GarageBand Released: Make Music

[MacRumors]

Apple released a new consumer application today as part of the iLife bundle.

GarageBand (http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/) "turns your Mac into an anytime, anywhere recording studio packed with hundreds of instruments and a recording engineer or two for good measure."

The new application offers several powerful new features for musicians and will be bundled with iLife for $49. The application will be available on Janaury 16th.

[ionas]

just a nice app

we can hope apple will keep their consumer software pack below 100 euro/$ for the next 10 years

[Rower_CPU]

Please discuss the rest of the iApps in the iLife discussion thread (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=53934).

[jeffy.dee-lux]

k, i really really really wanna get garage band, its the perfect app for me, i don't need the software instruments and all that... whatever
minimum requirements call for 600mHz G3, i've got 500mHz. what do you think would happen if i tried to run it?

the funny thing is i remember about two and a half years ago, discussing which computer to buy, and my saying, i don't think i really care if there's an extra 100mHz...

somebody console me, tell me everything will be alright and i'll get to use this awesome software without having to buy a new computer that would cost more than a nice digital 8 track.

[eyeluvmyimac]

I'm a bit confused. Garage band looks awesome, but how is it different than Soundtrack? It appears to be the same except for the inputs (live recording and such). Is that really the only difference? If so why continue with soundtrack when it seems to have fewer features?

And what's up with the expansion for garage band costing twice the price of GarageBand(iLife 04)?

That being said, looks cool and I can't wait to try it out =)

[jeremy.king]

no integration into iTMS like some had rumored but pretty cool nonetheless.

[tom.96]

This looks like a very cool application, I was hoping they would introduce something like this. I will certainly be looking forward to trying this out asap!

[Rocket Rion]

Garageband rocks. I hope anyone who didn't see the live event stream goes to Apple's site and download the replay so you can see Garageband being demoed.

I'd like to know if the $99 Garage pack uses all new loops or steals those that come with Soundtrack.

[mraudet]

any idea how many tracks?

[El Capitano]

Doesn't appear to have any MIDI support other than for keyboard input... bummer.

I was planning to finally junk my last OS 9 apps and was looking for a replacement for the late lamented Opcode Vision. Logic is way too expensive for the kind of messing around I do. :(

[Redboy]

What I can't seem to figure out is whether it supports AU instruments or just AU effects. If it is the instruments too, then this is huge.

BTW teh 600mhz limit was only for Apple Loop playback, not for just running the app.

[McMike]

Great software but couldn't it be free for download? I know it takes probably a lot of space but here in Europe it's evening! I really would like to start downloading it now and wake up with a brand new toy :D
Anyway, great job Jobs!

[Kingsnapped]

I have an Alesis QS8.1... here's hoping Garage band can support it.

[Doctor Q]

I like the product but not the name. Why not iStudio or iMusic? It doesn't sound like the software is intended for "everyone" like the other iApps. For me, the name evokes an image of stuggling beginner musicians playing (badly) in the garage.

[Hawthorne]

And to think all those years of piano lessons are gone! Now that there's something I want to use them with! :D :D

[D*I*S_Frontman]

I just checked out the Apple Garage Band page. No mention of sample rates. I assume everything is limited to 44.1k/16 bit recording, which is fine for really good demo stuff. Certainly won't replace higher end stuff (Logic/DP/ProTools) but a lot of fun.

If anyone else spots the sampling rate specs, post them here.

[cspace]

i don't think it supports AU instruments, just AU effects. i think the "instruments" it uses are based on a built-in sampler (Logic's?). very nice for its intended purpose...

[madforrit]

Ok, so Steve mentioned how you just plug your electric guitar into your mac to use GarageBand.
I'm a novice guitar player and would like to dabble with this stuff, but how exactly do I plug my guitar into my mac (G5)?
I need an input (a card or USB device) that takes TRS jacks, don't I?
--or, as it's just dawning on me--do they make TRS to SPDIF adapters?

Any help for this novice would be appreciated! :)

[Fender2112]

Originally posted by kingjr3
no integration into iTMS like some had rumored but pretty cool nonetheless.

Did you watch the presentation? It will save a project right into the iTunes playlist.

[SilentPanda]

Originally posted by madforrit
Ok, so Steve mentioned how you just plug your electric guitar into your mac to use GarageBand.
I'm a novice guitar player and would like to dabble with this stuff, but how exactly do I plug my guitar into my mac (G5)?
I need an input (a card or USB device) that takes TRS jacks, don't I?
--or, as it's just dawning on me--do they make TRS to SPDIF adapters?

Any help for this novice would be appreciated! :)

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore?productLearnMore=T9106LL/A

[jeffy.dee-lux]

Originally posted by Redboy

BTW teh 600mhz limit was only for Apple Loop playback, not for just running the app.

i really wanted to believe you, but the store says

" Macintosh computer with a PowerPC G3, G4, or G5 processor
-600MHz G3 or faster required for GarageBand; G4 or G5 required for GarageBand software instruments"

so do you think i'll be able to run it and it would just be a little slow?
what does minimum requirements usually mean, i've never tried downloading any games that require a fast processor than what i got.

[Fender2112]

Originally posted by mraudet
any idea how many tracks?
64

[madforrit]

Ok nevermind, a quick look at Apple's music creation accessory offerings answered my question. :rolleyes:

[Redboy]

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore?productLearnMore=T9106LL/A

Just plug it into the mic input, I believe (the G5's have those, right?).

[JohnGillilan]

Originally posted by madforrit
Ok, so Steve mentioned how you just plug your electric guitar into your mac to use GarageBand.
I'm a novice guitar player and would like to dabble with this stuff, but how exactly do I plug my guitar into my mac (G5)?
I need an input (a card or USB device) that takes TRS jacks, don't I?
--or, as it's just dawning on me--do they make TRS to SPDIF adapters?

1/4" TRS to S/PDIF does not exist (its apples and oranges)

[Nicky G]

Originally posted by madforrit
Ok, so Steve mentioned how you just plug your electric guitar into your mac to use GarageBand.
I'm a novice guitar player and would like to dabble with this stuff, but how exactly do I plug my guitar into my mac (G5)?
I need an input (a card or USB device) that takes TRS jacks, don't I?
--or, as it's just dawning on me--do they make TRS to SPDIF adapters?

Any help for this novice would be appreciated! :)

Looks like you would use the Garage Band accessory made by Monster I think that's simply a female mono 1/4" to male stereo 1/8" adapter, and just plug it right into your analog line-in jack.

I suppose you don't need a preamp?

[Redboy]

really wanted to believe you, but the store says

Macintosh computer with a PowerPC G3, G4, or G5 processor
-600MHz G3 or faster required for GarageBand; G4 or G5 required for GarageBand software instruments"

so do you think i'll be able to run it and it would just be a little slow?
what does minimum requirements usually mean, i've never tried downloading any games that require a fast processor than what i got.

My bad, I didn't see that part. I dunno. I'm running Cubase SX on a 350 G3, and I think it "requires" a 500 G4, and I can run/use everything. Different companies and all, though. One more reason for me to upgrade my machine now...

[JohnGillilan]

I want to know how much crossover there is between the Soundtrack loops and the Garageband loops. I recently payed full price for ST and would be pretty upset if I got a majority of the same loops with GarageBand. Any thoughts???

[adamberti]

Originally posted by JohnGillilan
I want to know how much crossover there is between the Soundtrack loops and the Garageband loops. I recently payed full price for ST and would be pretty upset if I got a majority of the same loops with GarageBand. Any thoughts???

Don't Ask, and then you wont be upset :D

[gola]

Originally posted by jeffy.dee-lux
k, i really really really wanna get garage band, its the perfect app for me, i don't need the software instruments and all that... whatever
minimum requirements call for 600mHz G3, i've got 500mHz. what do you think would happen if i tried to run it?

somebody console me, tell me everything will be alright and i'll get to use this awesome software without having to buy a new computer that would cost more than a nice digital 8 track.

You should have no problems with this. Maybe not 64 tracks at once, but who needs that. Otherwise it is the software synths that usually take the processor heat, so maybe you would experience that you could not do like 10 finger chords, but who needs that.

[gola]

Originally posted by El Capitano
Doesn't appear to have any MIDI support other than for keyboard input... bummer.

I was planning to finally junk my last OS 9 apps and was looking for a replacement for the late lamented Opcode Vision. Logic is way too expensive for the kind of messing around I do. :(

Don´t understand what you mean here. If it has support for MIDI input you can of course connect any MIDI device. What where you planning to connect?

[Kirk]

This is just the app I’ve been waiting for! Can’t wait to try it!!!

If just the G5 iMac would arrive anytime soon . . .

:D

[tjwett]

Originally posted by eyeluvmyimac
I'm a bit confused. Garage band looks awesome, but how is it different than Soundtrack? It appears to be the same except for the inputs (live recording and such). Is that really the only difference? If so why continue with soundtrack when it seems to have fewer features?

And what's up with the expansion for garage band costing twice the price of GarageBand(iLife 04)?

That being said, looks cool and I can't wait to try it out =)

i don't think GarageBand allows you to import your own .wav files/loops. i think you are stuck with the preinstalled loops and the Jam Pack. probably uses AAC audio, not wav or aiff. just guessing. i was impressed with it but it won't take me away from Logic or my other audio apps. probably fun to play with. good for consumers.

[g30ffr3y]

im very curious about this app... there doesnt seem to be much specific info on it yet... i hope it can sync to my sequncer... would be rad if you could "rewire" it as well and use reason tracks...

[El Capitano]

Gola wrote:
Don´t understand what you mean here. If it has support for MIDI input you can of course connect any MIDI device. What where you planning to connect?
A handful of sound modules and samplers.

From the pages on apple.com, GarageBand looks like it only plays audio instruments and loops on the Mac itself. It doesn't appear to have any facility to drive external sound modules via MIDI Out, so you can't use it as a MIDI instrument sequencer like Logic.

[CaptainScarlet]

Originally posted by gola
Don´t understand what you mean here. If it has support for MIDI input you can of course connect any MIDI device. What where you planning to connect?


Logically a MIDI keyboard...


Korg, Roland, etc.....


This is a BIG minus in my book...

No MIDI OUT!! Lame!!


I can then only use the music I make for iMovie.

ACK!!

[Torajima]

I was really excited about GarageBand... at first.

But without real midi support, the app is useless to me (and most other keyboard players, as well).

Now if Apple had included the ability to record and edit midi, and maybe some sort of sample player, I would have happily shelled out $49 for this app alone.

And while I'm wishing for things... why not allow users of GarageBand to upload and *sell* their creations in a special section of the iTunes store?

[Nebrie]

Originally posted by Torajima
I was really excited about GarageBand... at first.

But without real midi support, the app is useless to me (and most other keyboard players, as well).

Now if Apple had included the ability to record and edit midi, and maybe some sort of sample player, I would have happily shelled out $49 for this app alone.

And while I'm wishing for things... why not allow users of GarageBand to upload and *sell* their creations in a special section of the iTunes store?

Because Apple wants to save some stuff for 2.0

[gola]

Originally posted by El Capitano
A handful of sound modules and samplers.

From the pages on apple.com, GarageBand looks like it only plays audio instruments and loops on the Mac itself. It doesn't appear to have any facility to drive external sound modules via MIDI Out, so you can't use it as a MIDI instrument sequencer like Logic.

Ok, see your point. What a strange decision not to include midi-out support? I would guess it has something to do with making the interface easy, but I can´t see how it would complicate things just to pass the midi signals on to the outside... Well, I guess this app will be for the kids of america.

[tjwett]

Originally posted by g30ffr3y
im very curious about this app... there doesnt seem to be much specific info on it yet... i hope it can sync to my sequncer... would be rad if you could "rewire" it as well and use reason tracks...

i wouldn't count on any ReWire support. i think what we've got here is a single MIDI channel and preinstalled loops. cute, but no cigar. but then again, i wasn't expecting it to be a serious app. it's just for fun. oh no, won't be long until there's a website for every mom, dad, and grandma to post their latest GarageBand tunes. scary.

[CaptainScarlet]

Originally posted by Nebrie
Because Apple wants to save some stuff for 2.0

I think a lot of people(including me) are looking for a cheap midi notation/sequencer for the Mac. Everything cost so much damm money for good music programs...I think everyone was hoping it had it all...

NOT!!!

How can you NOT have MIDI out!!

[Dahl]

Originally posted by eyeluvmyimac
I'm a bit confused. Garage band looks awesome, but how is it different than Soundtrack? It appears to be the same except for the inputs (live recording and such). Is that really the only difference? If so why continue with soundtrack when it seems to have fewer features?

I'm confused as well, but we will probably know more when the dust settles.

I was thinking about upgrading from FCE to FCP, since it has Soundtrack included.
Originally posted by Torajima
And while I'm wishing for things... why not allow users of GarageBand to upload and *sell* their creations in a special section of the iTunes store?
Because you will see an onslaught of really bad music, there has to be some kind of quality control or it could/would spiral out of control in a second.

[erstokke]

Apple´s done it again. Just like with iMovie, they have now made music creation available for everyone.

Of course, it is your creativity which make the result good or bad, but the main thing is that Apple has removed the technical barriers for all of us who like to play music, but don´t like to get too technical.

Now I really want a new iMac!

