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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.
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GarageBand Roundup

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  • Keyboard? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by dimator ( 71399 ) on Tuesday February 10, 2004 @04:41AM (#8235617) Homepage Journal
    A friend brought over his Midi/USB keyboard, and it worked great in GarageBand. But I'm not that much of an audio head to drop significant cash on a Midi/USB keyboard...

    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)

      by krist0 ( 313699 ) on Tuesday February 10, 2004 @04:47AM (#8235637) Homepage Journal
      download a program called midikeys

      Midikeys [manyetas.com]
      • Anybody know of a VST equivalent of this ? Having to transport a keyboard with your laptop to enter a few notes kinda sucks... It has to exist, but googling for it is not easy since as soon as you have keyboard and vst in your search you end up with things like halion, etc..
    • Re:Keyboard? (Score:4, Informative)

      by dmdimon ( 685556 ) on Tuesday February 10, 2004 @07:02AM (#8236107)
      No, no...
      Good MIDI keyboards gets far more then just pressed keys.
      Acceleration & 'deepness', for example.
      AFAIK.
    • Re:Keyboard? (Score:3, Informative)

      by Echnin ( 607099 )
      $100 is too much? That's what the keyboard sold at the Apple Store costs...
    • Re:Keyboard? (Score:5, Informative)

      by Fulkkari ( 603331 ) on Tuesday February 10, 2004 @10:11AM (#8237401)

      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)

        by byolinux ( 535260 ) on Tuesday February 10, 2004 @11:04AM (#8238097) Journal
        I ordered one from the UK Apple Store at the same time I got iLife 04 and iPod AppleCare (which I've already claimed on -- new headphones, remote and firewire cable. These claimed items arrived the next day.) - the keyboard is pretty cool really, at first I thought I would maybe not need it, but it really encourages some creativity and it's a lot easier to get what you want out of it.

        I'd recommend it to anyone.
      • Watch out; I ordered a Keystation 49e from Apple in January just after they launched GarageBand. (Shipping to US address.)

        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
      • I'd get this one [midiman.com] instead. It's basically the same keyboard, but m-audio dumbed it down, called it the Keystation and is selling it for $99. Guitar Center had it last night for $140, I think. More features, including the pitch wheel and slider functionality. Give it a look, you might like it better.

    • Re:Keyboard? (Score:1, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Ok this might help. Record an instrument using the mouse keyboard. Record anything cause it doesn't matter. Then when you are finished you can edit the instruments notes (which you may already know). Here you can delete and move notes and add new notes by holding the command key and clicking where you want the note to go. this is not as good as an acutal keyboard but it gives you the ability to do things like chords.
      • just so you know, you can also 'draw' in the notes as well, in the sidescroller view. Too bad it doesn't have a simple notation feature. That would have made it a perfect package for a musician that doesn't yet have experience with music on computers, and useful enough for someone who is just using it as a sketch pad.

        I'm just pissed at the fact that I can't export to anything useful, though.
    • 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.

    • You're right about the built-in keyboard being pretty useless, but I found another use for it - tuning my guitar. I just play the E key with the mouse and continue on.

  • USB - MIDI converter (Score:4, Interesting)

    by mivok ( 621790 ) on Tuesday February 10, 2004 @06:31AM (#8235998) Homepage
    Does anybody know if there is a (cheap) Midi keyboard to USB converter that will work with a Powerbook? Having already got a MIDI keyboard I don't really want to go buying another.
    • by pldms ( 136522 ) on Tuesday February 10, 2004 @07:11AM (#8236134)
      MOTU, Yamaha and M-Audio all have MIDI-USB intefaces. The question is how cheap is cheap?

      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
    • by nicky_d ( 92174 )
      It does make sense to use what you've got, up to a point. But there are advantages to getting a dedicated midi/USB controller. I use a Midiman Oxygen 8, which is pretty cheap. You wouldn't expect a trained pianist to be happy with it, but it works for me. The real advantage over the 'classic' midi keyboard is that it offers a heap of definable knobs (well, 8, as the name implies) that you can map to filter cutoff, reverb send, delay feedback, etc. etc. I haven't used it much with Garageband, but it's invalu
      • You wouldn't expect a trained pianist to be happy with it...

