GarageBand Getting Started Includes a tour of the GarageBand window and step-by-step tutorials to help you start creating music and podcasts with GarageBand.
1 2 Contents Chapter 1 6 6 7 7 7 7 Welcome to GarageBand What You’ll Learn Before You Begin What You Need to Get Started Where to Go for Help Finding Out More Chapter 2 8 9 11 13 13 14 15 16 17 17 18 19 19 21 23 GarageBand at a Glance GarageBand Window Timeline Editor For Real Instruments For Software Instruments–Graphic View For Software Instruments–Notation View For Podcasts and Movies–Marker View Loop Browser Button View and Podcast Sounds View Column View Track Info Pane Real and Software Instru
3 34 34 34 35 35 37 37 38 Refining Your Loop Searches Showing Loops from a Specific Jam Pack or Folder Searching by Scale Type Limiting Searches to Nearby Keys Searching by Name Adding Loops to the Timeline Changing Apple Loops in the Same Family Creating Your Own Apple Loops Adding Loops to the Loop Library Chapter 5 39 39 40 41 42 43 44 44 45 45 46 Tutorial 3: Recording Vocals and Musical Instruments Adding a Real Instrument Track Getting Ready to Record Recording a Real Instrument Recording Multiple
60 60 Changing the Clef Sign Printing Music Notation Chapter 8 61 62 63 63 64 65 65 65 67 68 68 68 69 70 70 71 Tutorial 6: Arranging and Editing Your Music Arranging Basics Moving Regions Resizing Regions Looping Regions Splitting Regions Joining Regions Using the Arrange Track Editing Regions in the Editor Renaming Regions Transposing Regions Enhancing the Timing of Regions in a Real Instrument Track Enhancing the Timing of Items in a Software Instrument Track Enhancing the Tuning of Regions in a Re
86 87 87 87 88 88 88 89 90 90 90 90 91 91 Adding Marker Region Artwork Adding a URL to a Marker Adding Chapter Titles Deleting Markers Adding Episode Artwork Editing Artwork Editing Episode Information Ducking Backing Tracks Creating Video Podcasts and Movie Projects Importing a Movie or Video File Viewing the Movie Working with the Movie’s Audio Track Adding Audio Adding Markers, Titles, and URLs to a Video Podcast Chapter 11 92 92 93 94 95 Tutorial 9: Sharing Your Projects Sharing Music Projects Shari
1 Welcome to GarageBand 1 GarageBand brings out the rock star in everyone. It puts a music studio on your computer, where the band is never late and always plays in tune. This document gives you useful information and step-by-step instructions for creating projects with GarageBand. No matter what your level of musical knowledge or experience, GarageBand lets you unleash your musical creativity. With GarageBand, you can record, arrange, and mix your music, and share it with the world.
Before You Begin To make it easier to follow the tutorials as you work, print each tutorial before you start. In many of the tasks shown in this document you need to choose menu commands. In the tutorials, and in GarageBand Help, menu commands appear like this: Choose Edit > Join Selected. The first term after Choose is the name of the menu in the GarageBand menu bar. The term (or terms) following the angle bracket is the command you choose from that menu.
2 GarageBand at a Glance 2 This chapter gives you a tour of the GarageBand window. You will learn the names and locations of controls, to help orient you for the following tutorials. It’s a good idea to take a look at these pages even if you don’t plan to complete the tutorials, because knowing the names and functions of the GarageBand controls will make it easier to find answers to your questions in GarageBand help.
GarageBand Window A B C D E F G Chapter 2 GarageBand at a Glance H I J 9
A Track headers: The instrument icon and name are shown at the left of each track’s header. Click the name to type a new track name. Click the Record Enable button (with the red circle) to turn on the track for recording. Click the Mute button (with the speaker icon) to silence the track. Click the Solo button (with the headphone icon) to hear the track by itself. Click the Lock Track button (with the padlock icon) to lock the track. Click the triangle to show the track’s automation curves.
Timeline The timeline contains the tracks where you record Real and Software Instruments, add loops, and arrange regions.
A Beat ruler: Shows beats and measures (the units of musical time) in the timeline. You can click the beat ruler to move the playhead to any point in the timeline. B Tracks: You organize your music, record Real and Software Instruments, and shape their sound in tracks. When you add a loop to a project, a new track is created. You arrange your music by working with regions in tracks in the timeline.
Editor The editor is like a microscope showing a close-up view of part of a track. You can edit Real and Software Instrument regions in the editor. For Real Instruments When you select a Real Instrument track, the editor shows the waveform of the regions on the track. You can crop, join, move, transpose, and rename regions in the editor. E F G A B C D H I J A B Name field: Type a new name for the selected region in the field.