[tjwett]

Originally posted by gola
Ok, see your point. What a strange decision not to include midi-out support? I would guess it has something to do with making the interface easy, but I can´t see how it would complicate things just to pass the midi signals on to the outside... Well, I guess this app will be for the kids of america.

exactly. that's what Logic is for. i'm curious to try out the synths but this is really nothing more than a cool video game. don't look for it to become a real part of your studio. im not at least. and i'm not coming down on it. for a toy, it's pretty damn kewl. and cheap!

[gerardrj]

Originally posted by gola
Dont understand what you mean here. If it has support for MIDI input you can of course connect any MIDI device. What where you planning to connect?

What the other poster probably wants is MIDI output, so they can run hardware synths and drum machines, etc.
As a musician, being able to create and preview tracks on the fly(literally), then to later produce a high-quality track from actual instruments would be tremendous.
Alas, I think this is beyond the scope of GB, it's meant for beginner to perhaps pro-sumer levels, not for high quality studio production.

[hesitaliandad]

will the monster adapter work with the audio in on the 15" Al powerbook? silly question i know. sorry :rolleyes:

[tjwett]

Originally posted by Dahl
...Because you will see an onslaught of really bad music, there has to be some kind of quality control or it could/would spiral out of control in a second.

Amen to that! ugh, i'm cringing just envisioning a website called "GarageBandTunes.net" or something a few months down the road. i imagine a million and one god-awful songs made from the same 1,000 preinstalled Appled loops. what a nightmare. should be good for a laugh though.

[G4scott]

Wow, people are already ragging on Garage Band hardcore... This app isn't meant for professionals to drop what they're using and flock over to use it. It's meant for home users and people who want an easy way to make music they can call their own.

I'll bet before long, people will be complaining about the wooden finish on the left and right edges of the app's window...

[elgruga]

Yes - QUIT WHINING!
This is a great FREE App. I am very pleased to see it and it happens to be just what I want.

It will do the things that most of us with musical instruments in the house need, give us the chance to play with recording.

I have tried other apps and they are too complex.

Be happy.

[tjwett]

Originally posted by G4scott
Wow, people are already ragging on Garage Band hardcore... This app isn't meant for professionals to drop what they're using and flock over to use it. It's meant for home users and people who want an easy way to make music they can call their own.

I'll bet before long, people will be complaining about the wooden finish on the left and right edges of the app's window...

yeah, i guess i'm kinda ragging on it a bit. but i do realize it's toy for people to play with, and a very neat one at that. i wish i had these kind of toys laying around the house when i was growing up. i think it's just that some musicians (me included) might tend to have a certain snobbery about it all. no one wants "regular" people invading our little world. silly but we'll all get over it. i do commend Apple for the quality they put into it. and it's free! sort of. :)

[discstickers]

Originally posted by G4scott
I'll bet before long, people will be complaining about the wooden finish on the left and right edges of the app's window...

They were pretty ugly. At first I thought it was a QT compression or streaming artifact. Guess not. :rolleyes:

[g30ffr3y]

midi out is huge... i understand though that it may be placing garage band outside of the "i" app range though... perhaps with version 2 we will get a more robust app... i dont know why im complaining anyhow, ill just continue to use protools... congrats for apple on the new app though...

[CaptainScarlet]

Originally posted by G4scott
Wow, people are already ragging on Garage Band hardcore... This app isn't meant for professionals to drop what they're using and flock over to use it. It's meant for home users and people who want an easy way to make music they can call their own.

I'll bet before long, people will be complaining about the wooden finish on the left and right edges of the app's window...


Dude it's a great program from the looks of it..

But with no MIDI out...it blows on that end....

Otherwise it looks to be fun!!



According to Apple...

The easiest way for anyone — pro or novice alike — to perform, record and create music, GarageBand turns your Mac into a digital recording studio



So yes it's for everyone...

[El Capitano]

G4scott wrote:

Wow, people are already ragging on Garage Band hardcore... This app isn't meant for professionals to drop what they're using and flock over to use it. It's meant for home users and people who want an easy way to make music they can call their own.

Yeah, but it's not just professionals vs. home users. I'm a home user... just one with a couple of sound modules.

The great thing about the Apple video apps is that you have

1. doozy consumer app (iMovie)
2. enthusiastic amateur app (Final Cut Express)
3. pro app (Final Cut Pro)

So I guess we have to wait for Logic Express for MIDI Out...

[Torajima]

Originally posted by Dahl
Because you will see an onslaught of really bad music, there has to be some kind of quality control or it could/would spiral out of control in a second.

Heck, quite a bit of the music for sell on iTunes now is "really bad"... at least as far as I'm concerned.

At any rate, they could create a seperate section of the iTunes store just for "Garage Bands", and have iTunes users rate them.

Bands that don't get a high enough rating are removed from the store after a certain period of time. Garage Bands with high ratings and/or a large amount of downloads get a special mention.

As a musician, I think it's time we did away with the middle man (the RIAA & the entire recording industry). Why can't bands sell directly to consumers?

[g30ffr3y]

i was hoping this would be like logic express... c'mon apple... give me a nice tight little environment to make music and ill be more than happy to dump digidesign...

[Redboy]

They have to leave space for Logic, which they own. If you have a need for MIDI out, then you have some decent amount already invested in hardware, everything won't be happening "in-box", and you're really meant to be buying Logic.

Of course I would love Reason integration, MIDI out, etc., but I also know that some of these features might mean the end of any real market for Logic outside of actual studio spaces. If there was something as easy to use as GarageBand with Reason integration, AU instrument support, MIDI out, etc., and it sold for $200, I would buy it. I don't know if it will ever exist, but I hope so.

I'll probably give this a go, but I can go only so far without decent synth modelling and tweaking.

[Grimace]

Keep in mind that this was designed to let basic musicians write/sample music. Midi Out is far beyond the novice level.

They packed a hell of a lot more punch than expected for a beginner app.

Get soundtrack if you need a pro app.

[nitz]

I love apple because they do stuff like this. They give the opportunity for people to create things in such an easy way that they had never before thought possible. This is a great tool for kids aand parents to whip something together. It is also great for kids giving them a fun creative way to practice. I wish they had this when I was younger.
That said, it is not a professional studio tool although I'm sure a good engineer/musician with the skills could make some great stuff. It's just that their tools here are limited. iPhoto is great but I'm going to do any professional photo retouching in Photoshop. The jpeg export in iPhoto has a lot to be desired. Same for video. iMovie is great for whipping something together, but Final Cut Pro is the way for professionals. If I had kids and they showed an interest in Music and wanted to experiment, there's no way I'd let them in my studio to play on my ProTools/Ableton rig. But I'm sure I would get a warm fuzzy feeling inside if I walked past their bedroom and heard them creating something with a USB keyboard and an iMac.

Now if higher scale version (maybe a next generation eMagic thing?) has support for rewire, better MIDI, better editing, etc than maybe it could be pro.......sumer....

[Torajima]

Originally posted by El Capitano
G4scott wrote:

So I guess we have to wait for Logic Express for MIDI Out...

Yeah, I keep hoping Apple will do something incredible with Logic, but it hasn't happened yet.

GarageBand is a nice idea, but it doesn't fill my needs.

I just want an intuitive, attractive, yet powerful audio/midi sequencer. I've used Digital Performer, Logic, Cubase, and Metro, and none are exactly what I'm looking for. Sure, they are powerful alright, but all are a total b*tch to use.

The most intuitive sequencer I've used to date is Freestyle, but it doesn't support audio and does not work on Mac OS X.

[jcroft]

Seriously, how can you complain about this app? I understand it doesn't have every feature under the sun -- but neither does iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD, or even iTunes.

This is the most ambitious app Apple has released yet under it's iLife suite -- personally, I can't believe it's as feature-complete as it is, to be selling for $10 (which is basically is -- it's one-fifth of the $50 price tag) and given away free on new Macs.

It's not designed for folks who already have plenty of hardware synths -- it''s designed for people who have no synth and want to play with a software one. It's designed as an entry-level toy that will get people interested (and then they'll go buy Logic). It's designed as a tool that NO OTHER personal computer comes with. It's designed as a tool that it WAY more advanced than anything else with it's price tag. It's designed to be incredibly easy to use. It's designed to be fun and spark creative juices. It's designed for people to quickly throw down background music for their iMove or flash animation. It's designed to be a studio that is as portable as your PowerBook. And it looks to me like it absolutley kills on all counts.

Apple may SAY it's for everyone, but clearly it's entry-level. Even pros (like, Sheryl Crow in the video) can use entry-level tools sometimes.

Complaining about this is just silly. It's like complaining that the iMac isn't as powerful as the PowerMac G5. Get over it, or go buy Logic.

Quit your bitching.

[autrefois]

I am EXTREMELY happy with GB--for people who aren't pros or who are just starting out and need something easy, this will definitely do, based on what we saw in the keynote.

And it's part of iLife, just $49...for all 5 apps! That means just $10 for GarageBand more or less. Can't beat that, THANK YOU APPLE!! I kept reloading the Apple Store until it was back online and bought iLife immediately.

Interesting note: I went to download the midiman driver for Panther, and that page was down for several minutes. Maybe a coincidence, but I'm betting a lot of people went to that page to download or to see if it'd be compatible with GB! :)

[mainemike]

Originally posted by Doctor Q
I like the product but not the name. Why not iStudio or iMusic? It doesn't sound like the software is intended for "everyone" like the other iApps.

Yeah, something like iJam?

But I guess Garage Band isn't so bad. I think the name reflects amateur or indie musicians in a home setting....makes sense.

[CaptainScarlet]

Originally posted by Torajima
Yeah, I keep hoping Apple will do something incredible with Logic, but it hasn't happened yet.

GarageBand is a nice idea, but it doesn't fill my needs.

I just want an intuitive, attractive, yet powerful audio/midi sequencer. I've used Digital Performer, Logic, Cubase, and Metro, and none are exactly what I'm looking for. Sure, they are powerful alright, but all are a total b*tch to use.

The most intuitive sequencer I've used to date is Freestyle, but it doesn't support audio and does not work on Mac OS X.

I'll tell you what I've been using....

Cakewalk Home Studio 2004 for PC.....

VERY NICE...But it's not on a MAC!!!

I have both...I want the Mac to be the work horse....

All I would need is midi out...nothing else...


Still can't wait to play with it...


CS...out

[cr2sh]

Look at the dark brushed metal interface... and wood. Hmm.

Haven't found any info on sample rates.. but the $99 Jam Pack kit option has over 2000 additional samples and effects.

[leenoble]

Was it just the angle of the screen to camera in the broadcast or does Garage Band employ yet another texture style for its UI?
It looked near black to me, like the Simon Extreme (get it it's great) interface.

[box checker]

i guess the next app released will be BedroomDJ.

-

[numediaman]

If the app allows people to waste time making bad music :) instead of watching TV, then I'm all for it.

The fact that it comes free with new hardware is great. But where were the hardware announcements? I though Macworld was about the Mac? Oh well. I'll get over this in five to six months.

[Timothy]

Garage Band fits a niche that I've been looking for for a long time. My wife is a musician (2 CD's out); a pianist/singer/songwriter.

We've tried to find a simple, basic composition tool for her to get into the digital realm with; midi has just kicked our ass in terms of providing something that she, as a non-technical musician, can quickly understand, configure and do some work with.

All of the midi apps we have tried are much too complex.

Garageband will be perfect for her. And, once she's into it and understands how it works, she'll be ready to upgrade when they release the garageband 2 or garageband pro, which will contain a few more bells and whistles (such as midi-out).

But, the real head-scratcher for me was the lack of an announced interface for this device. I'm sorry, the mini-jack with a 1/4 inch adaptor is just not adequate. They need a simple usb/firewire based 2-track input with Microphone input and 1/4 input. This would have rocked. I assume some third-party will provide this...

But, as it stands, at $49, this is great.

[davedave]

I'm annoyed - i have a 600mhz imac - but no DVD reader - so that means i can't install GarageBand!!

Anyone know a way round this?!!

[Ling]

Looks very cool. I'm already getting antsy to play with it. It may not be a solution for professionals, but it sounds perfect for normal users looking for something to do with a few hours of spare time.

I'm personally looking for it to give me a beat to practice improv to. It could be a great practice tool for anyone playing an instrument (as John Mayer pointed out)

[Photorun]

Geez, I can't believe the negativity. I'm a almost professional musician, I play all my instruments, have been at the whole musician thing since I was five, I use different Digidesign/Protools set ups, and like a previous poster who's also a musician I get a twinge to think there's idiots out there who'd think with Garageband they're a real musician... but they're NOT!!! However this app is GREAT for novices and dabbling... it's a cool app... it's NOT A PRO APP!!! And any moron thinking with one $50 app they are pro are going to in for a dose of reality likewise anyone thinking there should be one for $50... GET REAL (and get a life, whichever order you prefer).

This is a great app, even myself, who's struggles with the bear that is Protools or lesser foe Reason am looking forward to using this app. Why? IT'S BY APPLE!!! It's ease of use looks to be second to none, it'd be great as a sketchbook for musical ideas, etc. This app is a win-win people, stop grousing about it!

[Timothy]

OK...here's the interface I was hoping for...

