When you first open GarageBand you'll be asked to select the kind of instrument you want to use. At the top of the screen you'll see two options: Live Loops and Tracks. Live Loops is a relatively new addition to GarageBand, which allows you to sequence existing recordings in real time. Dec 11, 2019 Click on the right side of the loop and drag it to the right. Make sure to click on the top half of the right side of the loop; the cursor will show a loop icon. We’ll use five repetitions of this two-bar loop, for a total of ten bars. I’ve changed the tempo to 100 beats per minute, in case you’re following along. Use Drummer Loops in GarageBand for Mac. Quickly add drums to your song using Drummer Loops, a type of Apple Loop that you can customize to fit your song. Work with percussionists in GarageBand for Mac. Use Drummer to add dynamic percussion parts to your song, available in three percussion styles—Latin, Pop, or Songwriter. Feb 06, 2020 Step 1, Open GarageBand. Click the GarageBand app icon, which resembles a guitar. You'll find it in the Launchpad or in the Applications folder.Step 2, Click File. It's in the upper-left corner of the GarageBand window. Doing so prompts a drop-down menu.Step 3, Click New. You'll find this option in the drop-down menu. Nov 23, 2014  Garageband also has social connectivity too, which means that you can share everything with your friends with just one click. How to Use Garageband for PC. The app is only available directly for the smartphones and to use Garageband for PC; you might need. Choose Track  New Track, then select the microphone under Audio. Click the triangle next to Details to set options for input, output, and monitoring, then click Create. Click the Record button  to start recording, or the Play button  to stop recording. Oct 09, 2019 Share a song in GarageBand on iPhone or iPad. 1) On the main GarageBand screen (Your Songs) tap and hold the song you want and select Share. 2) Choose Song. 3) Select the audio quality, adjust details if necessary, for artist, composer, and album, and optionally choose a cover image.

Few things have changed the landscape of audio production like Apple's GarageBand, released in 2005. As a free app included with macOS and iOS, it's been a crucial first step in the burgeoning careers of many future home studio pros (this writer included).

Together with other free sound apps like Audacity, GarageBand has helped fuel the meteoric growth of podcasting by lowering the barrier to entry for recording quality sound.

It's an intuitive and user-friendly app to record, edit, mix, and export podcast episodes with pro-level quality.

If you're a Mac user ready to start a podcast in GarageBand, look no further than this guide!

Note - This tutorial is for the Macbook/iMac version of GarageBand. This process will still work if you like to edit your podcast on an iPad or iPhone, just know that there are fewer editing functions available on the mobile version of GarageBand.

If you can't find GarageBand on your MacBook or iMac, you can download it for free in the App Store.

Step 1 - Set up a template

When you first open GarageBand, it will give you the option to create a new GarageBand project either from a Factory Template selection or as an Empty Project. You'll be creating a custom recording template, so choose 'Empty Project.'

Once the main GarageBand window opens, it will prompt you to add your first track from a selection of track types. Choose 'microphone' and select the input your mic is connected to, then tap 'Create.' Your track will appear in the workspace in the upper right (default name 'Audio 1'), next to Garageband's Library section and above the settings for that track. Feel free to close the library section for now. You can verify and, if necessary, edit your microphone input settings under the Recording Settings tab at the bottom.

How robust you make your template is up to you. If your typical setup includes multiple microphones, click the '+' icon at the top left and repeat these steps to create new tracks for each additional channel. Make sure to assign the correct inputs in Recording Settings for each audio track you create. You may also want to go ahead and include tracks for any music or sound effects you regularly use in your episodes. Do the same thing for these, adding an audio microphone track, but set the input to 'None' since you will not be recording to these tracks. If you want to customize further or differentiate your tracks, you can rename them by double-clicking on the track title, and you can even change the track icon by right-clicking on the default blue waveform.

Next, we'll turn our attention to the Transport section at the top. By default the Transport section displays music project information like beats-per-minute, key, time signature, etc. that doesn't apply to podcast recording. To simplify the display, choose 'Time' from the transport dropdown menu. You'll notice the workspace grid switch from beats to timecode. Turn off the metronome and count-in features to the right of the transport display simply by clicking on them – you'll see them gray out.

From here, you'll save your recording template to your desired hard drive location using File > Save As.