For Software Instruments–Graphic View When you select a Software Instrument track, the editor shows a graphic display of the track or selected region. You can edit individual notes in Software Instrument regions, fix the timing of notes, and transpose and rename regions. You can also show and edit controller data for pitch bend, a modulation wheel, or a sustain pedal, recorded when you play your music keyboard.
For Software Instruments–Notation View You can also view Software Instrument tracks and regions in notation view. In notation view, notes and other musical events are shown in standard music notation. You can edit notes and edit controller information (including velocity and pedal markings for sustain) in notation view. F I J K A B C D E G H L A B Name field: Type a new name for the selected region in the field.
For Podcasts and Movies–Marker View When you are working on a podcast episode, you can view and edit markers in the editor. In the marker list you can edit each marker’s time position, marker region artwork, URL, URL title, and chapter title. You can also add episode artwork in the editor. B D A C E F G H A Episode Artwork well: Drag artwork here to represent the podcast. (Appears only when you are creating a podcast.
Loop Browser The loop browser lets you quickly search for loops to add to your projects. You can find loops using keywords for instrument, musical genre, or mood. You can also perform text searches and refine your results in several ways. The loop browser shows the tempo, key, and number of beats for each matching loop. You can preview loops in the loop browser before you add them to a project, and add more loops to GarageBand by dragging them onto the loop browser.
G Results list: Shows loops that match the selected keywords. Also displays the tempo, key, and number of beats for each loop. Click a loop in the results list to preview it. Click the Favs checkbox for a loop to add it to your favorites. H Loop library pop-up menu: Choose the loops you want to show in the loop browser from the pop-up menu. Column View In column view, the loop browser features columns for keyword type, categories, and keywords.
Track Info Pane The Track Info pane shows the current instrument, effects, and input settings for the selected track, and shows the master effects settings for the master track. You can change these settings in the Track Info pane. Real and Software Instrument Tracks Some controls in the Track Info pane are different for Real Instrument tracks than for Software Instrument tracks (as noted in the following descriptions).
A Instrument library pop-up menu: Choose which instruments you want to see in the category and instrument lists from the pop-up menu. B Instrument category list: Click an instrument category to see the instruments for that category in the instrument list on the right. C D Instrument list: Click an instrument from the list. E F Details triangle: Click to show the instrument and effects settings. Instrument icon pop-up menu: Click to choose a new instrument icon from the icon menu that appears.
Master Track The Track Info pane for the master track shows the global project settings and effects settings for the overall project. Global project settings include tempo, time signature, and key. Global effects settings include master echo, reverb, EQ, and compressor.
The Echo and Reverb sliders for each track control the amount of echo and reverb sent from that track to the master echo and reverb effects. In the Track Info pane for the master track, you can change the master echo and reverb effects. 22 A Master effects pop-up menu: Choose which master effects you want to see in the category and effects lists from the pop-up menu. B Master effects category list: Click a category to see the effects for that category in the master effects list on the right.
Media Browser The Media Browser lets you find and add songs from your iTunes library, photos from your iPhoto library, iMovie projects, and other video files. A B C D E A Audio, Photos, and Movies buttons: Click the button for the type of media files you want to work with. B Source list: Navigate to the folder containing the files you want to use. You can also add folders by dragging them from the Finder. C D E Media list: View, preview, and select media files to add to your project.
3 Tutorial 1: Creating, Playing, and Saving GarageBand Projects 3 GarageBand projects hold your music and all the changes you make. You can create and save projects, add loops and record your own performances in the timeline, and play the project to hear your music. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to:  Create a new project  Set the project tempo, time signature, and key  Play the project  Save the project Creating a New Project You start working in GarageBand by creating a project.
4 Set the project tempo, time signature, and key, as described in the following steps. Tempo slider Scale pop-up menu Time pop-up menu Key pop-up menu Setting the Tempo Each project has a speed, or tempo. The tempo defines the rate at which beats, the basic rhythmic pulse, occur in the project. The tempo is measured in beats per minute, or bpm. You can set the tempo to any speed between 60 and 240 bpm. The default tempo is 120 bpm, which is a common tempo used in popular music.
Setting the Key Each project has a key, which defines the central note to which the other notes in the music relate. The key can be any key between A and G-sharp (G#). Along with the key, you can choose to use either the major or minor scale. 7 Choose a key from the Key pop-up menu, and choose “major” or “minor” from the Scale pop-up menu to the right of the Key pop-up menu. 8 When you have finished making the project settings, click Create.
