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GarageBand Roundup

Posted by pudge on from the mmmmmmmm-usic dept.

Wired covers the GarageBand revolution. Matt Van Horm writes "MacBand.com is an online directory of songs and loops created by users of Apple's GarageBand software who submit their work. Songs are organized by category and loops are organized by genre, instrument and mood, and are rated with a system similar to the one in iTunes." franklinrh writes in about the free loops available from Access, and others note free loops from Bitshift Audio and Drums on Demand. And if you want to import MIDI files into GarageBand, check out Dent du MIDI. What other software -- and equipment -- are you using with GarageBand? I've got my setup pumping out tunes.

8 of 119 comments (clear)

  1. Keyboard? by dimator · · Score: 4, Interesting

    A friend brought over his Midi/USB keyboard, and it worked great in GarageBand. But I'm not that much of an audio head to drop significant cash on a Midi/USB keyboard...

    The built-in Keyboard thingy in GarageBand kind of sucks, because you have to use the mouse to hit the keys... or do I? Does anyone know of a way to use the actual (qwerty) keyboard to record in notes?

    I hope its not an obvious solution, because I looked around in the docs and couldn't find it.

    --
    python -c "x='python -c %sx=%s; print x%%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))%s'; print x%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))"
    1. Re:Keyboard? by byolinux · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I ordered one from the UK Apple Store at the same time I got iLife 04 and iPod AppleCare (which I've already claimed on -- new headphones, remote and firewire cable. These claimed items arrived the next day.) - the keyboard is pretty cool really, at first I thought I would maybe not need it, but it really encourages some creativity and it's a lot easier to get what you want out of it.

      I'd recommend it to anyone.

      --
      Join the Free Software Foundation
  2. USB - MIDI converter by mivok · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Does anybody know if there is a (cheap) Midi keyboard to USB converter that will work with a Powerbook? Having already got a MIDI keyboard I don't really want to go buying another.

  3. tap tempo by jeffehobbs · · Score: 4, Interesting


    The main feature I miss in GarageBand is "tap tempo", which is to say, you can tap a key on the keyboard in a 1... 2... 3... 4... rhythm and the software will extrapolate and average the tempo from your tapping. Does anyone have any recommendations for any little utilities that might offer this?

    ~jeff

  4. First Time User's Perspective by daddywonka · · Score: 1, Interesting

    A friend of mine, a long time amateur of low budget, Mac-based rap recording that usually manages to leave his listeners rolling in their seats, has an interesting/funny short review of his first experience with garage band. It's worth a read and a listen if you have 3 minutes and headphones at work. He talks about the actual program and the realistic target audience of Garage Band without the Steve Jobs and Cheryl Crow spin.

    1. Re:First Time User's Perspective by pudge · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I've heard excellent string and horn synth sounds, but not in a software package, it was all in hardware modules. That was years ago, though, I'm sure some software sounds exist that sound good. Anyway, in GB, it appears to me the good sounds (guitars, pianos) were samples (recording actual sounds), and the crummy ones (horns, strings) are FM synthesis or the like (faking it by manipulating waveforms until it sorta sounds right).

  5. Connecting your Guitar by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Anyone connect their guitar to GarageBand yet? Apple sells an adapter, the Monster Instrument adaptor. However it's a bit pricey at $20.

    I was checking online in radio shack and noticed that the specific combination of the adapter: mono to stereo, isn't easy to find. There's plenty of mono to mono and stereo to stereo.

    Additionally, while looking in google I saw advice that went along the lines of: the input would be too low, and that maybe the monster adapter does a better job.

    So, has anyone connected their guitar yet? What adapter did you use? Has anyone compared the monster to the run of the mill mono to mono $2 adapter? Does the simulated amp pick up overtones and the like?

    1. Re:Connecting your Guitar by pudge · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Check out the "GarageBand Demo" on http://homepage.mac.com/pudge/. I just did that with electric guitar -> cable -> 1/2" mono to 1/4" mono adapter -> iMic. The adapter is just one of the many things I had lying around, got it from Radio Shack years ago. You can judge the quality for yourself; set your balance to the right speaker to cut out most of the synth and hear the guitar better.

      But now that I have a Tascam US-122, I wouldn't want to go through the iMic anymore, and I would just go into the L input on the US-122, and record in mono.