M-Audio MobilePre USB Audio Interface (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/70507/wo/Vafba59EbUT52GBdEgD2h3jIAy8/1.0.7.1.0.5.59.0.2.1.7.2.1.1.0
)

Anyone know if Garageband will record more than one track at a time?

[Timothy]

Oops...I don't think that link worked correctly, let try again...

M-Audio MobilePre interface (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/70507/wo/Vafba59EbUT52GBdEgD2h3jIAy8/3.0.7.1.0.5.59.0.2.1.7.2.1.1.0)

[tjwett]

Originally posted by CaptainScarlet
But with no MIDI out...it blows on that end....

yeah but this is essentially a $10 application. it doesn't even call itself a sequencer. why would anyone expect something that isn't a sequencer to well, have a sequencer in it? for those who say they need MIDI out why not invest in Logic Audio? no one says you need to buy Platinum. you can get Logic Audio for under $200 if you look around. i don't think you'll find a decent sequencer for $10. or go buy an issue of Computer Music magazine. they have a CD on every cover with a ton of free apps, even their own free MIDI sequencer with VST support and all!

[x86isslow]

quote:Originally posted by kingjr3
no integration into iTMS like some had rumored but pretty cool nonetheless.

quote:Originally posted by Fender2112
Did you watch the presentation? It will save a project right into the iTunes playlist.

actually, kingjr was talking about itms integration in the sense that bands could cut the record companies out of the process and directly upload tunes onto the store for people to buy.

what you are referring to is simply the itunes integration.

itunes being an audio-media player, and itms being the actual store.

[Torajima]

Originally posted by jcroft
Seriously, how can you complain about this app? I understand it doesn't have every feature under the sun -- but neither does iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD, or even iTunes.

Well, I'm disappointed because it isn't the app I was hoping for... but I *do* think it's a great addition to iLife.

And $49 is a steal for the entire package.

[SilentPanda]

I'm going to order GarageBand on the 16th no question. First I'll get it via EDU so it's only $29 for the whole iLife package... I have FCE but I tend to go to iMovie because most of what FCE offers is too technical for me... I've always wanted to dabble in music and this will allow me to do it on the cheap and if I feel that I'm "good" at it I might be inspired to work up the line (although that probably won't happen :)). I'm quite happy that Apple is providing an incredibly cheap way to play around with music...

[erstokke]

Originally posted by autrefois
...And it's part of iLife, just $49...for all 5 apps! That means just $10 for GarageBand more or less....


Wrong! I already have all the other apps downloaded for free, except iDVD which I am not able to use anyway. So it´s actually $49 for Garage Band - which seem to be a great buy anyway!

[NoVi]

Originally posted by mainemike
Yeah, something like iJam?

But I guess Garage Band isn't so bad. I think the name reflects amateur or indie musicians in a home setting....makes sense.

Garage Band = Entry level

Super Stars = Logic (to be announced :D)

[shp]

Actually, "Logic Express" (with midi out!) for OSX is already available, it just seems to be a well-kept secret! I bought a copy at my local bookstore here in London before Xmas for £15 (around $25) - it's now on sale for £11-99.

The secret is that it is not marketed by Apple or by eMagic, but by the publisher Dorling Kindersley (hence it's found in bookstores not computer stores). It comes as part of their "Hit Kit" package, which is essentially the emagic software bundled with a microphone and a CD of drum tracks.

The software is very similar to the old eMagic MicroLogic for OS9.

For more infromation, check out

http://uk.dk.com/static/cs/uk/11/features/hitkit/index.html

[quantegy]

Originally posted by D*I*S_Frontman
I just checked out the Apple Garage Band page. No mention of sample rates. I assume everything is limited to 44.1k/16 bit recording, which is fine for really good demo stuff. Certainly won't replace higher end stuff (Logic/DP/ProTools) but a lot of fun.

If anyone else spots the sampling rate specs, post them here.

Man, I cant seem to find anything about sample rates which isnt a good sign. I was really hoping for 24/96 support. I record and am very close to buying an iBook and thought this would be perfect for my USB out on my preamp but just cant get too excited yet. With this and the iPod not being able to record even 16/44 I'm getting the feeling that Apple doesnt want to go that route, which sucks. Oh well.

[Flowbee]

Originally posted by erstokke
Wrong! I already have all the other apps downloaded for free, except iDVD which I am not able to use anyway. So it´s actually $49 for Garage Band - which seem to be a great buy anyway!

You've downloaded today's iPhoto and iMovie updates for free? Where

[spankalee]

Originally posted by CaptainScarlet
How can you NOT have MIDI out!!

Because it's NOT a sequencer. It's not like Digital Performer, it's more like BIAS Deck; just a multitrack recorder, but with the added feature of virtual instruments.

This combination actually makes a lot of sense. Live and Reason both have relatively simple user interfaces because they only do audio or midi respectively. Adding MIDI sequencing and editing would add quite a bit of complexity to the interface and the app as a whole.

Just take it for what it is - a multitrack recorder with virtual instruments - and it's not disappointing.

[tomdavies]

Originally posted by Doctor Q
I like the product but not the name. Why not iStudio or iMusic? It doesn't sound like the software is intended for "everyone" like the other iApps. For me, the name evokes an image of stuggling beginner musicians playing (badly) in the garage.

Or Jobs and Woz making a computer.

Tom

[balconycollapse]

Wow! You guys haven't even tried it yet but seem to think you know everything about it. But i should expect that as you are the same individuals who claim garage bands can't make good music. If i remember right most big time rock stars started in a "garage". I know of a company that did that as well.
It appears to me to be a trim logic. Apple never puts as much detail about apps on their site as they should so it may infact have support for AU instruments or midi out. It's not as if Apple is in the dark about what computer musicians want.
I am very much into computer based recording and have lots of experience with digital performer 4 reason samplers soft synth (ni stuff) mixing and so forth. I was debating the purchase of an mBox to move away from digital 8 track completely. But if this app can do the majority of things dp4 or pro tools can do then i will use it instead because surely it will be more efficient and quickly allow me to focus on the song. Soundtrack allows users to pen their own loops and surely this will allow you to import them. Besides if you already own some quality au plugins and know what your doing you can create a great mix. People have been doing it with 4 track tape decks long before computers. Seems like some of you aren't for that and think that recording music should be a prestigious club, that gb is infringing on your territory, a great sound requires hours of difficult twiddling, high priced machines, mercurial plugins, and pages of correspondence on message boards. You can go on for hours like tech heads debating the wood used in a guitar or bit rate of a sample. In the end though the song is the thing, this looks like it will make that the focus for computer based recording as it should be. Someone finally did it right!

--------------------
vote howard dean

[Perseus]

the new audio/music software from Apple called GarageBand looks a lot like Ableton Software's Live!.

http://www.ableton.com/

i don't think Apple's other cheap audio app does automatic loop adjusting in terms of pitch and length and so on.

i noticed that the website for GB does not say whether or not you can make your own Loops to use instead of the ones it comes with. i can't imagine they would prevent it, but you never know...

anyway, it's nice to see Apple FINALLY getting wise to one of their core markets - musicians.

i know the guy who made SuperCollider now works for Apple, so hopefully they will put out a new version of that too.

[Edge100]

Originally posted by D*I*S_Frontman
I just checked out the Apple Garage Band page. No mention of sample rates. I assume everything is limited to 44.1k/16 bit recording, which is fine for really good demo stuff. Certainly won't replace higher end stuff (Logic/DP/ProTools) but a lot of fun.

If anyone else spots the sampling rate specs, post them here.

Ummm, the quality of the recording is not absolutely governed by the sampling rate/word length.

An Apogee A/D converter working at 16/44.1 will sound A TON better than the crappy A/D converters in most consumer sound cards operating at 24/96. It is a misnomer to call 16/44.1 "CD quality". "CD specs", yes, but quality is governed (mainly) by hardware, not software.

Since the optical I/O on the G5 supports 24 bit, I expect that GarageBand will suppost at least 24/44.1, which is considered a nice compromise by many pros. 24bit vs 16bit has a much bigger influence on the sound quality than 44.1kHz vs 96kHz.

Anyway, the point is, higher sample rates and word lengths dont necessarily mean better quality. You must consider the hardware.

Mike

[Timothy]

I can't find this anywhere...

Will Garage Band record only a single-track at a time? Or, can I record mutiple tracks providing I have a multiple-track interface?

[zach]

Originally posted by jeffy.dee-lux
i really wanted to believe you, but the store says

" Macintosh computer with a PowerPC G3, G4, or G5 processor
-600MHz G3 or faster required for GarageBand; G4 or G5 required for GarageBand software instruments"

so do you think i'll be able to run it and it would just be a little slow?
what does minimum requirements usually mean, i've never tried downloading any games that require a fast processor than what i got.

Well, it won't run at all. However, you can edit your info.plist file to change the minimum proc required to a 500 MHz rather than 600.... If you want some help with this you can PM me..

[El Capitano]

Spankalee wrote:
Because it's NOT a sequencer. It's not like Digital Performer, it's more like BIAS Deck; just a multitrack recorder, but with the added feature of virtual instruments.
Hey, if it's got individual instruments which can be multi-tracked, and a piano-roll type editor (which the screenshots demonstrate it has), then I'd call that a sequencer.

[Spagolli94]

Originally posted by cr2sh
Look at the dark brushed metal interface... and wood. Hmm.


Ew... That's UGLY!

I have no use for this app, other than to mess around with it. And now, because of it, I have to pay for the other iLife apps that I do use. Great.

[El Capitano]

shp wrote:
Actually, "Logic Express" (with midi out!) for OSX is already available, it just seems to be a well-kept secret! I bought a copy at my local bookstore here in London before Xmas for £15 (around $25) - it's now on sale for £11-99. The secret is that it is not marketed by Apple or by eMagic, but by the publisher Dorling Kindersley (hence it's found in bookstores not computer stores)...
That's interesting. I saw the HitKit in Ottakar's bookshop in Worcester of all places a couple of weeks ago... might have to go back and buy it. :)

I liked someone's comment (sorry, forgot the name) about Cakewalk... that's exactly what we need on Mac OS X. GarageBand for free/$49 versus Logic at $699 - sorry, but there's a pretty big gap there. People don't magically go from clueless amateur to Top-10 recording artist. (And Soundtrack isn't relevant.) MIDI Out would go a long way to bridging that gap.

[Prom1]

Well I've been wanting something like this for a while.

Makes you wonder why Apple didn't think of this before when they first launched iLife........more than likely they did, since even with this new app, the pieces of the puzzle still aren't complete.

now this app may not be professional, but just think about what you can do.

I'm not that great at any musical instrument that can be plugged into a Mac, I use an Alto Saxophone (actually all Sax's got that sax appeal with me, hehe!).
But here it is........remember in the late '80s when Techno music launched..............Derrek May, Lil' Louis, and sooOOOooo many others had an app just like this with a basic Midi keyboard (okay Mr. May had a Korg), an Atari computer with software that could only handle 16 tracks maximum, and synthesize instruments, compose their tracks combining a session into 1 track and continuing to add more (16tracks max into 1 track as a semi final, then continue with another 15 to get a final when composing). Then add a DAT portable deck carry it on over to the recording studio, submitt your "Master" then press a few "white" label 12" records for distribution to the undergroung record stores, then Local or world-renowned DJ's pick it up and play it at the club.....then the crowd desides who's the "pro"


Nowadays you could burn your own CD as a master, mail it to yourself for copyright protection (have a lawyer open the mail in your presence, sign some papers..) then take it into a recording studio and voila press a multitude of cds for distribution with cover app from your other iLife apps (iPhoto).

Common ppl use your imagination.......this is how Apple broke into the majority of musicians recording on Mac by preference in the first place; because Atari computers really suck after 3 yrs of owning them way back when.

[kevinvh]

Is all that is needed is an adapter in order to hookup an electric
guitar to the mac? No preamp is necessary? (I guess I don't
know the inner workings of an electric guitar that well.. :))

[greenstork]

Originally posted by G4scott
Wow, people are already ragging on Garage Band hardcore... This app isn't meant for professionals to drop what they're using and flock over to use it. It's meant for home users and people who want an easy way to make music they can call their own.

I'll bet before long, people will be complaining about the wooden finish on the left and right edges of the app's window...

I agree with you, it's probably the same folks who complain about the iMac not being powerful enough.

[iPegboy]

this looks awful neat. i would really like to play around with it. as a sucky guitar player, this could be a lot of fun.

As a musician, I think it's time we did away with the middle man (the RIAA & the entire recording industry). Why can't bands sell directly to consumers?

last i checked it wasn't illegal to sell directly to fans. just make a web site and spread the word. if you sold on iTunes, you still would have the middle man (apple), so i don't know what you're talking about.

btw.. i think the "garageband" name in genus as it relates to apple's beginnings. and maybe getting away from everything being "i" this and "i" that. like my name:

-iPegboy

[jettredmont]

Originally posted by shp
Actually, "Logic Express" (with midi out!) for OSX is already available, it just seems to be a well-kept secret! I bought a copy at my local bookstore here in London before Xmas for £15 (around $25) - it's now on sale for £11-99.

The secret is that it is not marketed by Apple or by eMagic, but by the publisher Dorling Kindersley (hence it's found in bookstores not computer stores). It comes as part of their "Hit Kit" package, which is essentially the emagic software bundled with a microphone and a CD of drum tracks.

The software is very similar to the old eMagic MicroLogic for OS9.