3 When the Magic GarageBand stage appears, click one of the genre buttons (the large square buttons located under the stage) to select a genre for the song. Use one of these buttons to choose the genre Click this button to hear a preview of the song 4 To preview the song, click either Snippet or Entire Song, then click the Play (π) button. The first time you click Play, the song takes a few moments to start playing. A progress indicator below the stage shows the progress of opening the song.
6 Select one of the instruments on the stage, and then choose a different instrument from the list of instruments that appears below the stage. 7 After you choose the instruments you want, click Play again to hear the song with the new instruments. 8 When the song is ready, click Create Project. The GarageBand window appears. Tracks appear for each of the instruments, with regions containing the music for each instrument.
Saving Projects Now that you’ve made some changes to your project, it’s time to save your work. To save a project: m Choose File > Save (or press Command-S). When you close a project, by default GarageBand creates an iLife preview for the project. An iLife preview lets you preview the project in the Media Browser and in other iLife applications. It can also increase the project’s file size. You can select whether to create an iLife preview for projects in the General pane of GarageBand preferences.
4 Tutorial 2: Adding Apple Loops 4 You can use Apple Loops to add backing and rhythm tracks to your projects. You can also add Apple Loops to your loop library and create your own Apple Loops. GarageBand comes with a large collection of Apple Loops. Apple Loops are prerecorded musical phrases in a variety of genres, instruments, and moods that you can add to your projects. Loops are recorded to create seamlessly repeating patterns that you can extend (or “loop”) to fill any amount of time.
Finding Loops You Want to Use GarageBand includes a loop browser that lets you search for loops by instrument, genre, mood, and other criteria. You can also search for loops by name and refine your searches in several ways. No matter how big your collection of loops becomes, you can quickly find the ones you want using the loop browser. If the loop browser is not visible, show it so you can use it to search for loops. To show the loop browser: m Click the Loop Browser button (the button with the open eye).
4 Click a keyword in the right column to show matching loops in the results list. Now find some bass loops in column view by first selecting the By Instruments keyword type, then the Bass category, and then the Grooving keyword. When you find loops in either button view or column view, the total number of matching loops is shown next to the search field at the bottom of the loop browser. Finding Loops in Button View Button view features a grid of keyword buttons.
Previewing Loops When you find loops that fit the criteria you want, you can preview them in the loop browser to hear which loop will sound best in your project. You can preview the loop by itself (solo), or preview it together with the project. To preview a loop: m Click the loop in the results list. Click the loop again to stop previewing it. You can preview a loop together with the material you’ve already added to the project by clicking the Play button before you click the loop.
Showing Loops from a Specific Jam Pack or Folder If you have installed one or more of the GarageBand Jam Packs on your computer, your loop library can contain many thousands of loops. To make searching for loops easier, you can choose to display only loops from a specific Jam Pack, or only the loops included with GarageBand. If you have created your own loops or added loops from another source, you can also choose to display only those loops. Click here to show the loop library pop-up menu.
To view loops only in keys near the project key: 1 Choose GarageBand > Preferences, then click Loops. 2 In the Loops pane, click the “Filter for more relevant results” checkbox. Note: The “Filter for more relevant results” checkbox is selected by default. To see loops in keys farther away from the project’s key, deselect the checkbox. Searching by Name You can quickly find loops by name using the search field. This makes it easy to find a specific loop or a group of related loops.
To add a loop to the timeline: m Drag the loop from the loop browser to an empty part of the timeline where there is no track. A new track of the appropriate type is created, and the loop is added to the new track. There are two types of Apple Loops: Real Instrument loops and Software Instrument loops. In the loop browser, the loop’s icon shows which type each loop is. Real Instrument loops have a blue icon with an audio waveform and Software Instrument loops have a green icon with a musical note.
Changing Apple Loops in the Same Family Some Apple Loops belong to a series, or family. Loops that belong to the same family have the same name, but with a unique number at the end. (For example, Classic Rock Guitar 01 and Classic Rock Guitar 02 belong to the same family.) When you add a loop belonging to a family to the timeline, the loop has a pair of arrows in its upper-left corner. You can change it to any other loop in the same family.
Adding Loops to the Loop Library When you install GarageBand, the loops included with the application are installed in the Apple Loops library. When you add more loops to your collection, they are installed in the loop library and appear in the loop browser for you to use. To add Apple Loops to your loop library: m Drag the loops, or the folder containing the loops, over the loop browser. The loops are added to the Apple Loops library and are immediately available to use in your projects.