        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
    • by pudge ( 3605 ) *
      Yamaha makes one for about $30-$40 or so.
    • I have an Edirol UM-1S. It was ~45 at the music store. I bought it for two reasons. 1. It was readily available at the music store. 2. The Edirol website offers panther drivers. Also keep in mind if you buy from a local music store, they'll usually cut you a deal. I got a midi cable with my converter and the guy gave me the cable for about 80% off.
  • by Roofus ( 15591 ) on Tuesday February 10, 2004 @07:05AM (#8236114) Homepage
    Has anybody found a good place to buy the M-Audio Keystation 49e? The King of Prussia Apple Store never has it in, and the estimated ship date from the online Apple Store is 4-6 weeks. I want that keyboard, God Dammit! For $99, it's a nice USB Midi keyboard.
    • by chia_monkey ( 593501 ) on Tuesday February 10, 2004 @08:05AM (#8236366) Journal
      Have you tried the Sagemore store in Marleton, NJ? I think I saw it there last time I went. Not only do they have a good selection of stuff, but you pass a Hooters on your way there from Philly. It makes a good day for shopping at Apple. I found the Sagemore store to have a LOT of stuff and the staff seemed even more helpful than most stores.
      • by Roofus ( 15591 )
        Yes, Hooters on Rt 38 in Maple Shade =) I used to live a block away from it. I'm there every other Thursday or so!

        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)

      by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Tuesday February 10, 2004 @08:31AM (#8236534)
      Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • by acomj ( 20611 ) on Tuesday February 10, 2004 @09:23AM (#8236913) Homepage
      I was Toys'R'Us checking out the keyboards. FOr about 150$ a yamaha keyboard, touch sensative keys (58 keys I think) and midi out. I think any of these inexpensive keyboards would be a good-alternative as they also work as stand alone players as well.
    • by skarth ( 184192 )
      I tried to buy one last week at the Tyson's Corner VA Apple Store, but they said that they were all out of them.

      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.
    • By most accounts, M-Audio severely underestimated the demand that would be created for the K49e by the release of GarageBand. Every place I've checked that stocks them is backordered until at least Feb. 20. I ended up ordering mine from MacMall for $79.99 (+ about $11 shipping). It's backordered there, as well, but at least it's a few bucks cheaper.
  • ... here:

    http://virus.info/ [virus.info]

    (That's Virus as in the hot synthesizer not the Microsoft kind ...)
  • Don't need any third-party tool. Just drag your MIDI files into the iTunes Library (literally), then select the newly added song and convert to AIFF. Finally drag this new version of the song as a new track to GarageBand. Mind you, all the MIDI information is lost in the process, so make sure you're satisfied with it.
    • Re:Importing MIDI (Score:5, Informative)

      by Anixamander ( 448308 ) on Tuesday February 10, 2004 @09:19AM (#8236878) Journal
      Don't need any third-party tool. Just drag your MIDI files into the iTunes Library (literally), then select the newly added song and convert to AIFF. Finally drag this new version of the song as a new track to GarageBand. Mind you, all the MIDI information is lost in the process, so make sure you're satisfied with it.

      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)

      by pudge ( 3605 ) *
      Mind you, all the MIDI information is lost in the process

      Yes, and that makes it almost completely useless. :-) What Dent du MIDI does is converts each MIIDI channel into a separate file that can be imported as a separate track into iTunes, where you can then apply any software instrument voices and effects separately to each, etc. If you're really satsified with the crummy QuickTime Synthesizer sounds, and don't want to separately manipulate each channel, I suppose your method is OK, but ...
    • um, seems like a bit of a complicated process to just throw out all of your (very) useful and usable midi information. why not just use something like Midi PatchBay [yandell.com]
  • Getcher Loops Here (Score:4, Informative)

    by bfg9000 ( 726447 ) on Tuesday February 10, 2004 @08:51AM (#8236655) Homepage Journal
    Hi, I've been downloading loops from these guys for years. I've been bugging them to port Acid to the Mac since, oh, 1999? Recently, Mike told me they weren't gonna port it -- because their lead programmer moved over to Apple to write SoundTrack and GarageBand.

    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]
    • Do you use VPC to get the loops out of the .exe?
      • by bfg9000 ( 726447 )
        Yeah, you can, it's just an auto-unpacking zip file -- the only reason it's executable is because the zip software is built right in (for windows).

        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
        • But I have a very very crappy Windows box that I often unzip them on

          Save your self some hassle.

