GarageBand Roundup 119
Wired covers the GarageBand revolution. Matt Van Horm writes "MacBand.com is an online directory of songs and loops created by users of Apple's GarageBand software who submit their work. Songs are organized by category and loops are organized by genre, instrument and mood, and are rated with a system similar to the one in iTunes." franklinrh writes in about the free loops available from Access, and others note free loops from Bitshift Audio and Drums on Demand. And if you want to import MIDI files into GarageBand, check out Dent du MIDI. What other software -- and equipment -- are you using with GarageBand? I've got my setup pumping out tunes.
Keyboard? (Score:5, Interesting)
The built-in Keyboard thingy in GarageBand kind of sucks, because you have to use the mouse to hit the keys... or do I? Does anyone know of a way to use the actual (qwerty) keyboard to record in notes?
I hope its not an obvious solution, because I looked around in the docs and couldn't find it.
Re:Keyboard? (Score:5, Informative)
Midikeys [manyetas.com]
Re:Keyboard? (Score:1)
Re:Keyboard? (Score:4, Informative)
Good MIDI keyboards gets far more then just pressed keys.
Acceleration & 'deepness', for example.
AFAIK.
Re:Keyboard? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Keyboard? (Score:5, Informative)
The built-in keyboard isn't probably meant to play any real music on, so I have used the editor tool. I'm however considering to buy M-Audio Keystation 49e USB Midi Keyboard [apple.com] which Apple is recommending. It is for $99 (or 99 EUR), which I don't think is "significant cash" (you wouldn't even get a half of the cheapest iPod mini for that price.) Does anyone have any experiences? I'm not a musician and don't need the best keyboard available.
Re:Keyboard? (Score:5, Interesting)
I'd recommend it to anyone.
Don't order it from Apple.com - Re:Keyboard? (Score:1)
Couple of weeks later, Apple sent me an email saying it would not ship until March 15 - an almost two month delay!
Then, last week, they shipped me one. Problem is, the box didn't contain a Keystation 49e. Rather, the 49e box contained an *eKeys 49*, which appears to be functionally the same thing... but just try sending *that* back for a warranty repair down the line!
Worse, the box
Re:Keyboard? (Score:2)
Re:Keyboard? (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Keyboard? (Score:1)
I'm just pissed at the fact that I can't export to anything useful, though.
Re:Keyboard? (Score:2)
Well, all you really need is velocity sensing. The M-Audio Keystation 49e - USB Midi Keyboard ($99 US, Apple Store) should suffice.
Note: I got the Evolution Professional e isntead, since it was stocked by my local Apple dealer. $169 CDN.
Re:Keyboard? (Score:2)
USB - MIDI converter (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:USB - MIDI converter (Score:5, Informative)
I found the cheapest online was the M-Audio Midisport Uno [amazon.com], at $40. I was impatient, however, so I went to my local music shop where they had a Yahama UX96. More expensive, but more features (though I may never use them). Worked fine.
Also try ebay, of course. There were plenty available.
HTH
Re:USB - MIDI converter (Score:5, Informative)
I can vouch for that M-Audio USB Uno [midiman.com]; it works great and could not be simpler to set up. Just make sure to download the newest OS X drivers [midiman.com] as in the box it may come with a bunch of OS 9 stuff that won't mean anything to GarageBand.
After installing the drivers, though, it's completely plug and play, the best MIDI experience I've ever had.
~jeff
Re:USB - MIDI converter (Score:3, Informative)
Re:USB - MIDI converter (Score:2)
If you want a great feeling keyboard, that is pretty close to a piano (almost nothing out there replicates the feel of a real piano), the Fatar keyboards are great. I have an SL 1100/C. Its pretty nice. eBay has much better prices than the list price.
http://www.studiologic.net/fatar-menu.htm
If you want the sound of a real piano... then look on eBay for a RealPiano expander. "Among many musicians rated as the best sounding piano module on t
Re:USB - MIDI converter (Score:3, Informative)
Re:USB - MIDI converter (Score:2)
M-Audio Keystation? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:M-Audio Keystation? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:M-Audio Keystation? (Score:3, Informative)
I did call the Sagemore store this morning. They had the more expensive M-Audio one in ($149). They put me on the call list for the 49E though, and I think I'll wait for that one.