5 Tutorial 3: Recording Vocals and Musical Instruments 5 You can record your voice or any other sound you can capture using a microphone. If you play a musical instrument, you can also record it in a GarageBand project. In GarageBand, you record audio from a microphone or a musical instrument, such as an electric guitar or bass, in a Real Instrument track. Real Instrument tracks have blue headers, and the regions you record in them appear purple.
The Input Source menu lists all the available inputs for each audio device connected to your computer. If the instrument you are recording has a single input, choose a mono (monophonic) input. If the instrument has both left and right inputs, choose a stereo input. (You can change the audio device in the Audio Input pop-up menu in the Audio/ MIDI pane of GarageBand preferences.
Recording a Real Instrument Now you’re ready to record your microphone or electric instrument to a Real Instrument track. To record to a Real Instrument track: 1 Click the header of the Real Instrument track you want to record in, to select the track. 2 Move the playhead to the point in the timeline where you want to start recording. 3 Choose Control > Count In to have the metronome play a one-measure count-in before recording starts to make it easier to start playing on the beat.
Recording Multiple Takes with the Cycle Region GarageBand lets you record over a specific part of a project by setting a cycle region in the timeline. When you record using the cycle region, you can record multiple versions, or “takes,” and then choose which take you want to use. To set the cycle region: 1 Click the Cycle button. The cycle region appears as a yellow strip just below the beat ruler.
To choose a different take: 1 In the timeline, click the circled number in the upper-left corner of the loop. A Takes menu appears showing the takes recorded in the region. 2 Choose a different take from the Takes menu. When you choose a different take, the loop changes to show the waveform of the new take. To delete the selected take: m Choose Delete from the Takes menu. You can also delete all takes except for the selected one.
To record on multiple tracks, you need to have an audio interface with at least two input channels for recording. Changing Real Instrument Settings When you create a Real Instrument track, you select an instrument for the track in the New Track dialog. You can change the instrument, effects, and input settings in the Track Info pane. Changing the Track Instrument You can change the track instrument for a Real Instrument track. Each instrument includes preset effects optimized for the instrument.
Choosing the Input Source You can choose the input source for a Real Instrument track. If you have more than one input source (an instrument or an audio interface with multiple channels, for example), you must choose the correct input source before you play or record Real Instruments. To choose the input source for a Real Instrument track: m In the Track Info pane for the track, choose the source from the Input Source pop-up menu. Note: Some audio interfaces have more than one input channel.
Tuning Guitars and Other Instruments GarageBand includes an instrument tuner that you can use to check the tuning of a guitar, bass, or other instrument connected to your computer. The instrument tuner works for any Real Instrument, but not for a Software Instrument. The instrument tuner shows a horizontal scale with the note name displayed in the center of the scale. When you play a single note on your Real Instrument, the pitch is shown in relation to the correct pitch for the note displayed.
6 Tutorial 4: Playing and Recording Software Instruments 6 GarageBand includes an extensive set of Software Instruments, including drums, guitars, pianos, organs, and synthesizers, that you can use in your projects. Software Instruments are a special kind of instrument. You play the notes (using your computer keyboard, the onscreen keyboard, or a MIDI-compatible music keyboard connected to your computer) and your computer generates the actual sound, depending on which Software Instrument you choose.
If you have a USB or MIDI keyboard connected to your computer, you can play notes and hear the Software Instrument right away. Even without a keyboard connected, you can play Software Instruments with the Musical Typing keyboard or onscreen keyboard. Playing Software Instruments with Musical Typing With Musical Typing, you can play and record Software Instruments using your computer keyboard.
To change the velocity level of notes you play using Musical Typing: Â Press C to lower the velocity level. Â Press V to raise the velocity level. To add pitch bend to notes you play using Musical Typing: Â Press 1 to lower the pitch of notes. Â Press 2 to raise the pitch of notes. The pitch is bent for as long as you press the key. To sustain notes you play using Musical Typing: Â Hold down the Tab key. Notes are sustained for as long as you hold down the Tab key.
The onscreen keyboard also shows notes you play on your connected keyboard, and shows notes in regions on the selected track when you play the project. To move the keyboard: m Place the pointer anywhere in the space above the keys and drag. To resize the keyboard: m Drag the resize control in the lower-right corner of the keyboard window. To change the range of notes you can play: m Click the small triangle to the left or right of the keys.
4 Click the Record button to start recording. Play button Cycle button Record button 5 Start playing your music keyboard, clicking notes on the onscreen music keyboard, or using Musical Typing. As you record, a new region appears in the selected Software Instrument track. 6 When you are finished, click the Record button again to stop recording. Click the Play button to stop the project playing. After you record, you can listen to your new recorded part to see how you like it.
