GarageBand Screenshots and iPod Mini Notes

[MacBytes]

- GarageBand 1.0 Screenshots have been posted, showing various windows from the application. Obviously, more information and screenshots can also be found at Apple's Site.

- iPhoto 4 and iMovie 4 Screenshots

- iPodLounge notes that the new iPod Mini comes with "iPod Mini Software 1.0" which is specific to the iPod Mini. The new iPod Mini's do not support the Belkin Card Reader, Voice Recorder or Battery Pack.

- The sync-to-playlist feature allows users of the iPod Mini's to sync select playlists rather then your entire library

[Doctor Q]

Is there a little horizontal line through the centers of the zeroes in the time counter, or is it an optical illusion because there is a little notch in the left and right insides of those digits? I wonder what effect it is supposed to give. To me, they look like those little flip counters where there's a hinge in the middle.

In the instrument list, what are the male and female icons for? Different kinds of voices?

Edit: In the New Track dialog box, the "No Effects" choice has a leading blank, presumably a crude method to make it come out alphabetically first. Is this the first time we've seen this method used in an Apple product? Is there a better convention they've used to address this problem in the past, such as using a leading asterisk?

[polyesterlester]

I wish Apple would've given a more traditional interface to GarageBand. I'm not a big fan of the dark metal and wood sides. Especially since the wood grain doesn't appear to be very realistic. My opinion might change later though, when I get my hands on it.

[mainstreetmark]

If we're looking at the same thing, I think the horizontal line is just the edge of the reflective top, so it looks like glass or something. Apple loves this reflecty look these days (and I do too)

The man + woman are apparently equalizer presets to make a male voice or female voice sounds better or something. Just like a guitar can be turned into a fuzzy acoustic guitar from the 60's, I suspect you can turn your shower voice into elvis (ok, extreme examples).

I can't wait to get ahold of this software. I've been looking for something like it for a while. I haven't had a music app I really liked since Soundsmith in the Apple IIgs days. I already ordered a pickup for my banjo.

[Grimace]

Garage band is going to be a great app to get music-lovers - in addition to musicians - to be able to get their ideas out there.

[daytona63]

I'm pretty sure that sync-to-playlist feature is already present on the current iPods, and has been for sometime. I'm looking at my 30GB iPod right now...

[varmit]

Make a song and post it, lets see how easy it is to become a musician. If they (apple) allow you to make a song and post it. If you don't think you have musical tallent, play us some beats so we can get the Idea of it. Looking at it is nice, but we want to hear it.

[Quobobo]

Originally posted by daytona63
I'm pretty sure that sync-to-playlist feature is already present on the current iPods, and has been for sometime. I'm looking at my 30GB iPod right now...

Hmm, yeah.. I'm really not sure how the new feature differs from "Automatically update selected playlists only":
http://quobobo.net/files/ipodprefs.jpg

This is on my second generation 20gig iPod, and it has been since I started using it with iTunes 3.

[AlbinoPigeon]

The interface seems easy enough, but what's with the wood on the side?

All of Apple's apps have been made very clean since Aqua, and the brushed metal stuff. The black looks like the 3rd gen interface (onyx or graphite), but the wood makes it look sloppy, like it's been added as an afterthought.

It could have been much cleaner without the wood and extending the black around to the edges.

Just my thoughts...

[BenRoethig]

Garage Band is the kind of app I've been waiting for for a long time. $50 is a steal for it alone, not to mention iDVD, iMovie, and iPhoto.

[crees!]

Originally posted by AlbinoPigeon
The interface seems easy enough, but what's with the wood on the side?

Well if you've been in a recording studio.. expecially one that has older equipment you will see mixing boards with wood side panels. Looks pretty realistic to me.

[Freg3000]

Originally posted by BenRoethig
Garage Band is the kind of app I've been waiting for for a long time. $50 is a steal for it alone, not to mention iDVD, iMovie, and iPhoto.

Yes, $50 is great. But for me, I need to figure out a way to connect my keyboard to my computer. I am sure I am going to need to buy some similarly priced adapter or converter or something. But I have no idea. Steve kept saying, "just connect it to your Mac."

I just want to know how?

[crees!]

Originally posted by Doctor Q
In the instrument list, what are the male and female icons for? Different kinds of voices?

My guess would be yes... they are different men and women voices you can choose from. As one poster said they're probably equalizers to change between male and female. I could tell you equalizers alone could not change the sound of a voice from man to woman, or vice versa.

[balconycollapse]

I had a chance to chat with my buddy who was front row at Macworld. He also got to play with garage band a fair amount. He said the AU support is really good but he wasn't sure if it supported AU instruments like Absynth. Regardless a few good AU plugins beyond those included like Waves etc could really produce some amazing results. He said its very quick and efficient but certainly not as pro as logic but still very very good. Considering the Logic Big Box is about 250 bucks and NAMM is right around the corner I will look forward to a Logic 7 GUI redisgn similar to garage band. I asked him about midi and he said they had an m-audio midi keyboard connected but wasn't sure about midi out. Finally wood schmood. I'd use the app if it was hot pink or forest green. What a trivial ridiculous complaint.

