Tap the Record button in the control bar. Play, sing, or make sound into the microphone. When you are finish, tap the Play button in the control bar to stop recording. Tap the Play button again to hear your recording. Launch it, and it will look for any open copy of GarageBand (or Logic Pro X or MainStage 3) on your local network. On the Mac you'll be cued to grant it access to GarageBand. Then, back on the iPad, tap on the View menu (in the app's top-left corner), tap Smart Controls & Keyboard, tap the keyboard layout.
Since Macs are often known as computers for creative types, they are often praised for being especially good at helping you make music. Just look at what any DJs and production studios are using and you'll mainly see MacBooks and iMacs. So if you've just bought a Mac with a goal of creating the music you've always dreamed about — good choice! But now where do you start?
Naturally, there are lots of professional music-making and mastering apps, such as Logic Pro X and Ableton Live, but the learning curve to master them is so steep that most beginners will probably give up before making any significant progress.
A better way is to start creating music gradually, covering all the foundations first before graduating into pro-level apps. That's why apps like GarageBand exist to help you bridge the gap.
What Is GarageBand For Mac?
GarageBand is a digital audio workstation, meaning it lets you record your own music with a possibility of using a library of GarageBand instruments, such as a GarageBand keyboard and a variety of other virtual keyboard pianos (even an online MIDI keyboard).
Alternatively, you can simply record your voice for a podcast or voiceover, and then edit it with all the necessary arrangement right within the app.
While GarageBand offers versatility and plenty of robust features, it has become really popular for (1) being pre-installed on every macOS and (2) being absolutely free to use. An iOS GarageBand piano keyboard app is also available in the App Store at no cost. Sounds fantastic! Let's begin with a simple GarageBand tutorial.
How to start a project in GarageBand
When you're convinced that it's not yet time to use any of the GarageBand alternatives, you're ready to start on your learning path. To begin, let's create your first project:
Open GarageBand from your Applications folder (or download from the App Store)
Let any sounds and add-ons download automatically if asked
In the 'Choose a Project' window, navigate to Project Templates
Select one of the templates that resembles what you have in mind the most
If you already know the tempo and key you want to play in, click Details to open additional options
Hit Choose when ready
Let's assume you've clicked the Keyboard Collection and get you all set up properly from there.
How to fine-tune your workspace
If you haven't set up a custom tempo in the menu and not sure how to slow down a track in GarageBand, don't worry — you can simply double-click the tempo in the middle of the top bar and enter the new value, or literally drag that number up or down. Similarly, if you're wondering how to change pitch in GarageBand, you can use the dropdown menu next to tempo.
Since we have lots of different keyboards enabled, let's get rid of the unneeded ones simply by clicking on them and hitting Delete. To add new instruments (or voice), click the plus (+) icon above the instruments, choose the tool you need, and then Create.
How to add Apple Loops
Another great reason to use GarageBand is its abundant library of Apple Loops that will quickly teach you how to sample in GarageBand — the essential skill for any music maker.
Garageband How To Record Piano On The Mac Free
To use Apple Loops:
Select View ➙ Show Loop Browser from the menu bar
Filter the database by Instrument or Genre
Click on the loop to play in preview
When you like the tune, drag it over to your main instruments panel
To increase the loop's length, just drag it to the right over how many bars you need. If you need to know how to cut a track in GarageBand, a good way is to position the playhead bar at the place you'd like the track to split and then use the shortcut ⌘ + T. Mastering how to cut in GarageBand will open completely new avenues for your creative expression through advanced sampling. While on this topic, to start your instruments at different times and get that layered feel, just move the tracks to the right.
How to record on GarageBand with instruments
While loops can carry you quite far, and you can even compose whole tracks with them, the dream of every musician is to create something original that has never existed before.
To record using GarageBand instruments:
Select the GarageBand keyboard track
Go Window ➙ Show Musical Typing, or use the shortcut ⌘ + O to open the online MIDI keyboard
Hit the record icon and use the keys on your Mac keyboard to play your music
Click the record icon again to stop recording
While virtual keyboard pianos are quite limited compared to the real ones, you can record real instruments with GarageBand as well:
Click the plus (+) icon to start a new instrument track
Choose the option that allows you to connect a guitar or bass
Connect your instrument to GarageBand
Hit the record icon and play as usual for complete control
Press Record once again to stop
The combination of Apple Loops, GarageBand instruments, and your own bass or guitar could easily result in thousands of unique tracks and compositions. Possibilities are endless!
How to save and share your music
When your creation is ready, you naturally want to save it and share it with the world. To only save the GarageBand project itself and maybe work on it later, use the standard File ➙ Save As option.