Changing Software Instrument Settings When you create a Software Instrument track, you select an instrument for the track in the New Track dialog. You can change the instrument in the Track Info pane. To change the instrument for a Software Instrument track: 1 Select the track, then click the Track Info button to open the Track Info pane. 2 Select an instrument category from the list on the left, then select a track instrument from the list on the right. The output of a Software Instrument is always stereo.
Viewing Note and Chord Names When you play a Software Instrument, GarageBand can automatically display the names of the notes and chords you play. To view Software Instrument note and chord names while you play: 1 Select the header of the Software Instrument track you want to play. 2 Click the icon on the left side of the LCD, then choose Chord from the menu that appears (or click the up or down arrow in the LCD until you see the chord display).
7 Tutorial 5: Working with Music Notation 7 You can view and edit Software Instrument regions in standard music notation format. In notation view, you can edit notes and other musical events, including adding pedal markings. In this tutorial, you’ll learn some basics about music notation.
 Rests: When you are reading music notation while playing, it is as important to know the space between notes as the notes themselves. The silences between notes are shown by rests. Rests, like notes, have different symbols for different lengths of time, and shorter rests use flags. Each rest shown below is half as long as the rest to its left (from left to right, the rests are half rest, quarter rest, eighth rest, and sixteenth rest).
In addition to standard music notation symbols, notation view includes the following features to make working easier: Â Duration bars: In addition to the musical note itself, each note has a duration bar that graphically displays the note’s duration (the amount of time the note lasts). Â Beat guides: In notation view, the beat ruler not only shows measures and beats, but also includes beat guides. Beat guides help you see the exact position of notes in time.
 Change the velocity of notes  Add pedal markings to sustain notes  Change the clef sign Adding Notes You add a note by choosing the note value for the note, then clicking in the editor. In notation view, a square Note Value button appears at the upper-right corner of the Advanced area of the editor. The Note Value button displays a musical note showing the current note value. To choose a note value: m Click the Note Value button, then choose the note value you want from the menu that appears.
Copying Notes You can copy notes in notation view. To copy a note: m Option-drag the note head to a new position. Changing the Pitch of Notes You can change the pitch of, or transpose, notes in notation view. To change the pitch of a note: m Select the note, then drag it up or down. You can also change the pitch of selected notes by pressing the Up or Down Arrow keys. You hear the note’s new pitch as it moves. Changing the Duration of Notes When you select a note, a duration bar for the note appears.
Adding Pedal Symbols Music notation for piano and some other instruments includes symbols for the sustain pedal. When the sustain pedal is down, the instrument sustains all notes until the pedal is released (up). You can add pedal down and pedal up symbols, which control whether the notes are sustained in GarageBand. To add pedal down and up symbols: 1 Click the Note Value button and choose the pedal symbol from the menu.
Changing the Clef Sign By default, when you view a Software Instrument track as music notation, it shows the treble and bass clefs in “piano style.” This format is useful for pianos, synthesizers, and other instruments with a wide range of notes. However, some instruments, particularly solo (single-note) instruments such as strings and winds, can use only a single clef, the treble or bass clef.
8 Tutorial 6: Arranging and Editing Your Music 8 You build your projects by arranging and editing regions in the timeline and the editor. After you’ve added some loops and recordings to your project, you can make changes to the regions in the timeline to start building the arrangement of the project. You can arrange regions in the timeline by cutting, copying, and pasting them; by moving, resizing, and looping them; and by splitting and joining them.
Arranging Basics Each time you record music in a Real or Software Instrument track, you create a region in the instrument’s track containing the music you record. When you drag a loop to the timeline, you create a region from the loop. Any changes you make to the region, such as splitting or transposing it, do not change the original recording or loop.
To paste a region: m Move the playhead to the point in the timeline where you want the region to start, then choose Edit > Paste. When you paste a region, the playhead moves to the end of the pasted region. You can paste additional copies of the region, and each one starts at the point in the timeline where the previous one ends. Moving Regions You can move a region by dragging it to a new point in the timeline. You can also move a region to another track of the same type as the region.
To resize a region: 1 Move the pointer over the lower half of either edge of the region. The pointer changes to a resize pointer, with an arrow pointing away from the region. 2 Drag the edge of the region to shorten it or lengthen it. Resize pointer Resizing a region by lengthening adds silence to the region. This can be useful if you want to make copies of the region, each lasting for a certain number of beats. Note: You can’t lengthen a Real Instrument region beyond its original length.