For more infromation, check out

http://uk.dk.com/static/cs/uk/11/features/hitkit/index.html

Saw this kit (Hit Kit) at the local Sam's Club just prior to Christmas. $25. Wasn't sure of the version of eMagic or anything, though ... Apple wasn't mentioned anywhere. Also didn't contain any manuals whatsoever, just the disks.

Is it a good kit (meaning, for $25, not as a replacement for Logic Platinum or somesuch :) )?

[Doctor Q]

Originally posted by Timothy
I can't find this anywhere...

Will Garage Band record only a single-track at a time? Or, can I record mutiple tracks providing I have a multiple-track interface? You're right. I can't tell. The description claims you can "digitally mix up to 64 tracks" but that doesn't say how many you can record at once.

How long before GarageBand: The Missing Manual is published?

[ClimbingTheLog]

Originally posted by gerardrj
What the other poster probably wants is MIDI output, so they can run hardware synths and drum machines, etc.


In theory, software instruments on a G4 ought to be as good as a dedicated hardware synth, unless it's a real analog synth. There's not that much in the way of horsepower in a hardware synth. Assuming, of course, they took the time and effort.

[splashman]

Okay, I was all wet about thinking Apple wouldn't bother releasing this sort of thing because the market was too small. To those I debated this subject with, I humbly acknowledge, "I'm not worthy!"

Apple is certainly branching out, aren't they?

[madvek]

While reading the fine print and system requirements for GarageBand, I spotted this:

"Important Notes:
DVD drive required to install GarageBand and iDVD"

I guess I'll have to run out and upgrade my kid's CRT iMac to a G5 with Superdrive in order for her to mess around with music in this "bargain" software suite:mad:

[autrefois]

Originally posted by madvek
While reading the fine print and system requirements for GarageBand, I spotted this:

"Important Notes:
DVD drive required to install GarageBand and iDVD"

I guess I'll have to run out and upgrade my kid's CRT iMac to a G5 with Superdrive in order for her to mess around with music in this "bargain" software suite:mad:

I see you're right, didn't notice that. Why on Earth would GarageBand require a DVD drive??? It makes no sense.

[splashman]

Originally posted by autrefois
I see you're right, didn't notice that. Why on Earth would GarageBand require a DVD drive??? It makes no sense.

Apple will probably tell you the reason is that all the loops, etc. wouldn't fit on a CD, so they're on a DVD. Of course, they could have split it up onto multiple CD's, right? Sounds a little fishy to me. Definitely limits their market, which is already very limited.

Hard to believe very many people will buy a new box just to run a cheap app.

[eyeluvmyimac]

Originally posted by madvek
While reading the fine print and system requirements for GarageBand, I spotted this:

"Important Notes:
DVD drive required to install GarageBand and iDVD"

I guess I'll have to run out and upgrade my kid's CRT iMac to a G5 with Superdrive in order for her to mess around with music in this "bargain" software suite:mad:

or to a "Refurrbed" iBook with a DVD drive...or refurrbed anything for that matter....if budget is really an issue as much of an issue as it sounds....I don't know why anyone looking for "bargain software" would skip all reasonable alternatives, jumping instead to the most expensive alternative possible.....think reasonable

sorry if this came off a bit hard, just kinda had it up to here *points* with people making irrational bashes....not that this one is irrational, just saying....

[eyeluvmyimac]

Originally posted by splashman
Apple will probably tell you the reason is that all the loops, etc. wouldn't fit on a CD, so they're on a DVD. Of course, they could have split it up onto multiple CD's, right? Sounds a little fishy to me. Definitely limits their market, which is already very limited.

Hard to believe very many people will buy a new box just to run a cheap app.

you are probalby right about the reason for putting it on a DVD, thats what came to my mind first, but as far as not putting them on multiple CDs, I can only imagine that the cost for that route was more than the cost for a DVD. Also, many recent apps have come from Apple in DVD form. I believe the Panther install disc was DVD (though I'm not sure) , and possibly Keynote. Correct me if I'm wrong.

But you can't honestly believe Apple expects everyone to buy a new computer just to run this (though you only implied it). Many people already have DVD drives and I do not think this to be an unreasonable requirement, especially in the age we live in. Every Apple machine comes with or has the option of a DVD drive, therefore this is a legitimate requirement. Kinda comparing apples to oranges, but if I have an old graphics card, and can't run any new games I can't run to the gaming producer and whine about them not producing things for my old system...technology moves....that's life.

(sorry for the double post)

[splashman]

Originally posted by eyeluvmyimac
But you can't honestly believe Apple expects everyone to buy a new computer just to run this (though you only implied it).

No, I didn't imply it, and I didn't mention Apple in that paragraph. I said "Hard to believe very many people will buy a new box just to run a cheap app." That means "I don't think it's going to happen very much, if at all."

[eyeluvmyimac]

oh ok, my mistake, sorry =)


well my paragraph will remain, just to get that out there

[~Shard~]

I realize not everyone is going to find this app useful, but as a musician, I think this is going to be such an amazing app! I have no problems paying $49 just for GarageBand, let alone the whole iLife suite!

[autrefois]

Originally posted by eyeluvmyimac
Kinda comparing apples to oranges, but if I have an old graphics card, and can't run any new games I can't run to the gaming producer and whine about them not producing things for my old system...technology moves....that's life.

(sorry for the double post)

It is apples and oranges though a little, like you said. They'd have to change the program in your scenario to account for a different graphics card. Here they'd just have to provide the installer on a couple of CDs instead of on one DVD.

They could I suppose charge $5 extra if you want it on CDs, for example. But requiring a DVD drive doesn't seem right since the program itself doesn't actually use the DVD drive.

I wonder if you go to an Apple Store, if they will burn it on CDs for you (probably not).

Steve Jobs pointed out that 60% of users still use OS 9, which surprised me. It wouldn't surprise me then if a good number of Mac owners on either platform (edit: I mean on either OS version) don't have a DVD drive yet, since it's only recently that all models have DVD as an option.

I hope they offer some alternative for people eventually.

[mariner77]

Nobody has asked whether GarageBand support Firewire audio interface. Nothing is said about Firewire interface on Apple's GB website unfortunately.

I'll be very very very upset if GarageBand won't interface with Firewire audio devices. With the price of these things coming down quick (~$350 for an M-Audio FW410), they have become very accessible to amatuer musicians. I hope Apple didn't intentionally cripple GB by limiting it to USB devices only.

[Audacity Works]

Hey guys,

I work in a high-profile independent music store that caters to everyone from complete newbies all the way to world-famous rock stars and film composers. Multiple times every day I get some 14-year-old kid or 45-year-old yuppie into the store asking "Uh... how do I make music on my computer?"

"Well, there are many ways. What kind of computer do you have?"

"Uh... I dunno. It's kinda' beige."

At this point, the first thing I do is give them my 6-page "Computer Recording Made Relatively Simple" brochure and say "Well, I can babble for about twenty minutes or you can sit and read this thing."

Most of us aren't dumb. But some of my customers are D-U-M-B. Nice people, genuinely passionate people, but complete luddites nevertheless. These are the people who need GarageBand. They need GarageBand.

They need something that doesn't have MIDI out, because along with MIDI out comes local control, MIDI channels, MIDI ports, multitimbrality, polyphony, and dozens more.

They need something that doesn't support multiple inputs, because with multiple inputs come third-party drivers, routing, bussing, and setting buffers.

And can you imagine Apple tech support having to field thousands of calls from people who don't understand why their Roland keyboard's sounds won't play from their computer speakers?

"Sir? No, you see, MIDI doesn't send any audio signals. The sound of the keyboard stays in the keyboard."

"Whatta ya mean? How can I hear it then?"

"Well, sir, you have to have the speakers hooked up to the keyboard."

"Huh? I gotta get another set of speakers? That's crap! This $50 software makes me buy a $60 set of speakers?"

"Well, you could hook both the output of the keyboard and the output of the computer into a mixer and then send that to a single pair of speakers. You can find mixers for around $50."

"Huh? But there's a mixer on the screen!"

"No, sir, that's only for the tracks that are already recorded in the computer. You still need a hardware mixer to hear multiple pieces of gear through the same set of speakers."

"But I gots the keyboard goin' into the MIDI!"

>sigh!<

Thank GOD Garage Band doesn't support MIDI out. Thank GOD Garage Band doesn't support recording more than one or two tracks. It shouldn't. It should be braindead simple to operate like iPhoto.

Speaking of which, professional photograpers don't use iPhoto to remove red-eye just like professional musicians won't use GarageBand to record their masterpieces. And that's a good thing.

Logic Big Box is only $199. It contains Logic Audio, EXSP24 sample player, EVP76 digital piano, ES1 softsynth, and an EXS sample library. It may very well be the most in-depth software bundle for the money ever conceived, in any category of software. It's immensely powerful. And again, it's $199. No one should ever complain.

[TheAnswer]

Soundtrack 2.0 comes out and fills the Prosumer music app niche. It's all ready there at the $299 price point.

Do you guys think we'll see Soundtrack really "bring it" and become "Logic Express". I'm not a musician, I just got Soundtrack bundled with FCP. I wouldn't mind losing Soundtrack out of the FCP bundle if it meant Soundtrack became a really great app in its own right and gained the features you musicians seem to be missing in GarageBand.

So when is the next big Audio show?

[eyeluvmyimac]

Originally posted by autrefois
Steve Jobs pointed out that 60% of users still use OS 9, which surprised me. It wouldn't surprise me then if a good number of Mac owners on either platform (edit: I mean on either OS version) don't have a DVD drive yet, since it's only recently that all models have DVD as an option.

I hope they offer some alternative for people eventually.

Well Garageband require 10.2 or later so people with OS9 are already out of luck regardless of dvd drives. Ah well, can't please everyone now can we? If it were 7 cd's people would be moaning about "why didn't they just give us a dvd, i hate dealing with all these discs, and installing them each" etc etc etc....life....

[Doctor Q]

Originally posted by Audacity Works
Most of us aren't dumb. But some of my customers are D-U-M-B. Nice people, genuinely passionate people, but complete luddites nevertheless. These are the people who need GarageBand. They need GarageBand.I never thought about your point before: If GarageBand was much fancier, it would be giving people more rope to hang themselves!

By the way, luddite is the wrong word to use for your techno-newbie customers who ask how to make music on their computers. Luddites are purposely against technology. The word comes from the group in England in 1811 thru 1816 who organized against technological advances in the textile industry. Luddite now means anyone who is against technological advances. Ted Kaczynski the Unabomber is a luddite with lots of brain power, to give an extreme example.

[Audacity Works]

Originally posted by TheAnswer Soundtrack 2.0 comes out and fills the Prosumer music app niche. It's all ready there at the $299 price point.

So when is the next big Audio show? The NAMM show starts next Thursday in Anaheim. Don't know if Apple will have a dedicated booth apart from Emagic or not-- Flying out there Wednesday night.

The problem with Soundtrack is that-- well, to be perfectly honest, it's kinda cheesy. It's not professional. It's not compositional software. It's loop-arranging software. And it never should've cost $300. It's ACID-lite for the Mac.

Of course, that doesn't mean I didn't buy it or don't use (and thoroughly enjoy) it! ;)

But really, Soundtrack is nothing like Logic. Soundtrack is for kids who want to layer pre-recorded pieces of music already written and performed by other people but are too lazy to match the tempi and keys. It's great fun, and can result in some fantastic-sounding material, but no one can ever say they wrote or composed a song in Soundtrack.

What's weird is that it seems like GarageBand is now more powerful than Soundtrack. And it's free. Don't get it. So the $300 difference is based on how many loops are included?:confused:

[Audacity Works]

Originally posted by Doctor Q
By the way, luddite is the wrong word to use for your techno-newbie customers who ask how to make music on their computers.Oops, you are correct, sir! My fingers were faster than my brain-- meant to type technophobe. Thanks. :)

[Harry Frishberg]

I am interested in purchasing the M-Audio Firewire 410 to go along with FCP 4 and Garageband. Is it compatable?

Also, what differentitates GB and Soundtrack? Steve said that Soundtrack was basically inside of GB. Do you see Soundtrack becoming a more "pro" audio app (it would be about time!)?

If so, when? I don't want to wait around forever for Apple to announce something...

Other than these minor questions, I am thrilled with iLife '04 and can't wait to get my hands on it!

[Doctor Q]

Originally posted by Audacity Works
meant to type technophobeNo, that's wrong too. A technophobe is someone who is afraid of Friday the 13th. On no, wait... That's a paraskavedekatriaphobe. Never mind. You were right!

[e-coli]

is that wood grain i'm seeing?

That's a new look for Apple.

[TheAnswer]

Originally posted by Audacity Works
The problem with Soundtrack is that-- well, to be perfectly honest, it's kinda cheesy.

What's weird is that it seems like GarageBand is now more powerful than Soundtrack.

That's exactly how I feel about Soundtrack and exactly how I feel about the relationship between the two...so I'm just guessing/hoping Soundtrack 2.0 will perhaps move more into a more robust middle ground app.

Although if they really make it a musicians tool and not a filmmakers tinker-toy, they gotta change the icon (and maybe even the name).

[Flowbee]

Originally posted by TheAnswer
Although if they really make it a musicians tool and not a filmmakers tinker-toy, they gotta change the icon (and maybe even the name).