[crees!]

Originally posted by Freg3000
Yes, $50 is great. But for me, I need to figure out a way to connect my keyboard to my computer. I am sure I am going to need to buy some similarly priced adapter or converter or something. But I have no idea. Steve kept saying, "just connect it to your Mac."

I just want to know how?

After looking at the screenshots I don't think you would need a keyboard to use Garageband. There was one shot that had the grandpiano and another with a a layout like in other loop creation software.

Any USB or MIDI keyboard can be used with Garageband.

[slowtreme]

Attack of the giant google ad

[magi.sys]

If you dislike the UI so much, I'm sure there is a way to change it to plain Aqua like with the brushed metal UI (with interface builder). But I agree, the wood is not needed.

I really hope this thing can do MIDI out and also support mutiple recordings at once, like vocal and guitar at once.

If not I bet Apple is working on a SoundTrack update or a new Pro App that is a GarageBand Pro version. iDVD and iMovie have a Pro equivalent, so maybe GarageBand as well Else there is no longer any reason for SoundTrack to exist, besides the fact that Soundtrack can view video while you create music.

[crees!]

Originally posted by magi.sys
If you dislike the UI so much, I'm sure there is a way to change it to plain Aqua like with the brushed metal UI (with interface builder). But I agree, the wood is not needed.

The wood might not be needed, but it gives the traditional look and feel of older modeled mixing boards. It's all about software trying to mimic hardware, both in functionality and looks.

[DGFan]

Originally posted by crees!
The wood might not be needed, but it gives the traditional look and feel of older modeled mixing boards. It's all about software trying to mimic hardware, both in functionality and looks.

So doesn't that make it a candidate for brushed metal? Or did that part of the HIG go away with Panther?

[MattG]

Can't wait to get my hands on Garageband. Unfortunately, the Monster Instrument Adapter I ordered from Apple is on backorder until mid-February! I looked all over and I can't find anyone else who sells these. Anyone have a link?

[art399]

Originally posted by balconycollapse
He said its very quick and efficient but certainly not as pro as logic but still very very good.

Can you peg off some key differences between an app like Logic and an entry-level app like this? I've yet to do any music stuff on a mac but on the PC i used to use Nuendo a bit and it was pretty sweet, i also had some experience with Cubase some years back. Would GarageBand for instance have real-time effects chains, or is that a higher-end feature?

Finally wood schmood. I'd use the app if it was hot pink or forest green. What a trivial ridiculous complaint.

Well, trivial maybe, but i don't think it's such a ridiculous complaint. Mac users tend to place a lot of value in "Look and Feel", it just goes with the territory. If we didn't, we'd be happy with something that looked like Windows.(Wait, OS9 was pretty horrid looking too...).
The look has at least something to do with how much you enjoy the program, even if functionality is the paramount concern.

That said, i have to say i quite like the look of GarageBand. Yes, Aqua apps mostly all have the same look and feel and there is nothing wrong with the way they look, but sometimes it's nice to have a little change, and an app like this is a fine place to have it

[art399]

Originally posted by DGFan
So doesn't that make it a candidate for brushed metal? Or did that part of the HIG go away with Panther?

Notice the "Human" in Human Interface Guidelines. Note that Apple designers and developers are not mere mortals, they are demi-gods and as such, rules they create seem not to apply

[Sabenth]

lets see a pro app like logic or cubase up agianst garage band hm i think that logic is going to win that hands down what with all the temp time shifting blah blah ...

Garage band sounds like a acid for the pc just with apple flair drag and drop bit of midi here and there ... yep just acid great though about time they had an app like this

[balconycollapse]

Its so hard to pinpoint the features so far as Apple is being "fuzzy" about specifications and not leaving in fineprint around the garageband introduction page. In soundtrack you can do effects chains so surely garage band could too as its not especially complex feature. My friend basically made the point if you wanna do rock music or a band its going to be great. Its imovie to fcp4. If you want to sound like aphex twin be prepared to make your own samples and import them. Wave editing, time stretching, minute midi editing, and surround are going to be absent as well as video support. But i still stand by the fact that this app with enough elbow grease could make about any album prior to the 1980s. I mean basically its a 64 track recorder with pro level effects. Lest we forget Sgt. Pepper was done on less. Some good AU plugins in addition to those provided and an ear for mixing are all you need. Finally if y ou h ave another mac laying around put garage band on it and use it as the guitar processor/vox processor and route it into the other mac running GB. One for tracking one for effects. He said the built in samples were excellent and i don't think the bosendorfer grand piano etc are just cheesy quicktime synthesis they are actual samples.

[MegaSignal]

Well if you've been in a recording studio.. expecially one that has older equipment you will see mixing boards with wood side panels. Looks pretty realistic to me

Well said. As an "older" person who would've loved to have had GarageBand back when I was actually in a garage band, this looks like one app that would be fun to explore and wonder what it would've been like to have had it when it really mattered.

In the meantime, iDVD looks terrific for home movies of the wife and kids...