To export your track into a complete song, go Share ➙ Export Song to Disk, where you'll be able to choose the format as well as the quality of your audio. Now you just need really good speakers to get all the complexity you've put into your song right.
How to get the best sound possible
What if you don't have the budget to splurge on expensive audio gear? How do you maximize your Mac's sound then? The answer is Boom 3D.
Boom 3D is a simple but mighty equalizer and volume booster for your Mac. With a simple slider, it lets you override your Mac's internal volume limits and really get the maximum out of your speakers.
In addition, Boom 3D is a precise equalizer that allows you to adjust all the frequencies to the kind of song being played, which works both for your music collection and your own tracks too. Just select the closest preset from the dropdown and fine-tune as you see fit.
How to graduate beyond GarageBand tutorials
While you're learning how to use GarageBand on Mac, it'll seem like it's never going to get boring. But with time you'll get too comfortable and even hit the ceiling in terms of being able to execute on your creative vision. At that point, you might start looking for GarageBand alternatives. Your next best step — n-Track Studio.
n-Track Studio is a fully fledged music studio right in your Mac, while still in many ways as accessible as GarageBand. The professional mixer and sequencer allow you to DJ right within the app, and live input recorder makes it possible to record all the songs live during a concert or session. Finally, the app's own massive library of effects will considerably extend what you thought was possible in creating new sounds.
To sum up, finding out what is GarageBand really is an essential part of becoming a well-rounded musician. And using extra help provided by Boom 3D and n-Track Studio will only accelerate you in your goals.
Best of all, Boom 3D and n-Track Studio are available to you at no charge at all during the seven-day trial through Setapp, a platform with over 160 excellent Mac apps curated to significantly extend the possibilities of your Mac. With so many opportunities at your disposal, you have no option but to start creating music right away!
If you are not aware, let me tell you GarageBand is Apple's freeware digital audio workstation which means this software enables you to create, customise of the mix up your music just like a professional music composer, available for download from the Apple app store for all iOS and Mac devices, absolutely free. Garageband is available for Apple devices officially and comes with advanced features including in-app recording, Virtual studio technology, MIDI editing, a collection of instruments and loops, artist lessons, etc; gets better when all of that packed into an intuitive and easy to use interface.
The music composing app has all the instruments and sounds that can help you in creating great music. In this post, you will get to know, how to create music on it. If you are using a windows PC you can download garageband on PC here.
How to get GarageBand on Mac?
Installing GarageBand on apple devices is super easy. Make sure you have latest MacOS installed on your Macbook, iMac or iPhone. Apple is rolling new updates to improves the bugs and fix them quite often, if available just update to the latest MacOS. Once you are done, now you can proceed.
Installation:
You can download GarageBand for Mac from the Apple's official website named, APP STORE. Initially, it came as the pre-installed app for iPhone as well as on Mac computers but now the GarageBand is available on App store and it's just a click-away from installation.
For more clarity, Here are the detailed steps for you:
1. Open the Launchpad and then look for App Store in it.
2. Once you found the App Store, open it.
3. Now, on the App Store, look for GarageBand. It would be the first app you will see. Simply click and download.
4. Once you install the app, it is ready to use.
5. Go ahead and create some soulful music on your Apple beast.
How to use GarageBand on Mac?
Using GarageBand on Mac or any apple device is really easy, the interface is same. GarageBand offers you different project templates that you can choose as per your need. Before creating the music, here is some basic stuff you need to know:
Step 1: Opening the Project
First of all, you need to open the project area where you will create music. To do that, open the app and go to File menu and then select ‘New‘. You can also use shortcut key by pressing ⌘+N to open the new project.
You will find a couple of options. In songwriter mode, you will get the preset instruments, audio and other stuff you need to create a new song. Similarly, in Electronic, you will get the preset trance sounds, bass and drum kicks that will help you in creating EDM and other electronic music.
You can choose either of them as per your need but if you want to start from scratch without any preset sounds, simply open Empty Project.
Step 2: Adding Instruments on Empty Project:
You can choose either of them as per your need but if you want to start from scratch without any preset sounds, simply open Empty Project.
Step 2: Adding Instruments on Empty Project:
If you have chosen the Empty project, here is what you need to do to start creating music on GarageBand. On the new empty project, you will get a basic Classic Electric Piano. Use your keyboard to play the Piano notes and to record it. You can see the Piano Keyboard on your screen by going to Windows > Show Musical Typing or press ⌘+K.
If you wanted to add more Tracks, simply click on the + icon (see screenshot), select Empty Project and add another track. Choose any instrument you wanted to add in your song and go on.