Step 2 - Recording in GarageBand

Now that your recording template is set up, it's time to put it to use!

When you open your template, you'll immediately want to 'Save As' a new file so that you don't accidentally change any settings or record audio into the template file. It can be helpful to think through your file organization before you get too many episodes in. Consistent naming conventions and folder structure will simplify your podcasting life.

Now that you've saved your new project let's get started. Depending on whether you're recording solo or with one or more guests, you'll use either a single track or multitrack setup.

Single track recording

If you're recording a solo podcast all you'll need to do is hit the record button in the transport (or use the keyboard shortcut R). Double-check that your mic settings for the track are correct and record a test to make sure your levels are good. If you're too loud or too soft, adjust the input gain on your interface to compensate. You want to be loud enough to hear yourself clearly, but not so loud that the meters are hitting yellow or red territory.

Multitrack recording

If you're recording a multi-person podcast you'll likely want to record each person on their own track. This allows for greater flexibility in mixing down the line by keeping each sound source separate.

To add an additional track, click the + symbol in the top left corner. You'll select 'microphone track' again, but this time you'll want to choose the appropriate input for each additional mic (input 2, input 3, etc.). Click 'create.'

With your additional track added, it's a good idea to rename each track by speaker – 'Travis,' 'Rick,' etc. – to avoid any confusion.

By default, GarageBand only records to one track a time. To enable multitrack recording, go to the menu bar and choose Track> Configure Track Header. You can also right-click on any track and choose Configure Track Header or use the keyboard shortcut option+T. In the dialog that opens, tick the box next to 'Record Enable' to toggle it on. This will add the record-enable button to each track.

When you're ready to start, toggle on the record-enable button on each track you want to record. They'll begin flashing, indicating that the tracks are armed. To disarm a track, click the record-enable button again. Any armed tracks will record simultaneously when you press the record button.

Note – if you are unable to arm multiple tracks, double-check your Recording Settings for each and make sure you have selected separate inputs. GarageBand will not record the same input to multiple tracks.

Make sure you have your outline or interview questions handy, take a sip of water, and start recording!

Step 3 - Editing in Garageband

Once your recording is complete, the next step toward finishing your podcast is to edit it. We'll focus on GarageBand-specific tips here, but check out How to Edit a Podcast: The Step-by-Step Guide for a more comprehensive overview of podcast editing.

In addition to simply dragging audio regions around in the workspace, there are a few bread-and-butter tools in GarageBand that will do most of the heavy lifting in your edit. Let's walk through them.

Trim

The trim tool allows you to shorten an audio clip by dragging in from the edge (to reveal previously trimmed audio, drag the edge back out). The trim tool in GarageBand appears when you hover your cursor over the lower right edge of an audio region.

An example use case might be that your intro music is longer than you need it to be. Using the trim tool, you can shorten the intro music region to an appropriate length.

Split Regions At Playhead

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Izotope ozone 7 aax crack mac software. Another essential editing feature in GarageBand is the Split Regions at Playhead tool, accessible from the menu bar via Edit > Split Regions at Playhead or using the keyboard shortcut Command+T. With this tool, any selected region will split into two separate regions, which can then be independently moved, trimmed, etc.

An excellent time-saving feature to use in conjunction with this is Edit > Delete and Move. Let's say you have a few seconds of an interview that you want to delete from your edit. You could isolate the offending region via Split Regions at Playhead and delete it, then close the resulting gap by dragging everything that follows to the left. Delete and Move performs those two steps at once, both removing the region you don't want and moving the regions that follow automatically.

Automation

Once you've trimmed an audio region or used the Split at Playhead tool, the result may be a truncated clip that stops abruptly. GarageBand doesn't have a Fade tool like many other DAWs, so you'll need to use automation to create volume changes.

To access volume automation, use the keyboard shortcut A or from the menu bar choose Mix > Show Automation. GarageBand defaults to show volume automation, but you can also automate many other parameters by selecting from each track's dropdown menu.

With automation visible, click anywhere on a region in the workspace to create an automation node. A bright yellow line will appear, and you can add additional nodes. Drag a node down or up to decrease or increase the volume level for that track at the given moment.

