APPLE GARAGEBAND
May 1, 2004 12:00 PM, BY MARKKUS ROVITO
“What do I buy to get started?” is the question that tops the FAQ of electronic music. The answer is always multifaceted, but now more than ever, the thing to buy is an Apple computer. That's because all new Macs now serve as veritable music studios with the inclusion of GarageBand. Also, anyone with a Mac that meets the requirements can buy this multitrack recorder and software instrument, effect and loop collection as part of Apple's iLife '04 for a mere $49.
Using its simplified DAW-style interface, users can record as many tracks as their CPUs can handle. GarageBand recognizes any audio input — built-in, USB, FireWire — for recording external audio into the Timeline, one track at a time. Audio tracks show up as waveforms, and though audio editing is limited, the user can delete unwanted portions and transpose sections in the Track Editor. Software-instrument tracks and loop tracks of the more than 1,000 highly usable Apple Loops also can be edited in the Track Editor. Note velocity, pitch, length, timing and transposition can be altered. Although GarageBand doesn't quantize in the traditional way, once an instrument track is recorded, the entire track can be aligned to one of 13 note values (including triplet and swing options) using the Fix Timing button.
The 50 software instruments included cover all of the acoustic and electronic bases, including drum kits, guitars, electric pianos, synths and orchestral instruments. These virtual instruments sound ridiculously good for the cost of the program, and with the exception of the horns (notoriously hard to pull off), the instruments sound at least beautiful and at best stone-cold-realistic. I particularly like the traditionally hard-to-model instruments such as the acoustic guitars and vibraphones, which sound second only to the real thing. Instruments do seem tailored for set-it-and-forget-it novices, but they can be tweaked in a Track Info window for editing instrument traits. These traits vary by instrument but can include envelope, filter, glide and other characteristics. A selected instrument track plays on a connected MIDI keyboard; however, only the pan and volume of a track respond to MIDI control. Nevertheless, GarageBand does support velocity sensitivity, as well as the pitch bend and mod wheels on a MIDI keyboard.
Dragging a loop to the Timeline creates a new track, and each loop can then be moved and stretched to any length. GarageBand automatically plays the loop at the tempo and key of the project, though it displays the original tempo (as well as key) in the Loop Browser. The Loop Browser's buttons can also narrow available choices by instrument, genre, mood or all three.
GarageBand's sound library runs the gamut stylistically from rock and jazz to urban and electronic. Anyone who has purchased a loop collection probably expects a certain amount of filler, but there's little of that here in the many expertly performed and recorded loops, some that come from Apple's also-stellar Soundtrack collection. My favorites include the dramatic Orchestral and Cinematic loops, as well as the plethora of funky bass lines across all genres and timbres.
This magnificent gift to cash-strapped cats rounds out with more than 200 effects presets and guitar-amp models. Each track has its own compressor, EQ, delay, reverb and two assignable effects, including amp simulation, distortion, chorus, flanger and others. These effects can be turned off, which is nice because they can really chew into CPU power. (My G4/800MHz iBook began to stutter on an 8-track song with a few effects per track.) In addition, live audio tracks can have a gate assigned. GarageBand's signal processing puts it over the top as an entry-level product that can turn out top-notch results in the right hands. With a little finesse and without going off the chain with effects, GarageBand can produce buttah tracks. What's more, it supports Audio Units effect plug-ins.
Aside from AU plug-ins, GarageBand doesn't play all that well with others: With the exception of ReWire, the program doesn't support any other protocol to work it into other music apps. Its anemic MIDI support lifts an eyebrow, too. But overall, GarageBand is the budget-minded beginner's dream come true.
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