loops as per your need and type of music. You will get to know the Note of the loop as well as the BPM or Tempo of the loop which is also useful for any music creator. You can open the Loop menu from the Top Right corner. See Screenshot below.

Record External Instrument on GarageBand

Recording an external instrument like Piano, Guitar or Drums on GarageBand is so easy. For recording the Analog instrument as a digital sound require a converter that will convert the analog sound of your Guitar or Piano into Digital sound. You can use Tascam iXZ interface for iPad, iPhone. That is a brilliant gear for your setup. Using this, you can easily record external instrument into the app. You can also record the sound from the inbuilt microphone but the output would be terrible with noises. To open the External instrument interface on GarageBand, you need to go to File > New Project and choose Audio Project. Using the same option, you can also record your own voice on it.

FAQs

Ques – Is GarageBand free for Mac?

Ans- Yes, GarageBand is a free digital audio workstation available for download in the Apple app store. The free package includes a full set of features and a considerable number of sounds, loops, drummers, lessons, etc. You can, however, expand your content by making a one time purchase of $4.99. It also includes some Artist Lessons that would require you to make an in-app purchase.

Ques- How much does GarageBand cost for Mac?

Ans- GarageBand is free of cost for Mac users. The digital audio workstation is available for download in the Apple app store. The free package includes a full set of features and a considerable number of sounds, loops, drummers, lessons, etc. You can, however, expand your content by making a one time purchase of $4.99. GarageBand also includes some Artist Lessons that would require you to make an in-app purchase.

Ques- Do all Macbooks have GarageBand?

Ans- Even though GarageBand is not pre-installed on all Macs, it is available for all Macbooks. Any Mac user with an Apple ID can download the software from the Mac App Store.

Ques- Where do I find GarageBand on my Mac?

Ans- If you haven’t downloaded GarageBand, you will find it in the Mac app store where you have to search and download. In case you already have the music composing app downloaded on your Mac, you will most likely find it in the tab at the bottom of your screen (with a guitar icon). You can also search for it by name from the search bar at the top of your desktop screen. Alternatively, you can also open the Finder and from the panel on the right, click on Applications. Now when you scroll through your applications, you will find the app.

Ques- How do I remove GarageBand from my Mac?

Ans- To delete GarageBand from your Mac :

  • Open Finder.
  • Select Applications from the window on the left side
  • Find GarageBand and then drag it to the Trash icon at the bottom of the screen
  • Alternatively, you can right-click on the icon and tap on ‘Move to Trash’
  • Empty the trash folder (right-click on its icon and select ‘Empty Trash’ option)

Alternatively, you can also use this method to get rid of GarageBand :

  • Open Launchpad

How To Get Garageband On Macbook Pro

  • Type and search for GarageBand in the search bar

How To Use Garageband On The Mac Computer

  • Click and hold on the GarageBand icon, a small cross should appear at the top left of the icon
  • Tap on that x and select Delete on the window that pops up

Ques- How do I get rid of music creation files on my Mac?

How To Use Garageband On The Mac Pc

Ans- To get rid of music creation files from your mac :

  • Click on the Apple logo, and then select ‘About this Mac’
  • Now go to Storage and select ‘Manage’
  • Click on the ‘Music creation’ option
  • You’ll find a button to remove GarageBand, click on it to remove music creation files.
  • If you don’t find a button to remove GarageBand, you’ll have to first re-install the software on your mac from the App store. Once you have re-installed the app, start this whole procedure from the beginning.
  • If you want to further remove GarageBand files and clear up space : Go to the Finder window and search for GarageBand. Now scan the ‘This Mac’ and ‘Library’ folders and delete all GarageBand or Apple Loops files from them.

Ques- How do you delete instruments and lessons on GarageBand in Mac?

Ans- To get rid of music creation files from your mac :

  • Click on the Apple logo, and then select ‘About this Mac’
  • Now go to Storage and select ‘Manage’
  • Click on the ‘Music creation’ option
  • You’ll find a button to remove GarageBand, click on it to remove music creation files.
  • If you don’t find the button, you’ll have to first re-install the software on your mac from the App store and then start this procedure from beginning.
  • If you want to further remove GarageBand files and clear up space: Go to the Finder window and search for GarageBand. Now scan the ‘This Mac’ and ‘Library’ folders and delete all GarageBand or Apple Loops files from them.