MusicRadar

GarageBand can run your third-party effects and instruments.

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It might not be a complex program, but GarageBand is certainly full of features. Because there's so much to cover, MusicRadar has split its A to Z guide into four parts, of which this – covering the letters N to T – is the third.

Part 1 and part 2 and the concluding part 4 are also available.

N is for Normalise

If you're working with Software Instruments, the notes you record onto GarageBand's Arrange page are stored as little pieces of data, which in turn trigger notes. Each piece of data contains information about how loud a note is, where it's been played and how long it lasts for.

If, on listening back to a recording, you want to change any of that information, you can. If a note isn't loud enough, for instance, you can click on it in the Instrument Editor window at the bottom and increase its volume using the slider. Moving the slider all the way to the right sets it to maximum volume, which is referred to as 'normalising'. If you want to make a note longer or shorter, simply grab the end of its 'bar' in the Edit window and drag the end of the note backwards or forwards until it's the right length.

O is for One window

One of the main joys of GarageBand compared to some of its rivals is that it doesn't bury its many different functions in separate windows – everything's displayed within a single screen, which keeps things simple. If you want to open the Loop Browser, if folds out from the bottom of the screen, while the Track Info pane does something similar on the right-hand side when you're setting up sounds or assigning effects.

You can close these side panels down if you want extra screen space for the Arrange window but, crucially, when you open something, it won't appear in a new pop-up window, which means it won't get lost or disappear the moment you click on something else. This approach has worked so well within GarageBand that it's even been adopted for its 'big brother' program, Logic Pro.

P is for Plug-ins

Plug-ins are pieces of software that are available separately from your DAW application and can be used to expand the potential of your setup. Plug-ins tend to fall into two categories: instruments and effects. Instruments are things like synthesizers, drum machines and samplers, while effects include compressors, EQs, reverbs, delays and many more.

GarageBand can run any Audio Units plug-ins you have installed on your Mac (Audio Units is a standard developed by Apple). Far from being a basic, standalone program, it can be expanded as much as you like.

Q is for Quality

The Beatles made records over 40 years ago with systems that were primitive compared to today's kit. However, that didn't stop them making brave, iconic music that prioritised musical ideas over the technology on which it was made.

GarageBand is an entry-level but extremely high-quality sequencer, regardless of your musical leanings. It can render CD-quality mixes, and while it offers help if you need some at first, it's also ready to let you take complete control of a session if you prefer. Make no mistake: with GarageBand, you can make excellent-sounding music.

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