Greystokey Productions

Why I Use GarageBand I have been creating songs using GarageBand on my iPad for a while now, and I absolutely love it. GarageBand is an Apple product so you can use it on a Mac, iPad, or even an iPhone if you don’t mind the smaller screen. Sometimes I start composing songs on my iPhone, then air-drop them to my iPad to finish up because I prefer the larger screen. I started using GarageBand because I needed music to accompany my art videos, and I had trouble finding free, pre-recorded music that could be used without worrying about copyright infringement. I had read some of the horror stories involving lawsuits and de-monetization of websites and channels when folks got caught using other people’s music. My solution was just to make my own music. I had no idea how to compose so I was hesitant at first, but once I realized how easy it is, there has been no going back. I have even created a few stand alone songs just for fun. Now, let me assure you that I am not a classically trained musician. I took guitar lessons for a couple of years when I was a kid, and I took two GarageBand classes at my local Apple store last year. That’s the extent of my musical training, other than the fact that I love music. Art is music, and music is art! Not only is GarageBand easy to learn, but you can basically create something with a $400 iPad that would have taken $5000 and a production studio rental years ago. Using GarageBand, you can easily compose songs adorned with drums, bass, keyboards, and guitars without knowing how to read or write music. Here’s what you need to know. Live Loops Open GarageBand and select the kind of instrument you want to use. At the top of the screen you'll see two options: Live Loops and Tracks. Live Loops allows you to sequence existing recordings in real time. Trust me, that only sounds complicated. It’s not! There are numerous pages of Live Loops to choose from, but I am only showing one page here. Select the genre of music you want to use from numerous options such as Hip Hop, EDM, Rock, etc. You’ll be taken to a grid with colored squares. Each square represents a loop. These loops have been selected to work together in terms of timing and melody. Just tap each square to stop or start the playback, adding others as you desire. GarageBand will begin each one on the correct beat so it’s almost impossible to make any errors here. Tap the arrow at the bottom of each column to switch on all the squares at once. Here’s a screenshot showing the instrument squares. The squares shown here are from a Live Loops pack called Skyline Heat, which I have used for a few songs. FX is another cool option. This button is along the top of the screen. Tap it to open up large boxes with buttons between them. The left box controls a filter when you move your finger around inside it. Experiment with it to produce different sounds. The right box lets you repeat parts of a loop at different speeds, and the buttons change the frequency shapes when you slide your finger up or down. There’s a turntable icon that you can scratch, There’s a back arrow to hold a loop in a certain position, and a square icon that allows you to slow a loop to a stop. Any of these sounds and techniques can be used when composing or recording. This screenshot has the FX GUI and an example of an FX bar in a song. Recording Live Loops Play around with the Live Loops until you work out a sequence that you like, then press the record button at the top of the screen. You'll be counted in, then it's time to play the loops in the order you want. Tap the stop button at the top. To hear it, press the Play button. You are now a composer of music! Touch Instruments You can use Touch Instruments if you want to create your own melodies without using loops. There are virtual guitars, pianos, and strings that you can actually play. Choose the Tracks option when you open a new project and you'll see the selections. Tap the one you want and it will open a new window with that instrument. Using Keyboards On keyboards you have the keys themselves, with a row of options above. The two arrows on the left with a number in the middle allow you to raise or lower the pitch of the keyboard by an octave. Beside this you will see a feature specific to the instrument. For example, on a piano this is sustain, while on an electric organ it might control the rate of a rotary speaker. Slide right to lock it on, and left to release it. In the center you will see a button adjusting the way the keyboard responds to sliding your finger across it. These different modes are Glissando (playing all notes you slide between), Scroll (moving the physical keyboard up or down the scale), and Pitch (bending notes up or down as you slide). Using the Scale feature To the right of the strip you find above the keyboard are some of the automated features. The first is Scale. Press it to see a list of scales and modes. This Screenshot is of the Scale menu, before selecting a scale or mode. The screenshot also shows some modes, for Cosmic Teardrops. Each arranges notes in ways that conform to the style of music. Like minor blues or Japanese. After you select a scale, the keyboard will be simplified with the notes contained in the chosen scale or mode, so you can't play a wrong note. Isn’t that amazing? Using the Arpeggiator feature Arpeggiator is the button that looks like an upward arrow made of blocks. Tap to open a box with the word Run and a switch. Turning this on offers options of Note Order, Note Rate and Octave Range. This screenshot is of the Arpeggiator menu, when the feature is turned on. As an arpeggiator plays notes in a scale, you can change speed, sequence, and the patterns of notes. Experiment to find your melody. Settings are done so just tap anywhere on the screen except for the keyboard. Whenever you tap and hold a key you'll hear your sequence played. Combine with the Scales feature! Using Guitars There are acoustic, electric and bass guitars, which can be played either in chordal or solo modes. The main portion of the screen is the fretboard of the guitar. Tap on any area to play the note. You can bend up or down by keeping your finger pressed and moving in the relevant direction. Settings for chords or notes are in the upper-right corner. You will see columns showing the correct notes for each chord. You can play them individually or tap the letter at the top of the column to strum the cord. The autoplay option gives you multiple riffs to select from. The same techniques are used in Bass, Strings, and World (traditional Chinese and Japanese). Using Live Guitars If you play guitar and prefer to record yourself instead of using a virtual instrument, use the Amp section. The dials on the amps are adjustable. Tap the rectangle with circles inside, in the upper-right corner for effect pedals. Drums Add Smart Drums for a square grid where you can drag and drop elements of a drum kit. The four sides are Loud, Quiet, Complex and Simple. The Beat Sequencer is another option. There is a wider grid with squares, and you can turn on/off for each part of the kit. Slowly add elements until you're happy. You can remove them by turning off the square. Acoustic drums is another option, which is a kit that you can play in real time. The Drummer option analyzes the tracks in your project and automatically creates beats for you. You can adjust parameters and opt for different styles to suit your genre of music. It's a great option to simply add a backbeat to your compositions. Live Audio Use the microphone on your iPhone or iPad to record live audio. This is how you add singing, or the sound of a waterfall. Exporting Your Song To export a song from GarageBand into another program, go to the GarageBand Recents screen (or the screen when you first open the GarageBand app). Tap and hold (on iPad or iPhone) onto the picture of the song that you want to export. Then a small menu with the options of Copy, Duplicate, Rename, Move, Delete, Share, Tags, and Info will appear. Tap Share, then it prompts you to choose a format. The Song format allows you to send your GarageBand song to other software such as iMovie, or SoundCloud. The ringtone option allows you to make the song into a custom-made ringtone. The Project option allows you to send the song to another device with GarageBand, possibly to finish it on another device. To export the song somewhere else, choose the Song format option. You can then chose the quality, change the info, and add a cover image, if you are uploading the song to the iTunes Store. I usually keep my songs at High Quality. To choose where to send the song to, tap share, then you are given a list of options. You could copy the song to a browser, upload it to SoundCloud, or Copy it to iMovie. The options that exist depend on what GarageBand-compatible apps are on your device. I normally select Copy to iMovie. After you select an option, a bar comes up, saying “Exporting to” with the name of the app you choose to export the song to. Be aware that sometimes it can take a few minutes for a song to be successfully exported to an external app. After the song is exported to iMovie, I create a new Project in iMovie. This allows me to add things to the song later on, when I’m ready to make an art video. The steps are the same on a Mac. The screenshots in this article are from GarageBand on my iPad. I hope you have fun composing some beautiful music! Here’s an example of what you can do with this awesome app! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PompBJltCDc I call this song Electric Alien Beat.

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