Editing Music in GarageBand

GarageBand is, first and foremost, a music editing software. You can apply each of these techniques to royalty-free music tracks (think Intro and Outro segments) and also create your very own music tracks as well.

You can record real instruments (like a guitar or drum kit) or use one of the virtual instruments that come with GarageBand (like synth, keyboard, or one of the software instruments). Just add a new instrument track for each layer and experiment with creating your very own theme music.

Pro Tip - Apple Loops are prerecorded musical phrases or riffs in the Loop Browser that you can use to easily add drum beats, rhythm parts, and other sounds to a project. These loops contain musical patterns that can be repeated over and over, and can be extended to fill any amount of time.

We recommend composing any music tracks in a separate GarageBand project so you can focus on dialing in the perfect tune without it being impacted by the other parts of your podcast episode.

Step 4 - Episode Assembly and Mixing in GarageBand

Once you've edited your recorded content to your liking, you'll need to arrange and mix the tracks into a cohesive episode. There is no uniform way to do this, but it's generally a best practice not to put multiple types of audio on the same track. Music, sound effects, and each voice, for example, should be kept on their own tracks.

Arranging Your Tracks

One option to get you started is to arrange your audio tracks chronologically, beginning at the top. In this example, we have an intro clip taken from the interview that starts the episode, followed by theme music on a track just below, then intro narration, then the interview itself, and so on. This arrangement affords a level of visual organization, with audio cascading from top left to bottom right.

Another option is to use one track per audio source so that any track-level effect processing you do (EQ, compression, etc.) only has to be set once. In this setup, the intro clip would be on the same track as the interview, since they're from the same source. Intro and outro narration would be on one track, assuming both segments were taken from the same recording. Intro and outro music could potentially be on the same track if you're not using different processing on them. In addition to track-level effects, this approach can minimize the number of tracks you use in your mix and save vertical real estate in your workspace.

Mixing Your Tracks

At its heart, mixing is simply the process of striking a good balance between the levels of your different tracks. You want to avoid extreme differences in volume as your listeners move from intro music to narration to the interview, etc. We recommend using the voice level of your recording as the baseline for setting other levels – music, sound effects, etc.

In GarageBand, each track has a metered volume slider in the track header. Listen to your episode content and make sure the voice levels are triggering a healthy green on the meter. If they're reaching yellow or red, turn them down accordingly. Next, set any intro or outro music to a level that sounds consistent with the voice level – not significantly louder or softer. Do the same with any sound effects, narration, and so on. Balancing the volume of each track in this way will give you what's called a static mix.

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Once you've set your static mix (overall volume for each track), you can leverage the power of automation. Add volume automation to music to dip it under your intro narration or to fade the level out smoothly and gradually. If there are any cuts in your audio that cause a pop or click, you can use the GarageBand automation 'crossfade' trick to eliminate them.

Next, you may want to use audio processing plugins like EQ or compression to shape the tone or dynamic range of your material. Don't go overboard – a 'less is more' approach is recommended in most cases. Make sure that any effects processing doesn't add or subtract volume from your static mix – those levels you liked at the outset are your true north. Some plugins include an output control to raise or lower the volume back to its unprocessed level, but you can also use Garageband's Gain plugin, located under the 'Utility' section of the plugin list.

If you're looking for even more mixing and mastering capabilities, consider upgrading to Logic Pro X, Apple's pro-level audio editing software (available in the app store).

Step 5 - Export your podcast

Before you export your final episode, hit the play button and listen to each segment of the episode to look for any mistakes you might have missed during the editing process. When you're pleased with the mix, the next step is to export it as a single audio file to upload to your podcast host for distribution.

In the menu bar, click Share > Export Song to Disk. A dialog will open where you can name your file, choose a destination for it, and select your export format (wav, mp3, etc.) and file quality. Click 'Export,' and GarageBand will export your mixed file to disk.

It's worth noting that mp3s are a preferred format for podcasting because of their compressed file size. Smaller files = quicker downloads and a better listener experience. However, to ensure the best audio quality, you should still export an uncompressed .wav file. Your host and mastering services like Auphonic will automatically transcode your file to mp3 during their process, so if you're unsure of the ins and outs of file formats, it's best to upload at a higher quality and let them handle it.