Splitting Regions You can split a region in the timeline. Splitting a region lets you start playing the region from a point other than the beginning, or use parts of a region in different places in the timeline. 1 Select the region you want to split. 2 Move the playhead over the point in the region where you want to split it. 3 Choose Edit > Split. The selected region is split into two regions at the playhead. Only the selected region is split, even if regions in other tracks are under the playhead as well.
To show the arrange track: m Choose Track > Show Arrange Region (or press Command-Shift-A). The arrange track appears at the top of the timeline, below the beat ruler. To add an arrange region: m Click the small plus sign (+) in the track header area of the arrange track. When you add an arrange region, it is four measures long, and has the name “untitled”.
If you move or copy an arrange region to a part of the project that is not empty, arrange regions to the right move right to make room for the region. If you move or copy an arrange region to an empty part of the timeline, an empty arrange region is created between the last existing arrange region and the one you drag. If you move or copy an arrange region so that the region moves past the end-ofproject marker in the beat ruler, the marker moves to accommodate the region.
Renaming Regions You can rename a region in the editor. Naming a region can help you remember when you recorded it, where in the project it belongs, or what feeling you want it to have. To rename a region: 1 Select the region in the timeline. You can also double-click the region to select it and open the editor. The content of the region appears in the editor. For Real Instrument regions, the audio waveform appears. For Software Instrument regions, the graphic note display appears.
To enhance the timing of regions in a Real Instrument track: 1 In the timeline, double-click the track with the regions you want to enhance to open it in the editor. 2 In the editor, drag the Enhance Timing slider to the right to increase the effect of timing enhancement, or drag it left to decrease the effect of enhancement. 3 From the pop-up menu below the Enhance Timing slider, choose the note value to use as the basis for timing enhancement. Enhanced timing can cause a delay under certain conditions.
Enhancing the Tuning of Regions in a Real Instrument Track You can enhance the tuning of regions in a Real Instrument track. This is especially useful when you record Real Instrument regions that have the right “feel” and timing but that are not perfectly in tune. When you enhance a track's tuning, all regions on the selected track (both your own recordings and loops) are enhanced.
The Follow Tempo & Pitch checkbox is unavailable when an audio file (orange), a Real Instrument loop tagged as a “one-shot,” or a Software Instrument region (green) is selected. You can convert a Software Instrument loop to a Real Instrument loop when you add it to the timeline, and then set the Real Instrument loop to keep its original tempo. Using Undo and Redo As you build your arrangement in the timeline, you might want to undo or redo some of the changes you make.
9 Tutorial 7: Mixing and Adding Effects 9 GarageBand puts a complete recording studio on your desktop so you can mix your projects and add professional-sounding effects. In this tutorial, you’ll learn some basics about mixing and effects.
Basic Mixing The most basic steps in mixing are balancing the volume level of different tracks, setting track pan positions, and setting the master volume. Setting Track Volume Levels The instruments and loops you use in your project may have different volume (loudness) levels. To hear all the parts you’ve added, you balance the volume levels so that no track overwhelms the others, and no track is lost in the mix. This doesn’t mean that every track should be set to the same volume level.
Setting the Overall (Master) Volume You can set the master volume of a project using the master volume slider, located to the right of the LCD. You should adjust the master volume to a level high enough to eliminate background noise, but not high enough to cause clipping. Important: The master volume slider controls the volume of the project when it is exported. Use your computer’s volume control to adjust the volume at which you listen to the project play.
Adding Effects to a Project Effects let you shape and enhance the sound of your music in a variety of ways. Anyone who’s listened to popular music on the radio, or listened to the soundtrack of a movie, has heard the different effects used in contemporary music. GarageBand includes a complete set of studio-quality effects that you can use on individual tracks or the overall project to shape the sound of your music.
To add an effect: 1 Click the Track Info button (the letter i) or choose Track > Show Track Info to show the Track Info pane. 2 If needed, click the Details triangle to show the Effects section of the Track Info pane. 3 Choose the effect you want to add from one of the pop-up menus along the left. Instrument tracks have four effect pop-up menus, and the master track has one. Use these controls to add and adjust effects.
Adjusting Effects Settings Each effect has a slider that you can use to adjust the amount of the effect, or a pop-up menu from which you can choose different effect presets. To adjust a track’s effects: 1 Select the track, then click the Track Info button to open the Track Info pane. 2 Click the Details triangle to reveal the track’s effects settings. 3 Drag the sliders for the Gate, Echo, and Reverb effects to adjust the amount of each effect.
