Apple’s most recent release of iLife included GarageBand ‘09. iLife ships free with every new Mac and allows Mac users to make and record music with GarageBand. There are 4 notable features of GarageBand that make it such a unique and powerful tool. Those would be: Recording Capability, Plug and Play, Lessons and Jamming (Magic GarageBand). Let’s look at each one of these.

Recording with GarageBand

Tracking

It is no doubt that most every Mac owner, not to mention many PC owners, are aware of GarageBand ’09’s Recording feature. What is less known is how powerful it is! Every one is aware of the multi track recording capability, but may not know that a musician can record multiple tracks at the same time allowing them to record full live ensembles. In addition, the sound quality available in GarageBand ‘09 surpasses 16bit audio resolution (CD quality) and offers 24bit. All of this resides in a very user friendly interface that is to be expected from Apple.

GarageBand Software Instruments

GarageBand Includes many software instruments to allow a musicians to quickly begin the recording process. These MIDI instruments not only sound great but Apple has included a wide array of instruments for artists in the form of Instrument Pre-Sets. Now seeing how GarageBand ‘09 Offers instrument Pre-Sets, Does that mean that musicians can create their own Software Instrument Pre-Sets and sounds? Of course! The musician has complete control over these Software Instruments.

Recording Real Instruments in GarageBand

Recording real instruments is very easy in GarageBand’09. Musicians can either use the Built-in Microphone of their Mac, the Built-in line Input (if available) or an external Audio interface. GarageBand is smart enough to recognize external hardware and makes it easy to configure for quick use. What is even better is that like Software instruments, Garageband ‘09 ships with a bunch of Real Instrument Pre-Sets that allow a musician to quickly get the sound they want. These Pre-Sets are created with Plugins that are also modifiable making it easy for artists to take complete control of their sound in GarageBand.

GarageBand and Guitar: The perfect match

Recording Guitar Tracks in GarageBand has never been cooler! Apple has treated guitars a little different than other instruments by giving Musicians “Amp Models”, “Stomp Boxes” (Pedals) and track settings that are exclusive to Guitars. Like Real Instruments and Software instruments, the Amp Models have Pre-Sets that will make any Electric Guitar that is plugged in to an interface, Rock! There are many Different amp models available in GarageBand ‘09 (the release which this feature became available) and Guitarists have endless possibilities when it comes to the sounds they want. And yes, Guitarists can create their own custom sound.

Apple and GarageBand Loops

GarageBand Also ships with a huge Loop Library with many styles, instruments and genres. This feature, along with the others, makes GarageBand ‘09 stand out as one of the best values in Music creation and Recording available today. The drag and drop capability and the complete control through editing regions, makes creating a song something that can be done by any musician. As you can see, with all of these features less time and energy is devoted towards answering the question “How am I going to capture this idea”, to just capturing it. You can also create your own loops in GarageBand. Additional info to be added over time…

GarageBand’s Plug and Play, Lessons and Jamming

Want to learn more about GarageBand?

MacForMusicians has one of the most comprehensive GarageBand Tutorials available today. Visit to see the complete GarageBand Tutorial List. Browse, watch and enjoy. There are over five hours of video available to keep you busy!

Maria Bradley for http://www.MacForMusicians.com