Using Loops on GarageBand:
Once you opened the project, now it is time to create some music on it. Creating music on GarageBand is so easy and so much fun, honestly. There is an inbuilt library of Loops that you can use in your songs as well. There are loops from different Genres, Moods, Instruments. You can sort the loops as per your need and type of music. You will get to know the Note of the loop as well as the BPM or Tempo of the loop which is also useful for any music creator. You can open the Loop menu from the Top Right corner. See Screenshot below.
Record External Instrument on GarageBand
Recording an external instrument like Piano, Guitar or Drums on GarageBand is so easy. For recording the Analog instrument as a digital sound require a converter that will convert the analog sound of your Guitar or Piano into Digital sound. You can use Tascam iXZ interface for iPad, iPhone. That is a brilliant gear for your setup. Using this, you can easily record external instrument into the app. You can also record the sound from the inbuilt microphone but the output would be terrible with noises. To open the External instrument interface on GarageBand, you need to go to File > New Project and choose Audio Project. Using the same option, you can also record your own voice on it.
FAQs
Ques – Is GarageBand free for Mac?
Ans- Yes, GarageBand is a free digital audio workstation available for download in the Apple app store. The free package includes a full set of features and a considerable number of sounds, loops, drummers, lessons, etc. You can, however, expand your content by making a one time purchase of $4.99. It also includes some Artist Lessons that would require you to make an in-app purchase.
Ques- How much does GarageBand cost for Mac?
Ans- GarageBand is free of cost for Mac users. The digital audio workstation is available for download in the Apple app store. The free package includes a full set of features and a considerable number of sounds, loops, drummers, lessons, etc. You can, however, expand your content by making a one time purchase of $4.99. GarageBand also includes some Artist Lessons that would require you to make an in-app purchase.
Ques- Do all Macbooks have GarageBand?
Ans- Even though GarageBand is not pre-installed on all Macs, it is available for all Macbooks. Any Mac user with an Apple ID can download the software from the Mac App Store.
Ques- Where do I find GarageBand on my Mac?
How To Record Piano On Garageband Mac
Ans- If you haven't downloaded GarageBand, you will find it in the Mac app store where you have to search and download. In case you already have the music composing app downloaded on your Mac, you will most likely find it in the tab at the bottom of your screen (with a guitar icon). You can also search for it by name from the search bar at the top of your desktop screen. Alternatively, you can also open the Finder and from the panel on the right, click on Applications. Now when you scroll through your applications, you will find the app.
Ques- How do I remove GarageBand from my Mac?
Ans- To delete GarageBand from your Mac :
- Open Finder.
- Select Applications from the window on the left side
- Find GarageBand and then drag it to the Trash icon at the bottom of the screen
- Alternatively, you can right-click on the icon and tap on ‘Move to Trash'
- Empty the trash folder (right-click on its icon and select ‘Empty Trash' option)
Alternatively, you can also use this method to get rid of GarageBand :
- Open Launchpad
How To Record Piano On Garageband
- Type and search for GarageBand in the search bar
- Click and hold on the GarageBand icon, a small cross should appear at the top left of the icon
- Tap on that x and select Delete on the window that pops up
Ques- How do I get rid of music creation files on my Mac?
Ans- To get rid of music creation files from your mac :
- Click on the Apple logo, and then select ‘About this Mac'
- Now go to Storage and select ‘Manage'
- Click on the ‘Music creation' option
- You'll find a button to remove GarageBand, click on it to remove music creation files.
Garageband How To Record Piano On The Mac Computer
- If you don't find a button to remove GarageBand, you'll have to first re-install the software on your mac from the App store. Once you have re-installed the app, start this whole procedure from the beginning.
- If you want to further remove GarageBand files and clear up space : Go to the Finder window and search for GarageBand. Now scan the ‘This Mac' and ‘Library' folders and delete all GarageBand or Apple Loops files from them.
Ques- How do you delete instruments and lessons on GarageBand in Mac?
Ans- To get rid of music creation files from your mac :
Garageband How To Record Piano On The Mac Youtube
- Click on the Apple logo, and then select ‘About this Mac'
How Do I Record Piano On Garageband
- Now go to Storage and select ‘Manage'
- Click on the ‘Music creation' option
Multitrack Recording With Garageband
- You'll find a button to remove GarageBand, click on it to remove music creation files.
- If you don't find the button, you'll have to first re-install the software on your mac from the App store and then start this procedure from beginning.
- If you want to further remove GarageBand files and clear up space: Go to the Finder window and search for GarageBand. Now scan the ‘This Mac' and ‘Library' folders and delete all GarageBand or Apple Loops files from them.