To edit the Visual EQ effect graphically: 1 Click the Edit button to the right of the Visual EQ effect’s preset pop-up menu. The Preset window for the Visual EQ appears. In the center of the window is the graphic editing area, divided into four bands: Bass, Low Mid, High Mid, and Treble. 2 Place the pointer in one of the four bands in the editing area. Drag the pointer left or right to change the frequency for that band. Drag it up or down to change the gain (how much the frequencies are boosted or cut).
To choose the automation curve you want to edit: m From the pop-up menu on the left side of the track’s automation row, choose the parameter you want to edit. Now you can automate the parameter by adding control points to the curve, and then dragging the control points to change their value at that point in time. To add a control point: m Click the line in the editor at the point in time where you want to add a control point. Note: Adding a control point activates the curve if it is not already active.
To lock automation control points to regions: m Choose Control > “Lock Automation Curves to Regions.” All control points are locked to the region corresponding to the automation curve. The following conditions apply to locking control points to regions: Â Shortening or lengthening a region has no effect on its control points. Â Deleting a region deletes its control points as well.
10 Tutorial 8: Creating Podcasts 10 You can create audio and video podcasts in GarageBand, and then send them to iWeb to publish over the Internet. Podcasts are like radio or TV shows that people can download over the Internet. Users can download an individual podcast episode or subscribe to a podcast series. You can create podcast episodes in GarageBand, and then publish them on the Internet using iWeb or another application.
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to:  Create audio and video podcasts  Find and import media files using the Media Browser  Show the podcast and movie tracks  Add and edit markers and marker regions  Add artwork, URLs, URL titles, and chapter titles to markers  Add episode artwork and episode information  Edit marker region and episode artwork  “Duck” backing tracks to make narration and dialogue easier to hear Creating an Enhanced Podcast Episode You create an enhanced podcast episode in GarageBan
To record podcast narration or dialogue: 1 Select either the Male Voice or Female Voice track by double-clicking its track header. The Track Info pane opens, showing the track settings. 2 From the Input Source pop-up menu, choose the appropriate input source for the microphone you are using to record your narration or dialogue. 3 Choose “On with Feedback Protection” from the Monitor pop-up menu to hear the sound from the microphone, but with protection from feedback.
Importing Media Files You can import media files from other iLife applications, including iTunes and iPhoto, into a podcast project. You can also import other GarageBand projects that have been saved with an iLife preview. You can find and preview media files in the Media Browser. You can also add other folders to the Media Browser, so you can add media files in the folders to your projects.
The file starts playing. Select a folder or playlist. Select a media file from this list. Click to preview the selected song or project. To stop preview playback: Â Click the Play button in the Media Browser again. To import an audio file: m Drag the audio file from the Media Browser to the timeline. To add a folder to the Media Browser: m Drag the folder from the Finder to the middle area of the Media Browser.
Adding and Editing Markers You can add markers to a podcast, making it an enhanced podcast. When you add a marker to a podcast, it appears in the podcast track as a marker region. Marker regions show how long the artwork or URLs you add to a marker last. You can move them or resize them to change their duration. To add a marker: 1 Move the playhead to the place where you want to add the marker. 2 Click the Add Marker button.
3 Drag the artwork from the Media Browser to the Artwork box in the marker’s row in the editor. You can also drag artwork directly to the podcast track, which adds a new marker region with the artwork. The artwork appears in the marker region in the podcast track and in the Artwork column for the region in the editor. The Displays Artwork checkbox is selected. You can change the artwork for a marker by dragging a new image to the Artwork column in the marker’s row.
Adding Episode Artwork You can add episode artwork to the podcast track. When you play the podcast in iTunes or view it in iWeb, the episode artwork is visible whenever there is no marker region with its own artwork. To add episode artwork: 1 In the Media Browser, locate the artwork you want to add. 2 Drag the artwork from the Media Browser to the Episode Artwork well in the editor. The episode artwork appears in the Episode Artwork well.
Ducking Backing Tracks When you are creating a podcast, you may sometimes want to lower the volume of backing tracks to hear spoken narration or dialogue more easily. Lowering the volume of some tracks to make others easier to hear is called ducking. You apply ducking by setting which tracks are lead tracks and which are backing tracks. Whenever there is sound on a lead track, the volume of the backing tracks is lowered while the volume of all other tracks stays the same.
Creating Video Podcasts and Movie Projects Creating a video podcast is similar to creating an audio podcast, except that the video podcast includes a video file and does not include artwork. You can import an iMovie project or other QuickTime-compatible video file, view the video as you add audio, add and edit markers, and send the finished movie (containing both video and audio) to iDVD to burn to a DVD or send it to iWeb to publish as a video podcast. You can also export it as a QuickTime movie.
