Whether you’re a teenager or a grown-up who loves music, there’s no reason why you can’t start your garage band. This step-by-step guide shows you how to start and make your first song using Apple’s popular Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) GarageBand.
GarageBand is a powerful tool that lets you record loops and MIDI tracks. It also provides access to a wide variety of real instrument sounds and allows you to record your instruments.
1. Choose Your Instruments
Whether you’re looking to get together with friends or want to start a full-blown band, the first step is choosing the suitable instruments. Generally speaking, you’ll need at least one drummer and one guitarist or bassist.
GarageBand comes with a vast range of instrument presets and sound kits, so you can easily make tracks that fit your style of music. Once you have chosen your devices, it’s time to practice and write some songs.
To start, create a new track in GarageBand by clicking the plus sign on the left. Next, you’ll need to select either a Software Instrument track (which allows you to plug in a MIDI keyboard and use real-world instruments) or an Audio track, which uses the built-in microphone to record voice, guitar and bass.
When recording a real-world instrument, it’s important to set the levels and pan correctly so that your mix sounds transparent and punchy. This is particularly important if you’re using an acoustic guitar, as it can be challenging to control the level and reposition it stereophonically within the mix.
2. Get Together
To get the most out of your music making endeavor, you’ll need to do a little planning. Start by forming your core bandmates – preferably people who share the same musical taste and who are committed to the cause. This will make it a lot easier to weed out the amateurs and ensure you’re not wasting your time on people who don’t have your best interests at heart.
After you’ve got the team in place, it’s time to start writing some songs. The good news is that you can do this without having a clue about how to play guitar or piano. In fact, this is one of the most fun aspects of being a musician. You can hone your skills by playing in your local jamming sessions or just by listening to the dozens of radio stations that carry your favourite bands. The fun doesn’t stop there; you can also pick up tips from other musicians on improving your craft.
3. Write Your Songs
Garageband makes it simple to write and record songs. It also makes it easy to share your finished track with the whole internet and save it as a custom ringtone.
To get started, choose an empty project from the GarageBand menu. You’ll see various options, including Keyboard Collection, Amp Collection, Voice, Ringtone, Hip Hop, Electronic, and Songwriter.
Once you’ve selected your project, click Create. You’ll be asked to name your song and choose a tempo and BPM.
Now you can begin recording your music in Garageband by using a microphone or an instrument connected to your computer. As you register, the recording appears as a new audio region on the track.
If you want to change the order of the instruments in your song, click and drag the loops left or right. You can also move individual loops up or down in the track. Alternatively, you can use the “Edit” button on the toolbar to split regions in a track at playhead.
4. Practice
Apple Garageband is a great music making software program that encourages creativity and skills. It’s easy to use and is a good starting point for any budding musician.
You can start with a blank project or choose from a number of templates. These include Keyboard Collection, Amp Collection, Voice, Ringtone, Hip Hop, Electronic, and Songwriter.
One of the best things about Garageband is that it comes with a large number of different instruments pre-installed. These can range from classic pianos to EDM synths, percussion, and hard rock guitar sounds.
Garageband also comes with a variety of loops, which are short pieces of pre-recorded music and drum beats. To access them, just click the “Loop” icon in the top-right corner of the app. You can then browse through the loops and find one that sounds right to you. You can then drag the loop into your session. Then, you can edit, add, or move the MIDI notes that make up the loop.
