GarageBand, what is it and what is it for?
If you are an iOS device user and you like music, GarageBand is the app you need to play, record, share… Get to know it! GarageBand is a free app created by Apple to turn your iPad or iPhone into a portable music studio. Once the app is installed on your device, you can play instruments, record your compositions and share your music wherever you are.
In addition to giving you the freedom to compose, GarageBand has an extensive library of sounds, samples and loops that help you achieve a professional result in your musical pieces from the first moment.
From Techshali we tell you in detail how this app works so you can start using it in your musical creations.
How to start using GarageBand
GarageBand, Apple’s music creation app, can be used on Apple’s mobile devices, iPad and iPhone, as well as on Mac desktops and MacBook Pro laptops.
You can download the different versions from the App Store, where the app has a 3.8 rating, or from the Mac App Store, where it has a 3.9 rating. Let’s take a look at all its features.
Features
The main features of Apple’s app are:
Playing instruments
With GarageBand you can play instruments in 3 ways:
- By connecting a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) keyboard via USB to your computer.
- On your device’s own screen. To display it, select “Window” > “Keyboard” or press the “Command” + “K” keys.
- With the computer keyboard by enabling the “Music Typing” window. To display it, just go to “Window” > “Music writing” or press the keys “Command” + “Shift” + “K”. To play the notes, press the keys shown in the music writing window.
Its tactile instruments feature realistic graphics and musical behaviour. You can also add rhythms and sounds as if you were a professional musician.
The virtual instruments offered by the app include an acoustic or electric guitar, bass, drums, piano, drums, organ and synthesizer.
Recording music with GarageBand
The app’s interface for the recording function is very intuitive. You will see the different sound, voice and instrument tracks, which you can then edit and mix as you wish. Up to 32 tracks are available.
To start recording add a track by pressing the (+) key, select the software instrument, real instrument, library sound or voice (for voice recording you need to have a microphone) you want to add to that track and click on the “Record” icon. You can play as much as you want, and then GarageBand lets you listen to it and keep your favourite part as if you were in a recording studio.
Record Podcast
In the past, we have already talked about apps for listening to podcasts and the importance that this audio format has acquired within the digital content present on the internet.
To record a podcast with GarageBand, all you have to do is select the option on the start screen, add a microphone track with which you can record your voice through the microphone connected via USB to your computer.
You can enhance your recording by adding music, sound effects and other audio. Also, for those cases in which it is to be shared in video format, you can include illustrations, bookmarks, URLs, chapter titles or information about your episodes.
Learning to play instruments
Music lessons are another popular feature for GarageBand users. You can access piano and guitar lessons through professional videos that can be purchased through the application, although the free version includes basic lessons.
One of the attractions of music lessons with GarageBand is learning how to play a song with its original author, such as learning “Roxanne” or “Message in a Bottle” with Sting, or “Thinking About You” with Norah Jones.
Sharing your creations
Once you’ve recorded and edited your music composition, you can share it with a single tap via email, on social networks like Facebook or YouTube (you need to install iMovie – a video-making app – to do this), or on SoundCloud, which we talked about in our article on how to listen to music on your phone.
You can also use AirDrop to send it to people within range of your Bluetooth and WIFI network.
You can also save your GarageBand projects as ringtones, or save and manage them later using the Files app.
Magic GarageBand
Finally, this Apple application includes a feature called “Magic GarageBand” designed for users who aren’t musicians or songwriters. With it, you can become a real bandleader.
You can choose from different styles of music such as rock, jazz, blues, Latin music and so on. Once you have chosen, you can select a fragment or a complete song of that style. You can click on the “Audition” button and you will see the different instruments used in the chosen song and you can change them for a list that the app offers you as an alternative to each instrument.
Once the virtual band is the way you like it, you can click on “Create project” and the app will create the appropriate tracks automatically.
How to download GarageBand on Android or Windows?
As we said, GarageBand is an app developed by Apple for its iOS and MacOS devices. There are some similar alternative apps created for Android devices and Windows computers, but there is no version of the official Apple app.
Below, we share some examples:
Android music making software:
- Music Maker JAM – with over 10 million downloads on Google Play and a rating of 4.5.
- Song Maker – Free Music Mixer: with over 5 million downloads and a rating of 4.3.
- Walk Band – Music Studio: with over 50 million downloads and a rating of 4.2.
In terms of Windows applications, the following stand out:
- Soundation Studios: which has a cloud version: www.soundation.com
- Audiotool: also available online: www.audiotool.com
- Let’s Make Music: a free open source software made by musicians that can be used on Linux, Windows and Mac: lmms.io
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