Adding Audio You can record narration in a video podcast in exactly the same way as in an audio podcast. You can add audio files from the loop browser, including both musical and podcast sounds loops. You can also record in Real and Software Instrument tracks, in exactly the same way as in other GarageBand projects. For more information, see “Adding Podcast Sounds” on page 83, “Importing Media Files” on page 84, and “Adding Music” on page 85.
11 Tutorial 9: Sharing Your Projects 11 After you create your project in GarageBand, there are several ways you can share your music. You can send projects to other iLife applications, such as iTunes, iWeb, and iDVD, or export them to disk. You can also burn a song to a CD. Sharing Music Projects You can send a music project to an iTunes playlist. In iTunes, you can listen to the song, download it to an iPod, or burn the playlist to a CD.
To export a song as a compressed audio file: 1 Choose Share > “Export Song to Disk.” 2 In the Share dialog, select the Compress checkbox. The window expands, showing the Compress Using and Audio Settings pop-up menus. 3 Choose the type of compressed file you want to export from the Compress Using popup menu. 4 Choose the audio quality you want from the Audio Settings pop-up menu. 5 Click Share. You can also burn a single song to a recordable audio CD.
To export a podcast to disk: 1 Choose Share > “Export Podcast to Disk.” When you export a podcast, it is exported as a compressed file. You can change the compression and audio quality settings in the Share dialog. Note: The choices in the Audio Settings menu are different for podcasts than for songs. To burn a podcast to a CD: 1 Insert a blank recordable CD in your computer’s optical drive. 2 Choose Share > “Burn Song to CD.” The Burn dialog appears.
To export a project as a QuickTime movie: m Choose Share > “Export Movie to Disk.” The project is exported using the current movie compression settings. Movie compression settings compress both the video and audio in the exported movie. You can change the compression settings to suit how you want to use the exported movie. Compression settings are stored as part of the GarageBand project until you change them while the project is open.
A Keyboard Shortcuts Action Shortcut Navigation/Moving the playhead Play/Pause Space bar Go to beginning Home or Z Go to end End or Option-Z Move back (the amount depends on zoom level) Left Arrow Move forward (the amount depends on zoom level) Right Arrow Move back in larger increments Option-Left Arrow Move forward in larger increments Option-Right Arrow Move back by the visible width of the timeline Page Up Move forward by the visible width of the timeline Page Down Zoom out Contro
Action Shortcut Track Info pane Show/Hide Track Info Command-I Select next higher category or instrument Up Arrow (when Track Info pane is open and either a category or an instrument is selected) Select next lower category or instrument Down Arrow (when Track Info pane is open and either a category or an instrument is selected) Move from instrument column to category column Left Arrow (when Track Info pane is open and an instrument is selected) Move from category column to instrument column Right
Action Shortcut Notation view Move selected notes to previous grid position Left Arrow Move selected notes to next grid position Right Arrow Move selected notes back one measure Shift-Left Arrow Move selected notes forward one measure Shift-Right Arrow Transpose selected notes up a semitone Up Arrow Transpose selected notes down a semitone Down Arrow Transpose selected notes up an octave Shift-Up Arrow Transpose selected notes down an octave Shift-Down Arrow Adjusting master volume Raise m
Action Shortcut Application menu functions Show GarageBand Preferences Command-comma (,) Hide GarageBand Command-H Hide other applications Command-Option-H Quit GarageBand Command-Q Help menu functions GarageBand Help Appendix A Keyboard Shortcuts Command-question mark (?) 99
Connecting Music Equipment to Your Computer B If you sing or play a musical instrument, you can connect a musical instrument or a microphone to your computer and record your performances in your GarageBand projects. Each recording appears as a region in a track in the timeline. You can add effects to the track, and edit the region in the editor.
Connecting a Music Keyboard to Your Computer If you play a keyboard instrument, you can connect a MIDI-compatible music keyboard to your computer to play and record Software Instruments. To connect a music keyboard to play Software Instruments: Â If the keyboard is a USB MIDI keyboard, connect the USB cable to the keyboard and to your computer. Â If the keyboard is a standard MIDI keyboard, connect the keyboard to a MIDI interface using standard MIDI cables, and connect the interface to your computer.
www.apple.com/garageband © 2007 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iDVD, iLife, iMovie, iPhoto, iPod, iTunes, Macintosh, and QuickTime are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Finder, GarageBand, and iWeb are trademarks of Apple Inc.
