From Wikibooks, the open-content textbooks collection

[edit] Introduction

This Wikibook is a tutorial on the basics of GarageBand. Its purpose is to get the reader ready to experiment further on their own. In this tutorial I use arrows like ">". These indicate the use of menus. For instance, "Open the menu labeled File. In that menu is an item labeled Save As. Click Save As." could be abbreviated to "File > Save As...".

[edit] Disclaimer

This tutorial is a project I have made for my IB Itgs course. It is in no way an official Apple guide. All images I have made myself. In addition, they are used without permission from anyone. For questions, etc., e-mail me at edenexter@hotmail.com.

[edit] Contents

[edit] The Interface

This is a read-up on the various buttons, panels, and controls that make up GarageBand's interface.

[edit] Getting Started

After GarageBand has fully loaded, choose "File > New"

This menu pops up when you choose to create a "New" file from the "File" menu.

1. Here you fill in the name you want to give your new song.
2. With the drop menu you can choose the location you want to save your song file.
3. You can set the tempo or speed of your song beforehand. The speed is measured in beats per minute and this amount is shown in the box below next to "bpm". The tempo can be altered at a later point in production.
4. Here you can set the time signature of your song, or, in other words, the beats per measure. Use the menu to choose between the different times. 'Note' that the time you choose will affect the number of loops you will be able to use in your project. If you are new to GarageBand, a 4/4 time is a good place to start.
5. In addition, the tonality of you project can be chosen beforehand. This is another option that limits the number of loops you can use.
6. When you are done with choosing your settings, click "Create" to start working on your new project.

[edit] The Working Area

In this field of the GarageBand interface you can move around your loops and recordings, you can add new instruments, change their volumes and pan them to the left or to the right.

1. In this column from top to bottom you see the different tracks or instruments used in the song.
2. This is the Mixer column in which you can use the knob to 'pan' the sound of this track to the left or to the right, or use the slider to raise or lower the track's volume. When you play the song back you will see the volume dials above the slider going up from green to yellow to red. The volume is best if this dial's maximum lies within the yellow zone and not in the red.
3. In this area you see all the loops and recordings that you are using in your song. Within this plane you can adjust your 'sound fragments' so they fit nicely with the other tracks by looping, shortening, lengthening and positioning them.
4. With this slider you can change the scale of the plane under number 3. Slide it to the right to see the loops and recordings in detail and to the left for a very global view of your song.
5. This is the cursor. This is from where GarageBand plays back your song when you press "play". Reposition it to make the song play from a different place or use the buttons in the 'buttons bar' below.
6. In this example there are only 4 instruments in use, but still many more tracks can be added to this song. When recording you have to select the track you want to record in. To select the track, click on it and the instrument icon will illuminate like the 'Shaker' in the example picture.

When recording or mixing in GarageBand it is important to know what the buttons in the first column mean.

1. This first button indicates that if you press record you will record for this track. Therefore, when you select a track this button turns on for that track.
2. Use this button to mute this track.
3. Use this button to single out this track. This mutes all the other tracks.
4. Use this button to lock this track to prevent changes made to it.
5. When this button is pressed a more detailed panning and volume-adjusting mode is shown. With this you can reduce the volume of that certain track or raise it at any point in the song. This also counts for panning, though when learning the basics of GarageBand we can ignore this function.

[edit] The Button Panel

1. Use this button to add a new track to your project.
2. This button opens up the detailed information on the track that is currently selected.
3. These buttons open the 'bottom panel'. The 'eye' will show the 'loops bank' and the 'scissors' open an even more detailed look at the time selected within the track for detailed sound editing. In this tutorial we only look at the 'loops bank.'
4. This is the record button. When pressed GarageBand will start recording either what is played with a USB keyboard or what is plugged into the sound input of the computer such as a guitar or microphone.
5. Use these buttons to move through your song. The first button will place the cursor at the start of your project. There are 'back' and 'forward' buttons that move the cursor either one measure back or forward. The middle button is the 'play' button. The last button can be used to loop certain sections. Feel free to try it out but this tutorial won't explain this function.
6. This is a panel that shows at what measure or at what time the cursor is. To switch between time or measures click on the small clock or the musical note in the bottom left corner of this panel. This panel also shows the tempo of your project. By clicking on it a slider will open up with which you can change the tempo.
7. This slider shows the overall volume of the piece. Again, the best volume is in the range of the green/yellow area of the dials above the slider.

[edit] The Loops Bank

If you don’t see as many options as in the example, click and drag any part of the 'button panel' above upwards.

1. This column is a filter for all the loops. You can click on the buttons to filter the loops out that you want. In this case 'Urban Bass' loops which show up on the right side of the panel.
2. In this column you can see if a loop is a midi track or an actual recording. The loops with green icons are midi and the ones with blue icons are actual recordings.
3. This column shows the name and also the description of the loop.
4. This column shows the original tempo of the loop. When your project is a different tempo, the loop will adjust to it. If the tempos of your project and the loop differ greatly, the loop might not sound very good.
5. In this column you can find the key of the loop. In case you do not know the meaning of key, use loops from the same key and they are likely going to sound nice together. Still you can use a mix of keys and this will make your song sound more experimental.
6. This column shows the length of the loop in beats.
7. You can also use the search function to search for loops.

[edit] Creating Songs With Loops

Now you are familiar with the GarageBand interface you can learn how to use the loops that come with GarageBand and how to use these to create a song.

• To start, open the 'Loops Bank' panel.

• Use the filters to filter out a certain loop, say a drum line. By clicking on the loop in the right side of the panel you can hear a preview of the loop.

Step 1

• When you have found the right loop,

Step 2

click and drag it into the working plane.

Step 3

It's best to put it at the beginning of the song so the project stays ordered.

• Next we can make the loop longer so our song will last a bit longer as well. Do this by clicking and dragging the right upper corner of the loop to the right until it’s long enough. If this is done right, the corner of the cursor turns into this icon.

• Continue adding new loops and tracks and by using the 'play' button you can listen to your song. If want to add a loop but you already have the instrument track in your project drag the new loop to a position with in that track to add it instead of making a whole new track.

• For example, try putting a piano loop into the default piano track.

• Don't forget to "file > save" your project every now and then so you can revert to it if you've messed things up.

[edit] Recording

The next step is to learn how to make and edit both software instrument and real instrument recordings.

• 'Software instrument' recording means that a USB midi keyboard is used or the Musical typing function in GarageBand.
• Either plug in your USB keyboard or select "Window > Musical Typing" and a window will open showing which keys of the keyboard you can use to play with. Make sure you leave this window open or musical typing wont work.

• Start by creating a new track with the '+' button and the detailed information window will pop up.

1. Make sure that the 'Software Instrument' tab is selected.
2. In this menu you can select the primary instrument.
3. In this menu you can select different types the primary instrument and its sound.
4. Finish by clicking on 'Create'.

• Next you should make sure the 'Cursor' at the point that you want your recording to start.
• Then if you want GarageBand to count a measure before you start, so you have the rhythm select "Control > Count in".
• To actually record press the red "Record" button and play away. To stop recording press the button again.
• When finished recording the recording acts just like any other loop and can be repeated or trimmed. You can trim a loop by clicking and dragging the right bottom corner of the loop.
• When you want to record in an already existing track, select it before recording.

• When you have finished the project you can export it to your "iTunes" library by selecting "File > Export To iTunes.