I believe that soundtrack supports SMPTE timecode for precise syncing of music to video. Also, I believe there's a video preview window in Soundtrack that lets you watch the video as you're 'composing' the music.

I don't think GarageBand has these feaatures.

[mariner77]

Originally posted by Harry Frishberg
I am interested in purchasing the M-Audio Firewire 410 to go along with FCP 4 and Garageband. Is it compatable?


I don't plan to get FCP 4 but I have M-Audio FW410, two of them as matter of fact. I only need one and the other is sitting in the shipping box unopened. I'm therefore very eager to find out whether GB is compatible with with it. Where are you located? If you are near NJ maybe we can strike a deal.

[TheAnswer]

Originally posted by Flowbee
I believe that soundtrack supports SMPTE timecode for precise syncing of music to video. Also, I believe there's a video preview window in Soundtrack that lets you watch the video as you're 'composing' the music.

I don't think GarageBand has these feaatures.

The video preview and timecode syncing are two features not in GarageBand and you do get more loops with Soundtrack.

However, Soundtrack in it's current form lacks many of the features of GarageBand...such as virtual instruments. There are also features, such as MIDI out that neither product currently offers. Since Soundtrack was released last April (as part of the FCP 4 bundle), it's not unreasonable to expect an updated product that adds in GarageBand features and a few others.

[mmcxiiad]

personally i think that the role of the iLife suite is to fill two hats:

First, they are built to be great apps that anyone and everyone can quickly use. lets face it, there isn't a lot of worthy compitition in this arena. what other hardware or OS company bundels apps of this quality with thier products? and if you want to just buy all 5 apps, they are still very moderatly priced.

Second, the true upgrade. my personal belief is three of the five iLife apps are really designed to be stepping stones. itunes and iphoto excluded, don't you find it more plausable that iDVD, iMovie and Garageband are intro apps into buying apps that are much better (and profitable for apple)?

For example - Don't think that imovie has all the features to handle your new big movie - Get Final Cut Express it is *only* $300. after a while you realize that you wish you had some of the neato features of Final Cut Pro... time to shell out $1000. THIS IS APPLE'S MASTER PLAN.

I mean they make a really great app like garageband but INTENTIONALLY leave out pro features. why buy the pro version when the free one has all the pro features. They need to create an upgrade path and also a reason to upgrade.

There is a simular story for iDVD to DVD studio pro and garageband to soundtrack/logic. They keep the interfaces simular to the high end pro apps so when you want to upgrade you feel more comfortable staying in the apple apps family.

I realize that for many people the iLife suite will be the ideal solution for all of thier needs. For others it can be enough to motivate them to make the windows to mac switch - again really good statagy for apple. on the other hand if apple can sell 5% more of their pro apps(per year) becouse of the iLife apps... then this could really help apple all around.

the beauty of it, is as you upgrade from imovie to FCE and then to FCP you realize idvd and garageband don't work for you anymore. you also realize that you suddenly have a real need for a new g5 desktop. i am fairly confident that this is a huge part of Apple's sales and marketing stratagy.

Apple is a great company and makes great products... but they do so for one reason... revenue.

at least that is my opionin.
Eric

[Dahl]

Originally posted by e-coli
is that wood grain i'm seeing?

That's a new look for Apple.
Yep, they are going for a the look you often see in other music apps.

[jcroft]

FYI-

I'm stoked about GarageBand, but not about the wood grain. I'm not the type to go on a rage about a bit of interface trim, though. I didn't even get bent out of shape when the finder went brushed. So I'm not really complaining -- I can live with the wood.

That said, wood grain is a fashion trend that goes in and out faster than me humping my girlfriend when I'm REALLY horny -- it seems like it's one finish Apple would want to avoid.

Ah well.

[Edot]

The relationship between GB and SoundTrack seem to be similar to iMovie and FCE. SoundTrack has many more features and included loops. I don't know why there is all of this complaining. It is a great consumer app that is much simpler than SoundTrack. Buy a more advanced app if you need it, but this app is targeted to people who don't need it like iMovie.

[travishill]

You can't have a simple comparison between Soundtrack and GarageBand- its not like FCE where you can build out a comparison chart and just show what features are lacking as compared to Final Cut Pro.

Soundtrack has features that GarageBand doesn't have like more flexible automation, effects, and video handling. But unlike FCE/FCP, GarageBand also has features that Soundtrack does *not* have- like virtual instruments played with a keyboard.

So even though I already own FCP/Sountrack, GarageBand is still worthwhile to own. Although I'll bet the loop set from the jam pack just makes it so GarageBand ends up with the same loop set as Soundtrack, altho it would be cool if they were different...

[Audacity Works]

Originally posted by Harry Frishberg
I am interested in purchasing the M-Audio Firewire 410... Is it compatable?My initial guess would be "probably, but only two channels in and out". If M-Audio gets their drivers straight, and OSX sees it as a standard core audio device (as in, the AudioMIDI setup sees it with little or no fuss), it should be fairly plug-and-play. Right now, all I have to do to get Soundtrack to output out my M-Audio Ozone is to turn the thing on. Of course, the thing loses contact every fifteen minutes or so, but that's not Apple's fault.;)

Of course, the Ozone's only a 2-channel device. Typically, multichannel devices (like the Firewire 410) need a separate control panel, which may cause some issues.

Hope this helps.

Oh, and I suspect the wood grain look is a homage to all the high-end recording gear of the past (and present (http://www.mackie.com/products/dxb/index.html)) with wood side panels. It's kinda cool, actually.

[TheAnswer]

Originally posted by travishill
You can't have a simple comparison between Soundtrack and GarageBand- its not like FCE where you can build out a comparison chart and just show what features are lacking as compared to Final Cut Pro.

If I remember right...when Final Cut Express was first released, there were some features that were actually either more robust or implemented better in FCE than in FCP...it wasn't long until FCP 4 came out and put all that to rest.

I think GarageBand is great for what it is...and will be a perfect addition to iLife. All I'm saying is that Soundtrack is due for an update and lets hope that Apple repositions it as a more creative app with more robust features.

[sabroson]

So what do I do now with the eMagic Logic Gold that I just bought??

I just overpaid around $600 !!

Not being a professional musician, GarageBand is perfect for me.

Oh well..

[splashman]

Originally posted by sabroson
So what do I do now with the eMagic Logic Gold that I just bought??

I just overpaid around $600 !!

Not being a professional musician, GarageBand is perfect for me.

Oh well..

That's too bad -- I sincerely sympathize. I bought LAG about five or six years ago, before I really had the need. It went mostly unused for a couple of years until I got serious, and then I was very glad I had it. (Upgraded to Platinum a while back. I'll never be a professional -- just serious.)

If GarageBand is perfect for you, it seems like LAG is overkill to the nth degree. Just curious, when you were shopping, did you know about eMagic's other (cheaper) apps?

If you really think you made a mistake, and can't get a refund, you could get a good percentage of your money back by selling it on eBay. Given the price of iLife, you'd come out way ahead.

On the other hand, if you do get more serious, you might quickly outgrow GarageBand and wish you had LAG back. Given that iLife is only $49, it might make sense to get it, use GarageBand for a few months, and then decide.

Good luck!

[Harry Frishberg]

I'm therefore very eager to find out whether GB is compatible with with it. Where are you located? If you are near NJ maybe we can strike a deal

I live in Portland, OR, but thanks for the offer!

If M-Audio gets their drivers straight, and OSX sees it as a standard core audio device (as in, the AudioMIDI setup sees it with little or no fuss), it should be fairly plug-and-play

Interesting. Does anyone else know about these drivers needing updating? I'm curious why it goes off after 15 minutes,too! Would the MIDI in and Mic in work on the FW 410?

Anyway, back to Garage Band....


I have another round of questions:

Is it true that Soundtrack has more loops than GB ? And will the "Jam Pack" give GB the same or more loops than Soundtrack? Are the loops in Soundtrack the same as the ones in GB? And lastly, Can I add some of Soundtrack's loops into GB and avoid buying the Jam Pack?

I realize many of these can't be answered until GB comes out (the 16th? or is it already out?), but maybe someone knows something about it that I don't. Also, any more clarification to the Firewire 410 compatability would be appreciated.

[Harry Frishberg]

sorry to add to my lengthy post, but some may find this article interesting....

http://www.macmusic.org/news/view.php/lang/EN/id/1326/



AND ONE MORE THING :

M-Audio released new drivers for 10.3 today! included were Ozone drivers! Lucky for you. I didn't notice any FW 410 drivers... I wonder if it'll work...:confused:

http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=support.drivers

[Macgamer1096]

I guess teens who have a garage band, lke myself, will thouroughly enjoy GB as it seems easy enough to do and not that complicated.

My band and I have never even tried recording beyond a tape but i think we could make some good low level crap that appeals to the people who appeal to our crap but im pretty sure the thing we'd most like to do is try a music video (it's fun) -of crap...

All that out of the way, i like the iLife value of it which makes me feel like, with the addition of this app, it is definetly worth the fifty bucks, because i really never felt inspired enough from the other apps, minus maybe iTunes, to use these things to their full potential. on a side note i thought that iTunes should be able to do some of this stuff.

The corperation of all the other apps of iLife make this product as of yet be a better bang for my 50 bucks.



2nd version 10GB iPod owner-"it's my bread and butter."

[erstokke]

Originally posted by madvek
While reading the fine print and system requirements for GarageBand, I spotted this:

"Important Notes:
DVD drive required to install GarageBand and iDVD"

I guess I'll have to run out and upgrade my kid's CRT iMac to a G5 with Superdrive in order for her to mess around with music in this "bargain" software suite:mad:

Have I missed something here? I thought every imac and every powermac since the beige G3 was fitted with a dvd-drive. A DVD-rom is all that´s needed, not a superdrive.

[splashman]

Originally posted by erstokke
Have I missed something here? I thought every imac and every powermac since the beige G3 was fitted with a dvd-drive. A DVD-rom is all that´s needed, not a superdrive.

You're absolutely correct that only a DVD-ROM (Combo) drive is needed, not a Superdrive. But you're mistaken about the Powermacs. Remember how late Apple was to the CD-RW party? Same with DVD. Also, there are tons of old CRT iMacs around with CD and CD-RW drives.

[barnett25]

I can't wait to throw my cheap, junky practice amp in the closet and hook my guitar up to my Powerbook! From what I could tell over the quicktime feed those amps sounded great! Now I just have to start saving up for a midi keyboard....

[CmdrLaForge]

Garage Band is the App I was waiting for. Its just great.

Already ordered it :-)

[sjk]

For anyone wondering why a DVD drive is required for installing GarageBand (and iDVD), System Requirements on the Apple - iLife (http://www.apple.com/ilife/) page say:

4.3GB of disk space required to install GarageBand, iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie and iDVD; or 250MB to install iTunes, iPhoto and iMovie only.

Significant difference, even without iDVD. Impractical for CD distribution.

[Matty P]

What a waist of time!!!!!!!!

[erstokke]

Originally posted by Matty P
What a waist of time!!!!!!!!

What waist of time?
1. Reading about an application you don´t need because you already use more advanced applications or
2. Using a lot of time and money on more complex and expensive solutions that you really don´t need or manage to use?

[davedave]

Ok 2 comments on Garageband.

1. Considering apple's close relationship with eMagic, it's probably fair to assume that Garageband is based on ProTools technology. So what are the odds that pro-tools recordings can be played and integrated into garageband?

2. You can still install garageband on a non DVD mac - just load onto another mac - move the package onto an ipod, and then load it back onto your mac from there.

:)

[tjwett]

Originally posted by davedave
Ok 2 comments on Garageband.

1. Considering apple's close relationship with eMagic, it's probably fair to assume that Garageband is based on ProTools technology. So what are the odds that pro-tools recordings can be played and integrated into garageband?

2. You can still install garageband on a non DVD mac - just load onto another mac - move the package onto an ipod, and then load it back onto your mac from there.

:)

Pro Tools?!?!? Um...what? Ohhh, you mean Logic.:)

[hybrid_x]

GarageBand looks really cool.

The lack of MIDI or ReWire support is unfortunate, but i totally understand why they left them out. They're advanced features that the average amateur user probably wouldn't want or need.

Also don't forget that Apple doesn't want to cannibalize sales of the Logic family.

[toaster_oven]

My roommate said he'll actually switch to mac if this software is up to snuff. He went on about the latency issue with PCs and how he can only record music from his guitar because of the lag time - meaning there is a slight pause between him hitting the note and him hearing the note on his speakers.

I am assuming that since he is a computer programmer by profession, he knows what he is talking about - but does anyone here know about this latency issue with PCs and audio input/output?

By the way - I'm really excited about this software... now I have a reason to get a midi keyboard.

-the toaster

[jydesign]

I've been a long time user of ACID, one of the ONLY apps that I still need to fire up a damn PC to use! If this can replace ACID without the price tag of Soundtrack that would be great.

?????? Has anyone been able to confirm for sure if you can import non-apple loops? Soundtrack CAN and that makes use of all my ACID loop CD's and various Flash loop WAV and AIFF libraries. Dang, I sure hope so. Pleez let it be so...

Also, for the price, has anyone noticed that this also includes 15 VIRTUAL GUITAR AMPS! Until yesterday, you needed to pay $399 for a copy of Amplitube (http://www.amplitube.com) to get similar functionality - therefore justifying the cost for that feature alone.

happy playing, J.