Comment removed (Score:4, Informative)
Most cheap keyboards have midi now (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Most cheap keyboards have midi now (Score:2)
Re:M-Audio Keystation? (Score:2, Informative)
I called back a day later to check on availability and the guy there said that they didn't have the $99 Keystation 49e, but that they did have a shipment of the M-Audio Radium49 [m-audio.com] in. I put a hold on one and picked it up the next day.
It costs more - $150. It has 49 keys and 16 MIDI presets that you can program. So it's a step up from the $99 version. And they had them in stock.
Re:M-Audio Keystation? (Score:1)
Get some Virus loops for Garageband .. (Score:2, Informative)
http://virus.info/ [virus.info]
(That's Virus as in the hot synthesizer not the Microsoft kind
Re:Get some Virus loops for Garageband .. (Score:2)
Re:Get some Virus loops for Garageband .. (Score:1)
Re:Get some Virus loops for Garageband .. (Score:2)
Re:Get some Virus loops for Garageband .. (Score:1)
Importing MIDI (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Importing MIDI (Score:5, Informative)
Doing it that way gives you crappy sounding aiff files that you can't do much with in garageband. Using Dent du Midi gives you individual files with the seperate instrument tracks like a real midi file...you can then change instruments and even edit individual notes in Garageband. The two methods don't even compare. Dent du Midi involves a few more steps, but makes a world of difference.
Re:Importing MIDI (Score:3, Informative)
Yes, and that makes it almost completely useless.
Re:Importing MIDI (Score:1)
Getcher Loops Here (Score:4, Informative)
They put out an 8pack of loops every two weeks usually. I've got like 1000 loops now, and I've been thinking of writing a Konfabulator widget to automate the downloading, organizing, etc. of my loops.
www.acidplanet.com/loops/8packs/ [acidplanet.com]
Re:Getcher Loops Here (Score:1)
Re:Getcher Loops Here (Score:2, Informative)
But I have a very very crappy Windows box that I often unzip them on, or do it at work and burn them all to a CD every week or two. I have WinRar at work that recognizes it as a zip file and can bypass the executable part of it, maybe Stuffit or something will allow you to manually open it and extract the contents as well. I haven't really tried, but I should be
Just a tip... (Score:2)
Save your self some hassle.
Launch Terminal.app or iTerm or whatever: done
Re:Just a tip... (Score:1)
Re:Just a tip... (Score:2, Informative)
I tested it with 10.3.2 and it worked just fine. I also just tested it on my Linux box (my PowerBook is at home) and it appears to work, granted I didn't play the files, but they are there.
Did you get an error?
Here is what I got:
Re:Just a tip... (Score:1)
Re:Getcher Loops Here (Score:1)
Re:Getcher Loops Here (Score:1)
(By the way, I had to use VPC to get them out)
tap tempo (Score:5, Interesting)
The main feature I miss in GarageBand is "tap tempo", which is to say, you can tap a key on the keyboard in a 1... 2... 3... 4... rhythm and the software will extrapolate and average the tempo from your tapping. Does anyone have any recommendations for any little utilities that might offer this?
~jeff
Re:tap tempo (Score:5, Informative)
First Time User's Perspective (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:First Time User's Perspective (Score:5, Insightful)
That said, I am grateful to him for his plea against people pumping out elevator music crap. Loops should be used sparingly, if at all. The only time I really use loops is for drums.
Re:First Time User's Perspective (Score:2)
Re:First Time User's Perspective (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:First Time User's Perspective (Score:2)
What about Logic? (Score:2)
Garageband output to other audio apps (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Garageband output to other audio apps (Score:1)
Re:Garageband output to other audio apps (Score:1)
My Setup (Score:5, Informative)
GB is pretty cool, but just like iMovie, I am finding the limitations really fast.
Non-apple loops can't be effectively transposed...
All the loops included don't show up if you start a song in either not-4/4, or not-C.
None of the included loops are transitions, they are all groves or effects.
On my computer the recording is too laggy... If I just want to bump all the notes to the nearest quarter note it is all-good, but it doesn't put them close enough to bump them to smaller notes.
hiding loops is a preference setting (Score:2)
Selective hiding of loops that might not be appropriate to your project is a preference setting; you can turn that feature off.
Re:hiding loops is a preference setting (Score:1)
Option's called "Filter for more relevant results" (Score:2)
Re:My Setup (Score:1)
Re:My Setup (Score:1)
Re:My Setup (Score:2)
I recorded my stuff [mac.com] on a PowerBook G4/867, and it was fine playing back about 6 live recordings, plus a drum loop, plus two MIDI tracks, plus various effects, simultaneously off the internal HD.