          Launch Terminal.app or iTerm or whatever:
          cd /wherever/you/downloaded/the_files
          unzip filename
          done ;-)
          • that doesn't seem to work on the .exe
            • Re:Just a tip... (Score:2, Informative)

              by justMichael ( 606509 )
              hrmm, that's odd. Jaguar, Panther?

              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:

              unzip helloopposite8pack.exe
              Archive: helloopposite8pack.exe
              inflating: Hello Opposite.acd
              inflating: Hello Opposite text.txt
              inflating: BILL LASWELL COLLECTION II hoPROMO 01.WAV
              inflating: BILL LASWELL COLLECTION II hoPROMO 02.WAV
              inflating

    • That appears to be an .exe file they offer. Is that incorrect?
    • I can't get these to import into Garage Band... I even tried converting them to .AIFF, but no luck... "Non-Apple formated loops will not show up in Library"

      (By the way, I had to use VPC to get them out)
  • tap tempo (Score:5, Interesting)

    by jeffehobbs ( 419930 ) on Tuesday February 10, 2004 @09:33AM (#8236997) Homepage

    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
  • A friend of mine, a long time amateur of low budget, Mac-based rap recording that usually manages to leave his listeners rolling in their seats, has an interesting/funny short review [quietconfusion.com] of his first experience with garage band. It's worth a read and a listen if you have 3 minutes and headphones at work. He talks about the actual program and the realistic target audience of Garage Band without the Steve Jobs and Cheryl Crow spin.
    • by pudge ( 3605 ) * <<slashdot> <at> <pudge.net>> on Tuesday February 10, 2004 @11:13AM (#8238230) Homepage Journal
      He doesn't give GarageBand enough credit. First, the sounds: yes, the horn sounds are weak, and the string sounds are not much better, but the piano sounds are very good, and so are the guitars. Also, I don't think he really stresses how GarageBand is good enough for the music recording needs of most people. All most people need is what it does very well.

      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.
      • Is there any software out there that accurately depicts strings or horns? Those always sound like crap if they aren't the real things
        • I've heard excellent string and horn synth sounds, but not in a software package, it was all in hardware modules. That was years ago, though, I'm sure some software sounds exist that sound good. Anyway, in GB, it appears to me the good sounds (guitars, pianos) were samples (recording actual sounds), and the crummy ones (horns, strings) are FM synthesis or the like (faking it by manipulating waveforms until it sorta sounds right).
      • People seem to be quick to disparage the sounds of this product or that product. Can anyone recommend a good soft synth or sampler that produces realistic real world instruments? Preferably a VST one that you could use with garageBand?
  • How about doing the same for Logic users? I bet there's a lot more quality material out there. Of course, I use Pro Tools, but I'm definitely curious about giving Logic a try. Unfortunately, I can't seem to even find a demo...
  • by dnigrin ( 751068 ) on Tuesday February 10, 2004 @10:33AM (#8237680)
    It's fun to pipe Garageband's output into other more robust sequencers and apps - check out Jack for OS X: http://www.jackosx.com
  • My Setup (Score:5, Informative)

    by dwightk ( 415372 ) on Tuesday February 10, 2004 @12:37PM (#8239462) Homepage Journal
    Right now it is just a PB 12" 867. You can check out 3 songs I made here (my blog) [blogspot.com]. I have a Roland USB MIDI keyboard, but it is at home, and I am also going to get my electric guitar from home to make more tracks.

    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.