[Nicky G]

Originally posted by toaster_oven
My roommate said he'll actually switch to mac if this software is up to snuff. He went on about the latency issue with PCs and how he can only record music from his guitar because of the lag time - meaning there is a slight pause between him hitting the note and him hearing the note on his speakers.

I am assuming that since he is a computer programmer by profession, he knows what he is talking about - but does anyone here know about this latency issue with PCs and audio input/output?


OS X has pretty much the lowest latency of any audio platform as was shown by a study done by Peabody Conservatory here in Baltimore. Latency IS a big issue for audio recording.

[homeward]

Can one overlay vocals onto GarageBand?

[achmafooma]

Originally posted by davedave
2. You can still install garageband on a non DVD mac - just load onto another mac - move the package onto an ipod, and then load it back onto your mac from there.

:)
You beat me to it. I have a Power Mac which was the cheapest model at the time (733mhz G4) which meets all the requirements for FCP4 and Soundtrack except having a DVD drive.

I used my girlfriend's PowerBook to rip disk images of the DVDs to a firewire hard drive, then mounted the images on my Power Mac and everything installed just fine :-)

I assume that this method would work equally well for Garage Band... I certainly hope so, because iLife '04 is next on my purchase list. I'm very excited about Garage Band.

Sooner or later I'll finally buy a DVD burner for my Power Mac. Or, depending on what kind of job I get for post-graduation (which is in May), maybe just a new Power Mac ;-)

[amnesiac1984]

Originally posted by El Capitano
G4scott wrote:



Yeah, but it's not just professionals vs. home users. I'm a home user... just one with a couple of sound modules.

The great thing about the Apple video apps is that you have

1. doozy consumer app (iMovie)
2. enthusiastic amateur app (Final Cut Express)
3. pro app (Final Cut Pro)

So I guess we have to wait for Logic Express for MIDI Out...

I had to add this, and sorry if its posted already on this thread (its a long one).

Logic express already exists. Its Called "Logic Audio" not gold or Platinum just Audio. It cost me £150 and it came with three software synths, one of which is a sample playback unit much that works very well and is much better than GarageBands soft synths with unlimited sounds available (if you buy sample CD's).

Logic Audio is very powerful but it also lacks the features that I don't really need (like surround mixing) and has a limit to the number of audio tracks (24 audio + 16 soft synths, plenty).

And for those of you asking about really cheap midi based stuff then there is a much cheaper version of logic or even a free one(os 9 only at the moment) which does midi out.

Garageband is like iMovie and nothing more.

Another thing, Apples says it is for pro's as well, I don't think they mean pro producers/editors, I think they mean Professional musicians who don't know how to do all the techie stuff. Just like sheryl crow said in the video, it is meant to create full compositions easily and for composing music ready to record properly later in you full studio with full live band and all array of pro equipment.

Garageband is nothing new, it is just a very well packaged and layed out piece of music kit that is easy for everyone.

[altoids]

Originally posted by Nicky G
Looks like you would use the Garage Band accessory made by Monster I think that's simply a female mono 1/4" to male stereo 1/8" adapter, and just plug it right into your analog line-in jack.

I suppose you don't need a preamp?

Don't know if this was already asked, but what if you own a "QuickSilver" G4? It has no audio input. I suppose I could use an iMic, and then plug the Monster adapter to the iMic and Guitar. Would that create noticeable latency? Anyone know?

[cr2sh]

Garageband is like iMovie and nothing more.

I agree totally.. anyone expecting more from this app is going to be dissapointed. iMovie is a great app... for consumer video. We like how well it works with iDVD and the like.. but Apple is not going to release iMastering and iWhatever...

I think the complaint most of all is... this isn't Logic Express. True, Logic Express exists.. but its not sold like it should be. We want it in a white box with an apple logo on the side... market it to us. Maybe Apple is releasing this consumer app to gage interest in the mid-level app.

ipod mini < ipod
imovie < final cut express < final cut pro
idvd < dvd studio
garageband < logic express < logic

The future of apple releases is identifying where the stair case design is missing and needed and that'd what apple will release next.

Who knows.. I recognize GarageBand for what it is and I think its a very fun idea.

[cr2sh]

Originally posted by cr2sh
Look at the dark brushed metal interface... and wood. Hmm.

Originally posted by e-coli
is that wood grain i'm seeing?

That's a new look for Apple.

:)

I know.. I'm not sure. I like the newer dark brushed metal look. As far as the wood grain who knows.. its crazy that something as simple as a appearance of wood grain would make an App more comfortable to use...

[CmdrLaForge]

Thats really the app I have been waiting for. Its like Apple knew what I need and they decided to make a app just for me. Its really great. And the best thing is the price. I would have paid $49 for GarageBand alone. But I get new versions of iMovie and iPhoto as well. Its really great. I am such a happy man today. And for those who don't like it - don't use it - don't buy it.

In addition - I have a question. I only have an iBook G3 900MHz with no superdrive. Is there any way to burn a DVD with iDVD on a external dvd burner. I already have Toast meaning that in principal I can do it, but Toast does not offer a nice DVD GUI. Maybe someone knows somekind of patch ? If so - would be great if you let me know.

Thanks and cheers

[TheAnswer]

Originally posted by cr2sh
I think the complaint most of all is... this isn't Logic Express. True, Logic Express exists.. but its not sold like it should be. We want it in a white box with an apple logo on the side... market it to us. Maybe Apple is releasing this consumer app to gage interest in the mid-level app.

imovie < final cut express < final cut pro
idvd < dvd studio
garageband < logic express < logic

The future of apple releases is identifying where the stair case design is missing and needed and that'd what apple will release next.

Who knows.. I recognize GarageBand for what it is and I think its a very fun idea.

Actually I would think DVD Studio pretty much fills up the rest of the DVD "staircase" as you can choose from three setups from within that app that let you move from Basic to Advanced. You can tailor it to be as simple or as complex as you wish. But it's also priced more aggressively than the high-end apps ($500 less than FCP and around $200 less (?) than Logic).

You are right about the box. I want that white box...I don't really care if it's called Logic Express or Soundtrack 2.0 or whatever. Just gimme a white box!

[quantegy]

Well, I just read on a tapers site that someone is already playing with Garageband at a university and it does do 24/96 stereo recordings. Makes me happy.:D

[hesitaliandad]

Originally posted by cr2sh
:)

its crazy that something as simple as a appearance of wood grain would make an App more comfortable to use...

i think they were going for a vintage tube amp sort of look. i could be way off though.

[elephanttrainer]

So I'm wondering if I can play old audio tapes into GarageBand and record them?

[kansast]

So I see where they plugged an electric guitar straight into the mac, and selected the different Simulated Amp effects.
o.k sounds cool.. but here is my concern..

say you've got a few tracks going. Drums, Bass, piano or what ever. you are playing back these tracks and recording your electric guitar for a 5th track.

Are you going to tell me that my G4/450 is going to be able to play back the 4 tracks, record a 5th track AND process the simulated guitar amp IN REAL TIME all at the same time ??

I've used DECK, and yes I know that I can play back multiple tracks, add different after effects to each track, all while recording yet an additional track. But I'm just having the hardest time believing that this software is going to allow me to play a guitar and process those simulated amp effects in real time ??

[cr2sh]

Originally posted by kansast
I've used DECK, and yes I know that I can play back multiple tracks, add different after effects to each track, all while recording yet an additional track. But I'm just having the hardest time believing that this software is going to allow me to play a guitar and process those simulated amp effects in real time ??

You might want to upgrade your ram and make sure you've got a 7200rpm harddrive...

Its not really the software that's allowing you to do it. People have been mixing much more complicated compositions, at higher resolutions even, on g4 450 for years now.. but yes, it'll do it.

You'll get latency though, results will vary. :)

[bjmorgan]

Originally posted by cr2sh
You might want to upgrade your ram and make sure you've got a 7200rpm harddrive...

Its not really the software that's allowing you to do it. People have been mixing much more complicated compositions, at higher resolutions even, on g4 450 for years now.. but yes, it'll do it.

You'll get latency though, results will vary. :)

It doesn't necessarily sound like you'll need 7200 rpms... Notice they give examples of "Joe User" taking his iBook and guitar for a romp and recording with GB. These laptops (as well as the 12" G4s) don't contain drives that spin that fast. They're good to have if you're planning to do multi-track (16+) recording, but (especially when using loops and samples), playback won't be hindered too much.

[kansast]

Originally posted by bjmorgan
It doesn't necessarily sound like you'll need 7200 rpms... Notice they give examples of "Joe User" taking his iBook and guitar for a romp and recording with GB. These laptops (as well as the 12" G4s) don't contain drives that spin that fast. They're good to have if you're planning to do multi-track (16+) recording, but (especially when using loops and samples), playback won't be hindered too much.

Like I said before. I have no doubt, Even a Quadra 840av could playback multiple tracks and record a live audio track at the same time. With recorded tracks all having effects tied to them. But what I'm finding hard to believe is anything but the fastest computers could let you play a guitar live, and in real time add effects in REAL TIME. and hear them played back in real time ??

I would think that I would have to record the guitar live (no effects) and then on playback speficy that effect.

and I think I could work with that, it's what I've been doing with the "DECK" software. But regardless of all that, durring the demo, the guitar effects sure did seem like real time. ..

[syclone]

Originally posted by kansast
Like I said before. I have no doubt, Even a Quadra 840av could playback multiple tracks and record a live audio track at the same time. With recorded tracks all having effects tied to them. But what I'm finding hard to believe is anything but the fastest computers could let you play a guitar live, and in real time add effects in REAL TIME. and hear them played back in real time ??

I would think that I would have to record the guitar live (no effects) and then on playback speficy that effect.

I wouldn't doubt that you can. Both my Fender Cyber Series amp and DigiTech effects pedal can add some pretty insane effects in real time, and they've been around for years. What I would have a hard time believing that my G4 isn't a heck of a lot more powerful than a DSP chip inside of an amp or pedal. I'd think that RAM would be the biggest limiter here if your playing back other tracks and recording, as it would likely use the RAM as a buffer to keep up and then dump the data to HD.

I'm excited about GarageBand, basically, because me and my friends can record guitar, bass and vox, then add a irtual drummer instead of finding a real one and have music. :D

[Prom1]

toaster_oven, your mention of your roommate who is a programmer by trade complaining about lag time......

This is inherent of MIDI, to a very minute extent. hardly noticeable to the human ear if one to say 5 intruments are played simultaneously using the MIDI Thru connections. Lets say you have 10+ instruments though and you may have to fine tune the timing 4/4 bar-scale in order to make sure no instruments are off; you won't see it but the bars in the application might show it. THis is due to sub 1Ghz cpus before apps o fthis calibure were around and old MIDI interface technology.

This might sound like I'm talking out of my ass, but some research on the subject tells me this. Seen it first hand as well.

Now in regards to a line-in port for the guitar, it should have NO lag whatsoever.

For those out there complaining the lack of pro features in GarageBand should first look at the name of the Application "garage" is in the name for a reason. Someone mentioned in this thread that they feel stupid for wanting this app and they shouldn't!!!! Nothing can stop you and your band from laying down some sweet sounding tracks, fine tuning them, port them to your iPod check them out during the day, come up with some fine ideas. Then re-laydown more tracks or modify the ones you have, then burn it to a few CDs & pass them out to your college/high-school/university mates, heck sell it to them. Houseparty DJs have done this for years. Sell your composition to the local Stitches/Gap/Ambercrombie/Roots/HugoBoss/etc store managers for playback to entertain or even attrack buyers into the store. I 've seen it work first hand here in Toronto.

Then if your brave enough make a master cd then copyright it with a lawyer then goto a recording studio then have a few "whitelabel" 12" records (Rap house jazz) or cds (blues dance pop rock) and distrube in the local happening record stores (not the big names like HMV ) make a few dollars (not 10's of thousands) but keep going for the ultimate goal of the lucrative contract meeting.

Hey John Mayer had to start somewhere right??? Just make sure that your band can perform what you record live exactly/ creatively!!!

Record moguls have to hear thru street cred or samples before making any glance or stare or thought on you even if your Rolling Stones, Beyoncé Knowles, or John Mayer.

BTW that freestyle Mayer layed down was sweet!

[~Shard~]

I agree with Meyer's comments at MWSF - he said he wished he had this app as a kid in his room - it beats playing against a recording, etc.! I loved the whole GarageBand presentation, and it definitely sold me on the product. In my opinion, it's worth $49 on its own, let alone packaged with the rest if iLife!

[Mac-Xpert]

Originally posted by Prom1
toaster_oven, your mention of your roommate who is a programmer by trade complaining about lag time......

"This is inherent of MIDI, to a very minute extent....."


I think he was only referring to audio latency, midi latency is normally indeed hardly noticeably and can be limited by using a multiport midi interface, so you can use only a few midichannels per midiport.

Originally posted by Prom1

Now in regards to a line-in port for the guitar, it should have NO lag whatsoever.


This is incorrect. When you would use a electric guitar and would like to hear it's sound through the computer (with or without the amp simulation) the analog guitar signal needs to be encoded into a digital stream by the A/D converter and then processed by the computer and then outputted back by the D/A to a analog signal that can be amplified and heard through the speakers. This takes time and will cause a lag between the note you play and the sound you will hear. Normally this lag will be more noticeably than the latency of midi devices.