Pretentious? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Pretentious? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Pretentious? (Score:1)
Re:Pretentious? (Score:2)
Re:Pretentious? (Score:1)
Re:Pretentious? (Score:2)
GB Sites... (Score:2)
Re:GB Sites... (Score:1)
Re:GB Sites... (Score:2)
It looks like AppleGarage.com just recently began to explain [applegarage.com] the outage, but they're never coming back.
Link to second part of the article. (Score:3, Informative)
Needs more cowbell! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Needs more cowbell! (Score:1)
Other software and equipment? (Score:2, Insightful)
I also have plugged a bass directly in (electric bass guitar) when I teach lessons, then had my student play along with a keyboard MIDI and drum loop. I record it, then burn it to a CD and have them listen critically to what they've done. As always with recording, they notice good and bad that they don't hear when they're "in the moment."
I also use Garage Band to make other practice lo
Garageband rocks it.. (Score:1)
I've got my setup pumping out tunes. (Score:2)
Do NOT quit your day job, if you have one, that is.
Re:I've got my setup pumping out tunes. (Score:2)
Re:I've got my setup pumping out tunes. (Score:2)
I might be, but my '36 Gibson L-10 knows better....
Re:I've got my setup pumping out tunes. (Score:2)
Re:I've got my setup pumping out tunes. (Score:2)
Don't really 'get' it yet. (Score:2)
Sadly, I can't use it with my much nicer 15" PB. :(
For midi input - I recently got a M-Audio Radium 49 which is $150 at musician's freind.com (though I had to wait for 2 months to get it), and it's very nice with slide
Re:Don't really 'get' it yet. (Score:2)
Re:Don't really 'get' it yet. (Score:2)
So what's the fuss? (Score:1, Troll)
Surely all this hype cannot be merely because Mac users finally have a low cost music creation program comparable to what PC users
Re:So what's the fuss? (Score:2)
Connecting your Guitar (Score:1, Interesting)
Anyone connect their guitar to GarageBand yet? Apple sells an adapter, the Monster Instrument adaptor [apple.com]. However it's a bit pricey at $20.
I was checking online in radio shack and noticed that the specific combination of the adapter: mono to stereo, isn't easy to find. There's plenty of mono to mono and stereo to stereo.
Additionally, while looking in google I saw advice that went along the lines of: the input would be too low, and that maybe the monster adapter does a better job.
So, has anyone connected th
Re:Connecting your Guitar (Score:2)
Re:Connecting your Guitar (Score:3, Interesting)
But now that I have a Tascam US-122, I wouldn't want to go through the iMic anymore, and I would just go into t
Drum Editor for OS X? (Score:1)
Great GarageBand Demo (Score:3, Informative)
He thinks its a serious recording tool, good enough to produce records on. The pieces he'd recorded (in just a few hours) were complex, multi-layered, and did show how much it could do, and that it didn't need to sound like just another GarageBand composition.
He built up massive rythm sections (using multiple tracks), often taking just a snare or high-hat from a loop (open it and delete the other parts of the drum kit you don't like). He also made great use of the different effects to make them sound very unlike a straight-forward loop.
The audio tracks are similarly easy to cut bits out of and use to set up your own riffs.
He also showed off The Hit Kit (published by Dorling Kindersley [Mac and Windoze], which includes a cut-down version of Logic, a microphone, a CD of samples). It provides a very cheap (UKP25 - about $40) next step for GarageBand users - most of the power of Logic (including synching to video), less of the complexity. As he said, it is easy to move tracks from one app to the other.
df
Top 3 best selling Jukoboxes at Amaz are all iPods (Score:2)
Top 3 best selling MP3 Players are also iPods (Score:2)
Missing category: Dean remake (Score:1)
Re:GarageBand problems (Score:5, Informative)
Complaining about this is boring, and no, the same operation on Windows would not take 2 minutes, because Windows doesn't have this optimization feature. Google for "prebinding" to learn more.
Re:GarageBand problems (Score:1, Funny)
Re:GarageBand problems (Score:4, Funny)
You of all people should know not to feed the troll.
Re:GarageBand problems (Score:1, Offtopic)
Some people might not understand the problem. I figured he was just trolling, but giving a straightforward answer will do. If he replies, I'll ignore him and he'll get modded down anyway.
Now someone mark ME offtopic!