Intro to Garageband

Nic Adams
Intro
-Guess the song!

-I have programmed some popular songs into Garageband and you are going to
try and guess what they are!
By the end of class, we will end up with a 3 track loop!
Creating a new project
-Choose “empty project” from new
project screen

-other options include keyboard/amp

collection (lots of common sounds),
voice (great for podcast recording), and
hip hop (geared towards beatmaking)

-Once new project is created, choose

“Drummer” from “choose track type”
prompt
User interface part 1- upper screen
-Right Side- Library (y) button opens patch
library, help button shows what things do,
Smart Controls (b) button allows changing of
patch, Editor (e) button lets you edit
audio/midi parameters
-Middle- Stop, Play, Record (r), Cycle (c)
buttons, Bars, Beats, Tempo, and
Signature display, and Tuning and Count In
buttons
Right Side- Master Volume (Controls whole
project volume) and buttons for Note Pad,
Loops, and A/V editing
User Interface part 2-Library and Timeline
-Left Side=Library- Shows the different sounds for
the selected track. Has different option for audio,
software instrument and drummer tracks

-Right Side=Timeline-Shows programmed/recorded

tracks organized by bars and beats (Grid)

-Each track will have a fader next to it which

controls the volume

-Every time you add a new drummer, loop, or midi

recording, a region will appear in the timeline
Track Type 1- Drummer part 1
A Drummer track creates a drummer
that will automatically synchronize to the
tempo of the project.

-In the Library, you can choose different

drummers who all have different styles
and sounds at the top. On the bottom,
you can choose which kit that drummer
uses.
Drummer track part 2
In the Smart Controls tab, you can
control how loud each instrument in the
drum set is, as well as compression and
tone and room (reverb)

In the Editors tab, you can choose

specific grooves, control the drummer on
a matrix of loud-soft and simple-complex,
control the complexity of individual
instruments, and control fills and swing
Track type 2-Audio/Loop
-Create a new track by going to the track tab
and creating a new track (first option) and
choosing the microphone icon
-Audio tracks can be used in lots of ways, from
recording instruments or voices to playing
samples, but today we are going to use them for
loops
-Loops are pre-recorded audio files that Apple
has included which sync to the tempo and key
of the song
-Loop Browser (o) can be opened on the right
side using the loop button
Using audio loops
-Only use loops that have the blue audio icon
next to them
-You can filter through loops by instrument,
genre, or descriptors to find a sound that you
are looking for
-You can also look for loops in major or minor
keys
-Click on a loop once to hear what it sounds
like
-Once you find a loop you like, drag it onto the
timeline on the audio track region
Track Type 3- Software Instrument
-Create a new track by going to the track tab and
creating a new track (first option) and choosing the
Keyboard icon
-Then, press Command+K to bring up the Musical
Typing Keyboard. This will allow you to play a
virtual keyboard using the letter keyboard
-A Software Instrument track is different from a
Drummer or Loop because:
-it does not sync automatically with the tempo of
the project
-it is not pre-recorded or programmed, meaning you
have to come up with the notes yourself
Software Instrument part 2
-Opening the Library lets you choose
the sound of the patch you are using

-opening the Smart Controls lets you

control the parameters of the patch on a
more detailed level -each patch has
different parameters
Recording
The Record button allows you to record
your software instrument patch into a
region.

-if you want a Count in, make sure the

Count In (shift+k) button is purple, and
if you want a metronome, make sure the
Metronome (k) button is purple
What should I play?
-If your loop was in a major key, you should
use only white notes. If your loop was in a
minor key, you should use Eb, Ab, and Bb
instead of E, A, and B.

-Different instruments serve different

purposes. For example, a bass is going to
play lower and more rhythmic, while a lead
synth will play higher and more melodic.
Editing MIDI
-Using the Editor button, we can edit our
software instrument recording.
-Each note we play is translated into
MIDI, and can be seen as a little green
bar in the editor
-We can change the bars’ length, pitch,
or rhythm manually, or use Quantizing to
snap them into place
-Choose the subdivision you would like
to quantize to and hit the Q
Create a drum groove you like by changing the parameters in the
Library, Smart Controls, and Editor! The groove will automatically
save. Once you are done, your timeline should look like this.
 Find an audio loop that you like! Make sure it has the blue icon and also that its not
already a drum loop. Then, drag the loop onto you audio region and line it up with the
drummer track. If the loops aren’t the same length, drag the top half of the region to
loop it to the same length. Use the faders to adjust each tracks’ volume.
Record a Software Instrument track to go along with the
Drummer and Loop. Use MIDI editing and quantizing to
make sure it works with the other two regions. Once you
have all 3 together we will all share our beats!