[kansast]

Originally posted by Mac-Xpert

This is incorrect. When you would use a electric guitar and would like to hear it's sound through the computer (with or without the amp simulation) the analog guitar signal needs to be encoded into a digital stream by the A/D converter and then processed by the computer and then outputted back by the D/A to a analog signal that can be amplified and heard through the speakers. This takes time and will cause a lag between the note you play and the sound you will hear. Normally this lag will be more noticeably than the latency of midi devices.

I would have to disagree with this. I've used software such as Deck to record audio from a guitar.. and I've NEVER noticed ANY lag. Not even when running DECK on a Quadra 840av

my only concern was having it record this audio and applying real time effects such as the guitar amps.

I guess only time will tell..

[Mac-Xpert]

Originally posted by kansast
I would have to disagree with this. I've used software such as Deck to record audio from a guitar.. and I've NEVER noticed ANY lag. Not even when running DECK on a Quadra 840av


Well, I'm not sure how this worked with the Quadra 840av (I've never used one for audio-recording). On some audiocards you can listen directly to the input (the input signal is directly send to the output) this gives you virtually zero latency. But if I use my G4 450 at home and record with Cubase, the input signal goes through the computer and applying effects has a slight negative effect to the latency but not that much. In any case I will have some latency when (I think somewhere around 20-50 ms) when playing directly through the computer.

[tjwett]

Originally posted by amnesiac1984
I had to add this, and sorry if its posted already on this thread (its a long one).

Logic express already exists. Its Called "Logic Audio" not gold or Platinum just Audio. It cost me £150 and it came with three software synths, one of which is a sample playback unit much that works very well and is much better than GarageBands soft synths with unlimited sounds available (if you buy sample CD's).

Logic Audio is very powerful but it also lacks the features that I don't really need (like surround mixing) and has a limit to the number of audio tracks (24 audio + 16 soft synths, plenty).

And for those of you asking about really cheap midi based stuff then there is a much cheaper version of logic or even a free one(os 9 only at the moment) which does midi out.

Garageband is like iMovie and nothing more.

Another thing, Apples says it is for pro's as well, I don't think they mean pro producers/editors, I think they mean Professional musicians who don't know how to do all the techie stuff. Just like sheryl crow said in the video, it is meant to create full compositions easily and for composing music ready to record properly later in you full studio with full live band and all array of pro equipment.

Garageband is nothing new, it is just a very well packaged and layed out piece of music kit that is easy for everyone.

THANK YOU SIR (OR MADAM)!!! Finally, the first sane post on this entire subject. I was beginning to think I was the only one with any sense. I can't believe people are bummed about lack of ReWire and MIDI out. This is a freakin' $10 toy. Yeah, it's neat but it's not a studio tool, not even close. It's cute and maybe it could be used as a musical sketchpad while riding the bus to work or something but it's not going to give you core features of another of Apple's biggest products, LOGIC. Apple didn't purchase eMagic, a company worth millions and millions, so that they could take it's technology and bundle it with five other "home" apps for $49. Snap out of it people. If you are a musician you should already know the score (no pun intended) by now. All our toys are expensive. We will never see a $10 app that does what we need. Christ, guitar strings cost more than this! If you need a real music tool for home studio use then purchase Logic Audio and learn how to use it. Stop expecting Apple to take a suite of apps that they make a lot of money from and strip them down and distribute them to you for free. Ugh:rolleyes:

[amnesiac1984]

Originally posted by tjwett
THANK YOU SIR (OR MADAM)!!! Finally, the first sane post on this entire subject. I was beginning to think I was the only one with any sense. I can't believe people are bummed about lack of ReWire and MIDI out. This is a freakin' $10 toy. Yeah, it's neat but it's not a studio tool, not even close. It's cute and maybe it could be used as a musical sketchpad while riding the bus to work or something but it's not going to give you core features of another of Apple's biggest products, LOGIC. Apple didn't purchase eMagic, a company worth millions and millions, so that they could take it's technology and bundle it with five other "home" apps for $49. Snap out of it people. If you are a musician you should already know the score (no pun intended) by now. All our toys are expensive. We will never see a $10 app that does what we need. Christ, guitar strings cost more than this! If you need a real music tool for home studio use then purchase Logic Audio and learn how to use it. Stop expecting Apple to take a suite of apps that they make a lot of money from and strip them down and distribute them to you for free. Ugh:rolleyes:

Uh...thanks, and its Sir to you!! :)

It is an interesting point about logic audio not being an Apple branded product. I guess there is a dilema between keeping the legendary status of Emagic who is known by pro's for their quality software or convert it to the legendary status of Apple which is known to the rest of the world as being a great company.

I don't think it is necessary, and besides logic is developed in germany and it works great as it is. Calling it Apple would probably mean bringin git over to the states and changing staff and we may lose some of its greatness. One thing I do think they should do however is at least have the latest version for sale on the Apple UK Store, I think it's pathetic that they still sell logic 5.

[tjwett]

i agree. i think emagic should stay emagic, just like FileMaker. if it ain't broke don't fix it. apple knows this. it's a good deal for everyone. apple gets to dip it's hands into some of emagic's technologies, hence the AU support and Logic effects in GarageBand and Soundtrack. and emagic gets some serious financial backing and exposure that they never had before.

apple is not about to take the Logic sequencers, Audio, Gold and Platinum, which range from $229 (LA Big Box) up to $699 and turn around and start giving away the features in iApps. that would be nothing short of silly. if these people need a SEQUENCER then by god, go out and get a seqeuencer. if you need one that is designed exclusively for the Mac, well, Logic comes in three great flavors to choose from. GarageBand is not a sequencer so don't expect it to act like one.

[Doctor Q]

Apple signed an agreement with Garageband.com (http://www.garageband.com/) "for an undisclosed sum" to share the name "Garageband". Sharing a name instead of buying it is an usual arrangement, especially for two companies with overlapping markets. Both companies support independent musicians and promote the distribution of music online. Garageband.com has a database of 100,000 songs that are rated by a community of reviewers.

[Cale]

I notice on the "accessories" page of the garageband section, no 1/8" mics are offered. Sure, plenty of connectivity options for "real" mics, but what if i just want a good mic that I can simply plug into my iBook?

Any ideas?

Looking forward to this program, it will be great fun to play around with, especially for the cost.

[Timothy]

I've been trying for the past 2 days to learn whether or not one can record multiple tracks at a time or if this is limited to a single track at a time? Stereo tracks? Or, only mono single tracks?

Is there no one at MacWorld who can run down to the floor and ask for me?

Please?

Please?

[savar]

garage band sounds really awesome for someone like me, a university student who has an old analog 4-track and would like to move up to something better (and, oh yeah, happens to have a computer formerly worth 2 grand with processing power to spare)

my experience with computer-based recording, however, is that the latency is noticeable. i tried to record a demo for the talent contest senior year of high school (3 years ago, on a performa 6400) and the lag was bad enough to ruin the song..i mended it by intentionally playing behind the beat, then shifting over the part i recorded so it lined up with the other parts. it was good enough to show my partners their parts, but not good enough for anything else.

the guitar model for the midi keyboard is astounding, however..not that i would ever use it, but it shows that the midi instruments are very sophisticated.

and the guitar amps sounded pretty darn good, of course its hard to say they were great when i'm listening on a 300kbps streaming broadcast.

this really has me torn, since i was going to get a digital 8-track with built-in amp models (the GNX3, for those who are interested), but now i could save quite a bit of money if this thing works as advertised.

oh yeah, i almost forgot the subject of my message...before i buy in, i need to hear and see this thing live, so i hope they have a les paul on a stand next to the G5 in the store...hoowah

[TheAnswer]

Originally posted by amnesiac1984


It is an interesting point about logic audio not being an Apple branded product. I guess there is a dilema between keeping the legendary status of Emagic who is known by pro's for their quality software or convert it to the legendary status of Apple which is known to the rest of the world as being a great company.

I don't think it is necessary, and besides logic is developed in germany and it works great as it is. Calling it Apple would probably mean bringin git over to the states and changing staff and we may lose some of its greatness.

I think what the Logic products should be co-branded between Apple and Emagic...and make the upgrade path more clear.

Once you are done playing with iMovie, you can step up to Final Cut Express, and when you get really serious move to Final Cut Pro.

iDVD to DVD Studio Pro...

GarageBand needs that upgrade path clarified for its users. As people become more and more serious about there musical production they should feel that they have a similar path that the film/video people have now.

Like I said, maybe its as simple as changing the box to white and putting both Apple and Emagic on it.

Apple should fold together Soundtrack and Logic Express into a second step musical production product...market as the musical version of Final Cut Express...and use it as a way for people who are serious about there music to eventually step up into Logic Platinum. Right now on the Apple Store (online) you have these Apple/Emagic choices: Garageband (as part of iLife 04) $49, Soundtrack $299, Logic Gold Production Kit $649 and Logic Platinum 6.0 $699.

Clearly Soundtrack is positioned at the right price point at $299 to become the step up from GarageBand. Compare the two...and aside from the ability to sync video, GarageBand wins...Soundtrack is nearly a year old....it doesn't take much effort to imagine Soundtrack 2.0 becoming Soundtrack/Logic Express.

[Flowbee]

Originally posted by savar
oh yeah, i almost forgot the subject of my message...before i buy in, i need to hear and see this thing live, so i hope they have a les paul on a stand next to the G5 in the store...hoowah

I was disappointed that there were no guitars hooked up at Macworld for people to try. Only keyboards. The live demos they are doing on stage do include guitar recording, and I didn't notice any latency between the playing and the actual sound. (Yes, I know they were probably using G5s... I just hope my Cube gets similar results).

[tjwett]

Originally posted by TheAnswer
I think what the Logic products should be co-branded between Apple and Emagic...and make the upgrade path more clear.

Once you are done playing with iMovie, you can step up to Final Cut Express, and when you get really serious move to Final Cut Pro.

iDVD to DVD Studio Pro...

GarageBand needs that upgrade path clarified for its users. As people become more and more serious about there musical production they should feel that they have a similar path that the film/video people have now.

Like I said, maybe its as simple as changing the box to white and putting both Apple and Emagic on it.

Apple should fold together Soundtrack and Logic Express into a second step musical production product...market as the musical version of Final Cut Express...and use it as a way for people who are serious about there music to eventually step up into Logic Platinum. Right now on the Apple Store (online) you have these Apple/Emagic choices: Garageband (as part of iLife 04) $49, Soundtrack $299, Logic Gold Production Kit $649 and Logic Platinum 6.0 $699.

Clearly Soundtrack is positioned at the right price point at $299 to become the step up from GarageBand. Compare the two...and aside from the ability to sync video, GarageBand wins...Soundtrack is nearly a year old....it doesn't take much effort to imagine Soundtrack 2.0 becoming Soundtrack/Logic Express.

If anything GarageBand should be considered the entry-level app to Logic Express which already exists. It can be bought in the bookstore for $30. The next step up from Logic Express is Logic Audio. Thus the order should go: GarageBand($10)>Logic Express($30)>LogicAudio($229)>
Gold($499)>Platinum($699).
SoundTrack ($299) doesn't even belong in the conversation. It is not a music creation tool so much as a looper with a video player in it. It doesn't support MIDI, ReWire, or software instruments. If it did it would have struck interest with musicians. It didn't. You say SoundTrack 2 should integrate with Logic. To do what? Create an entirely new UI so that when people do upgrade the software makes no sense? Not a good idea. I would hate to buy something called Logic Express and learn it only to find that it looks and works nothing like Logic Audio. Even GarageBand bears zero resemblence to Logic. Not even a little bit. Because it's not part of the same family and is not meant to be. Yes, it might spark some interest in someone to get serious about making music on their computer and want to start on Logic but when they do it's not gonna look, act, or smell anything like it. If you want to one day use Logic Platinum then you should be using Logic Audio (formerly called Logic Silver) or Gold. SoundTrack and GarageBand will do little for you.

[Timothy]

Originally posted by Timothy
I've been trying for the past 2 days to learn whether or not one can record multiple tracks at a time or if this is limited to a single track at a time? Stereo tracks? Or, only mono single tracks?

Is there no one at MacWorld who can run down to the floor and ask for me?

Please?

Please?

Repeating my call...anyone? anyone? Multiple track recording? So that one could, for example, record their guitar and vocals at the same time.

Flowbee...you're there, right? Can you swing by the booth ask someone? Please?

[TheAnswer]

Originally posted by tjwett
If anything GarageBand should be considered the entry-level app to Logic Express which already exists. It can be bought in the bookstore for $30. The next step up from Logic Express is Logic Audio. Thus the order should go: GarageBand($10)>Logic Express($30)>LogicAudio($229)>
Gold($499)>Platinum($699).

Well if an progression path exists, Apple really needs to make it clear. Since Logic Express apparently isn't a Emagic product, Apple has no interest in getting us to buy it. But why Logic Audio and Logic Gold (standalone, not the production bundle) aren't offered on the online Apple Store is beyond me.