  • by bobdinkel ( 530885 ) on Tuesday February 10, 2004 @01:02PM (#8239771)
    From the article (quote attributed to Kim Cascone):
    GarageBand is snoozeware for the iPod generation who think that music comes in a small white-and-chrome can and only need be served lukewarm for public consumption.
    Whoa. What the hell does that even mean?
    • Re:Pretentious? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by pudge ( 3605 ) * <<slashdot> <at> <pudge.net>> on Tuesday February 10, 2004 @02:12PM (#8240543) Homepage Journal
      It means "I am better than you and because it is becoming harder to assert that by virtue of my crummy music, I shall now assert it by virtue of the tools I use to create it, because it is the only way I can bolster my pathetic self image."
      • eh? Maybe it means "I want a little box that has a whole bunch of music in it that I can carry around with me - and it would be cool if the box had a really good program for interfacing with my computer"
        • You think that is what the original author meant when they wrote, "GarageBand is snoozeware for the iPod generation who think that music comes in a small white-and-chrome can and only need be served lukewarm for public consumption"? That they were saying GOOD things about GarageBand?
          • Nevermind. I'm confused by the whole works. I thought you were dissing iTunes and iPod users by calling them elitest snobs. I own an iPod and I think its great. I don't get all elitist about it though, what's the point? I can't wait till I get my Powerbook so I can try out GarageBand.
            • Heh, yeah, I thought you were just misunderstanding. Yeah, I am not being a snob, except against that original poster, who was being a snob against people who use GarageBand.
  • The absolute best site for GB fans had to have been AppleGarage.com. But it (as well as others) experienced a DoS attack very early on, so I can't take any GB site seriously anymore.
    • I started MacJukebox (http://macjukebox.net), which is pretty much still in "beta" status at this point. We're working on adding features, but it's admittedly going a bit slower than we had hoped. We have some great stuff planned, and we hope to have much of it implemented soon. Right now, we have discussion forums, GB related news items, and a rudimentary "Jukebox" system so people can share their GB creations.
  • by LeoDV ( 653216 ) on Tuesday February 10, 2004 @01:58PM (#8240382) Journal
    The link in the blurb is to the second part of the article. Here is the actual link [wired.com].
  • by nacturation ( 646836 ) <nacturation&gmail,com> on Tuesday February 10, 2004 @02:50PM (#8240986) Journal
    I almost shot coffee out of my nose when I heard MacBand.com's #2 rated song, "Bounce" [macjukebox.net]. Definitely needs more cowbell!
  • I've been using an Oxygen-8, which works fine, and I've been hanging around with a friend who is using a 49-key machine.

    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
  • Im a Logic Platinum user myself. Finally decided to try out the Garageband I paid $50 for a month ago just this weekend.. Damn is it sweet. Plugged my Gibson SG direct into my MOTU 828MKIIs preamps, used the Garageband Amp Simulator and got the gnarliest dirty tone, almost like my favorite amps, the Oranges and Green Matamps.. Just started the click at 85bpm and jammed out some super heavy stoner sabbath riffing for 15 minutes.. This thing blows away any Tascam portastudio I used to use before moving to
  • Best 'strangling a ca' [mac.com]' cover I've heard this week.... I'm serious man, that Martin has to be in some L5 pain.

    Do NOT quit your day job, if you have one, that is.
  • I'm a longtime PC Acid user (not a dance/electronica guy neither ;) and have been wanting to move to the mac (protools) for quite awhile - I have an Aardvark q10 (ten plus inputs) which is amazing, and have been planning to drop the card in my g3 now that the OS X drivers have been released.

    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

  • I keep reading all these articles on GarageBand, and not one of them answers the obvious question: how does it compare to Cakewalk Music Creator 2003? Looking at the feature lists for both, GarageBand appears to basically be a CMC clone, ahead in a couple areas (e.g., the guitar amp stuff) and behind in a couple areas (I don't see anything about score editing on Apple's site).

    Surely all this hype cannot be merely because Mac users finally have a low cost music creation program comparable to what PC users

  • by Anonymous Coward

    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

    • I use Griffin iMic [griffintechnology.com] and a 1/4-inch to 1/8 adapter for my guitar chord - about $2 from radio shack. Works great.
    • by pudge ( 3605 ) *
      Check out the "GarageBand Demo" on http://homepage.mac.com/pudge/ [mac.com]. I just did that with electric guitar -> cable -> 1/2" mono to 1/4" mono adapter -> iMic. The adapter is just one of the many things I had lying around, got it from Radio Shack years ago. You can judge the quality for yourself; set your balance to the right speaker to cut out most of the synth and hear the guitar better.

      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
  • I tried Garage Band the other day and was very impressed except for the lack of a dedicated MIDI drum editor like Magix Music Studio has. Is there a stand-alone MIDI drum editor for OS X that I can create files with to then import into GB? That's my main gripe with GB. Loops for me is not enough since my drum tracks tend to be fairly busy and very seldom do I have two straight identical drum bars next to each other..
  • by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 11, 2004 @01:52PM (#8251363)
    I've just been to a great demo of GarageBand by the producer Steve Levine (Beach Boys, Culture Club, lots of others - http://www.stevelevine.co.uk/ - which has various free stuff to download) at the VideoForum/SoundsExpo exhibition in London.

    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

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