As I said in one of my earlier posts, I'm not a musician...I know how Apple has set up the video side to have a progression of products from simple to advanced...and now that Steve is after budding musicians as well as filmmakers, I'm just hoping that Apple makes the same kind of progression in their software a little more obvious. As another poster said earlier, the long term goal of GarageBand is to sell more Logic Platinum boxes...I'm just saying Apple needs to make it easier for budding musicians to see that Logic is the choice.

As for Soundtrack...you are so right about it's limitations...No MIDI support is the biggest one...I'm hoping that version 2.0 will be more robust because if they add in MIDI support and virtual instruments, It's all the music program I need. Having said that, if they throw a video sync preview in GarageBand, it's pretty much all the program I need.

[Timothy]

OK...I finally found my answer. A guy over at the Forums on www.osxaudio.com went to the show floor and played with Garageband.

Single-track recording is all that is offered; either stereo or mono. So, one can't track vocals and guitar at the same time.

Nonetheless, this app is great, perhaps becuase of its limitations. I am a producer, working with several singer/songwriter types who have been nothing but frustrated with trying to work in the technology world when all they want to do is create music.

GarageBand gives me a tool to turn them onto that should be very easy to understand and use.

But, here's to hoping that version 2 offers multitrack recording. ;-)

[tjwett]

Originally posted by TheAnswer
Well if an progression path exists, Apple really needs to make it clear. Since Logic Express apparently isn't a Emagic product, Apple has no interest in getting us to buy it. But why Logic Audio and Logic Gold (standalone, not the production bundle) aren't offered on the online Apple Store is beyond me.

That's simple. Apple to us is essentially a retailer unlike any other. Retailers do a lot of their business based on the ignorance of the consumer, just the way it is. They offer Platinum because it is the most expensive. It's that simple. I can count about 10 people I know personally who purchased Logic Platinum from Apple thinking that's what Logic was. They didn't have a clue that Audio or Gold even existed. This happens more than you would imagine. It's also the reason emagic has always upgraded Logic Platinum first. Some jump at the newer version number while some just don't realize more are on the way.

As for Soundtrack...you are so right about it's limitations...No MIDI support is the biggest one...I'm hoping that version 2.0 will be more robust because if they add in MIDI support and virtual instruments, It's all the music program I need. Having said that, if they throw a video sync preview in GarageBand, it's pretty much all the program I need.

Now you're getting into the apps stepping on eachothers toes again. MIDI will never make into SoundTrack. If they suddenly add all the features of Logic into SoundTrack then where does that leave Logic? You should listen to your needs. You say you want MIDI support and virtual instruments and video sync. Sounds like what you need is Logic Audio. Has all three with plenty more features to grow into. Why would someone buy SoundTrack ($299) and GarageBand ($49) when they could start out with Logic Audio ($229 and Big Box bundle comes with a bunch of extra synths and a mean sampler) and have all the features they want and then some for less money? I really wouldn't waste my time waiting for SoundTrack to add MIDI or soft synth support, not gonna happen. And I wouldn't waste my time trying to squeeze pro results out of GarageBand, not gonna happen either. Just go buy the Logic Audio Big Box and get down to business. It's got everything you're asking for, including extremely capable tools for video scoring. And consider that emagic has amazing customer support and easy upgrades with awesome upgrade pricing, which Apple surely does not.

[ideapower]

Nobody seems to be addressing this, so maybe it's an obvious question, but how many tracks of multitrack AUDIO does GarageBand support? I understand you can only record one at a time, but does the "64 tracks" apply to recorded audio? I have seen a few other programs (can't remember which... cakewalk metro maybe?) that had different limitations between midi and audio on how many tracks you can use. Apple's descriptions don't say anything specific about this, as they spend most of the time talking about
virtual instruments, loops, and midi, but all they say about audio is about how you can go back "in the same track" and re-record something. What I really need is a simple, cheap, multi-track audio recording app. If this won't do that, then what's my best bet? Hit Kit / Logic "Express" ?

[TheAnswer]

tjwett...

...as someone who almost bought Logic Platinum once on a whim, I know that you are right! I didn't know Audio or Gold existed.

I should probably take your advice (although it looks like if I want SMPTE support I'll have to go Gold). Do all versions of Logic have the video thumbnail feature? (I know Platinum does).

I think the majority of the problem is that I'm not a musician, and I'm afraid that any program I get is gonna be overkill and it's gonna seem like I'm using 20% of a really powerful program and not 90-100% of a program that could meet my needs (but, I admit, does not exist).

[tjwett]

Originally posted by TheAnswer
tjwett...

...as someone who almost bought Logic Platinum once on a whim, I know that you are right! I didn't know Audio or Gold existed.

I should probably take your advice (although it looks like if I want SMPTE support I'll have to go Gold). Do all versions of Logic have the video thumbnail feature? (I know Platinum does).

I think the majority of the problem is that I'm not a musician, and I'm afraid that any program I get is gonna be overkill and it's gonna seem like I'm using 20% of a really powerful program and not 90-100% of a program that could meet my needs (but, I admit, does not exist).

All versions of Logic have the video thumbnail as well as the standard floating video window.

I appreciate your concern for not using an app to it's full potential. While it's good to plan for the future, it can also be a waste to learn things that may never get used.

This is slightly off the subject but have you ever tried Ableton Live? It's nothing short of amazing. My experience with it has been so great that I actually have basically dropped Logic altogether for 99% of my work in favor of Live. It's got SMPTE, it supports 24/96 audio, it has MIDI connectivity (although it is not a traditional MIDI sequencer), and the things you can do with audio will blow you away. Plus I don't think it there is an easier program out there to use. Did I mention it's also virtually uncrashable? While it does not directly support software instruments, it does support ReWire which opens the doors to alot of stuff, including video syncing.

What about something like Reason? Anyway, I'm getting off course here. So, are your SMPTE needs based around your video hardware? Because there are workarounds for that so you don't need to buy Gold. I've never had much luck with striping SMPTE myself.

[tjwett]

Originally posted by ideapower
What I really need is a simple, cheap, multi-track audio recording app. If this won't do that, then what's my best bet? Hit Kit / Logic "Express" ?

Buy a copy of the UK magazine "Computer Music". Every issue comes with a cover disk that includes there very own free software studio. Audio/MIDI sequencer, a very nice sampler, and a bunch of synths. You could literally have a fully operational setup for the price of the mag. The freebies on this CD will blow away GarageBand as far as real music creation tools go. You'll VST support for synths and effects, capable MIDI sequencer, multitrack audio recording. And as a bonus you've got the best publication for all this stuff to look through. You'll find reviews, tutorials, and a bunch of other useful info that will help you decide what you want to actually spend your money on. Trust me, if you are planning to make some real music then take your time and research you possibilities. There are PLENTY out there that can kick GarageBand's ass for little or no money. I promise you, once you've played with GB for a week and those presets and bundled loops have gotten boring there will be no where to go but elsewhere. I think any user with more than a smattering of computer knowledge and the desire to create some quality tunes will start to feel GarageBands limitations faster than they realize now.

[TheAnswer]

tjwett...

I've actually got Reason lying around here somewhere (just haven't reinstalled it since I clean installed 10.3). I haven't put it to any good use, just played with it.

Live was something I thought about buying last year but passed up when Soundtrack came free with FCP and filled all the needs I had at the time.

I didn't even notice Live 3 had come out and am downloading the demo now.

If I'm gonna do this right, It's probably time to dust off the ole keyboard and actually learn to play again before I buy anything though.

[tjwett]

Originally posted by TheAnswer
tjwett...

I've actually got Reason lying around here somewhere (just haven't reinstalled it since I clean installed 10.3). I haven't put it to any good use, just played with it.

Live was something I thought about buying last year but passed up when Soundtrack came free with FCP and filled all the needs I had at the time.

I didn't even notice Live 3 had come out and am downloading the demo now.

If I'm gonna do this right, It's probably time to dust off the ole keyboard and actually learn to play again before I buy anything though.

wait, so you've got Reason just sitting around collecting dust!?? shame on you. get that thing installed right away and start jamming. Reason is no toy ya know, i have a buddy who makes a very good living doing scores for video using nothing but Reason. i know if i had Reason the absolute no question next thing i would buy to go with it would be Ableton Live. seriously. you gotta realize the power of the two together. this is the combo that has made waves and got tons of people psyched on making music with a computer again. for me it has replaced thousands of dollars of hardware and the hassle of using Logic all the time. you've got Reason, you gotta get a nice ReWire buddy to go with it. you'll get more done in ten minutes with the Reason/Live combo than you would using GarageBand or SoundTrack for the rest of your life. if you want to make something original the easy and fun way, that's Live and Reason. if you want to make something original the hard way (but maybe worth it) that's Logic. if you want to fart around with a thousand premade audio loops and a bunch of synth presets well, then that stinks. and that's GarageBand.

[Garissimo]

Originally posted by Timothy
OK...I finally found my answer. A guy over at the Forums on www.osxaudio.com went to the show floor and played with Garageband.

Single-track recording is all that is offered; either stereo or mono. So, one can't track vocals and guitar at the same time.



Couldn't one simply adjust the pan settings on the stereo track and get 2 mono tracks? It sounds like a 2 track recorder to me.

And Apple better freakin' support firewire CoreAudio devices. Afterall, they build firewire into all their computers. It would be ridiculous to limit GarageBand to USB devices only.

[CmdrLaForge]

Originally posted by savar

this really has me torn, since i was going to get a digital 8-track with built-in amp models (the GNX3, for those who are interested), but now i could save quite a bit of money if this thing works as advertised.


Hi,

in fact I have the GNX3 and I don't see that with Garageband you come even near the possibilities you have with the GNX3. Beside that you have endless options in terms of different kind of amps, and effects you can record voice and guitar on the same time. A little bit annoying is the fact that you are limited to 128MB of memory cards which gives you not to much recording time.

And yes. I have already ordered GarageBand because I think its a great app.

[Shifty]

GarageBand looks awesome. It should hopefully encourage beginner musicians to look at macs, since GarageBand is more advanced than some other budget-end audio production software available on the Windows platform

[superwagon]

Originally posted by jcroft

Apple may SAY it's for everyone, but clearly it's entry-level. Even pros (like, Sheryl Crow in the video) can use entry-level tools sometimes.

Complaining about this is just silly. It's like complaining that the iMac isn't as powerful as the PowerMac G5. Get over it, or go buy Logic.

Quit your bitching.

I agree completely.

I am a semi-pro musician and movie maker, but at the end of the day I am not going to be using Final Cut Pro, Logic, and DVD Studio Pro for my home movies.

iApps are not designed to "entry-level" programs. They are designed to be for Personal Use.

I am sure when Sheryl Crow wants to add some background music to her home videos, she doesn't spend a day in the Studio. Likewise, I wouldn't be suprised to see and iDVD by Steven Spielberg.

[Timothy]

Originally posted by Garissimo
Couldn't one simply adjust the pan settings on the stereo track and get 2 mono tracks? It sounds like a 2 track recorder to me.

And Apple better freakin' support firewire CoreAudio devices. Afterall, they build firewire into all their computers. It would be ridiculous to limit GarageBand to USB devices only.


Yeah...I was thinking the same thing about getting two tracks. But, I didn't want to confuse those for whom Garage Band seems to be focused. I know that with my wife, she'll want as simple a solution as she can find, one that let's her know next to nothing about computers, plugin, hit record, and she's on her way.

But yeah, it should at least be doable to record two mono tracks at once.

[adamberti]

According to a fellow on Apple's Dicussion boards you CAN record two mono tracks at the same time with a device, just not the built in audio input. Hope this link works

Link (http://discussions.info.apple.com/WebX?14@239.jzD3a14QrWe.1@.599f1710/0)

[TheAnswer]

Originally posted by tjwett
wait, so you've got Reason just sitting around collecting dust!?? shame on you. get that thing installed right away and start jamming. Reason is no toy ya know, i have a buddy who makes a very good living doing scores for video using nothing but Reason. i know if i had Reason the absolute no question next thing i would buy to go with it would be Ableton Live. seriously. you gotta realize the power of the two together. this is the combo that has made waves and got tons of people psyched on making music with a computer again.

Thanks for the pep talk. I'm searching for my copy of Reason right now. Even playing around with the Live demo, I could see they would pair awesomely. I'm probably gonna hold off on Live at least until the new G5s are announced, but at least its in the purchase que now.

Well...if the GarageBand introduction did nothing else, at least it got me (and I'm sure lots of others) thinking about my own music creation needs and looking for tools that fit the bill (even if they don't come in a white box with an Apple logo on it).

Thanks again for all the advice.

[elgruga]

Originally posted by TheAnswer
Well...if the GarageBand introduction did nothing else, at least it got me (and I'm sure lots of others) thinking about my own music creation needs and looking for tools that fit the bill (even if they don't come in a white box with an Apple logo on it).

Good point.

For a lot of people, searching and looking and trying lots of programs is a big hassle - we just want something that works and is easy to run.

There are too many confusing 'tools' out there. One guy says here, get reason and then you need Ableton Live - another guy says get Logic, another says....I'm sure they all mean well, but it doesnt help.

If Apple was smart, they would offer a complete kit with Keyboard and usb input stuff and GarageBand.

Also, its obvious that GB will not be so great until it reaches Version 3.x.

But by then all of us with little knowledge will be able to run a more powerful program. The learning curve that Apple builds in to all its stuff is NOT available with reason etc.

IMHO.