With your file exported, go for a cup of coffee or a walk to refresh your ears. Come back when you're ready & listen through the episode for quality control. Once you're satisfied, upload to Auphonic or directly to your host for distribution and wait for the fan mail to hit your inbox.

Looking for more than a beginner’s guide? Take Matt’s full Garageband course.

Click to jump to a specific section:

I. Introduction

II. How to Use This Guide

III. Downloading and Starting Garageband

IV. Overview of Garageband Workspace

V. Song Creation

VI. Saving Your Song as an MP3 File

VII. Summary

I. Introduction

Have you ever wanted to make your own music? Garageband is a great way for anyone to make quality audio files quickly and easily. In this tutorial, you will become familiar with the Garageband workspace and some of its most important features. In just a few simple steps, you will learn how to make your first audio file and start using Garageband for most (if not all) of your audio needs.

a) What is Garageband?

Garageband is Apple’s digital audio workstation, or DAW. With Garageband, users can create audio files ranging from instrumentals, podcasts, voiceovers and much more. Garageband can often be found on most Apple devices, including Mac desktop computers, Macbooks, iPads and iPhones. Even when an Apple device does not come with Garageband preinstalled, Garageband can be downloaded in the App Store.

b) Reasons to Use Garageband

Garageband is a great resource for many types of people. Here is a list of some of the people who should consider using Garageband:

  • Casual music fans who want to try making their own music
  • Musicians who want to record themselves
  • Podcasters looking to produce their own podcasts
  • Online instructors looking to record voiceovers
  • YouTube content creators looking for copyright-free music
  • Filmmakers looking for original music
  • Game/app developers looking for original music

The beauty of Garageband is that it enables people to create quality audio files regardless of their experience level. There is always something to new to learn, but getting started and creating your first song can be quick and easy with just a little guidance. This tutorial will help lead you in the right direction so that you can start using Garageband today.

c) What You Need Before You Start

In order to use Garageband, you will need an Apple device that is capable of running Garageband. Ideally, you will use some version of a Mac desktop or Macbook, but you may be happy to know that Garageband is also available for iPhone and iPad. Please note that this guide will focus on the version found on Mac desktops and Macbooks.

II. How to Use This Guide

This guide will help you get familiar with the main Garageband workspace and create your first simple MP3 file. Follow each step of the guide, and you will be well on your way to producing your own tracks.

III. Downloading and Starting Garageband

a) Locating Garageband in the App Store

*If you already have Garageband on your device, then you can skip this step.

For those of you who do not already own Garageband, you can simply type “download garageband” into a Google search bar.

Once you have pressed RETURN to begin the Google search, click the search result that says, “Garageband in the Mac App Store – iTunes – Apple”.

Once you have taken some time to review the description of the software, you can purchase it by clicking the blue button that says, “View in Mac App Store”.

When using Google Chrome, you may see a pop-up window. Just click “Launch Application” to launch the App Store.

When you are ready to purchase Garageband, click the grey button that says, “$4.99” and then click it again when it says, “Buy App”. The App Store will then ask you for your Apple ID and password.

b) Finding Garageband on Your Computer

Once you have completed the download and installation of Garageband, you can find the program by clicking on the Finder located in your dock.

When your Finder Window is open, click “Applications” and then locate Garageband.

The Applications on your computer should be in alphabetical order. Double-click the Garageband icon to open the program.

c) Keeping Garageband in Your Dock

Keeping the Garageband icon in your dock may make your life easier, especially if it is a program that you plan to use frequently. In order to keep the Garageband icon in your dock, simply hold the control (or CTRL) key while clicking on the Garageband icon in your dock. Then, hover over “Options” and make sure to click “Keep in Dock”.

d) Selecting Project Type

Once you have successfully opened Garageband, you should see an opening screen like this:

If the “New Project” button is highlighted in blue, we should see these eight options:

  1. Keyboard Collection
  2. Amp Collection
  3. Voice
  4. Ringtone
  5. Hip Hop
  6. Electronic
  7. Songwriter
  8. Empty Project

Here, you see several project type options that can benefit you if you have specific goals in mind. For instance, if you are a singer-songwriter looking to record yourself singing with an acoustic guitar, then the “Songwriter” preset may be of benefit to you. For our purposes, we will make sure that “New Project” is highlighted and choose “Empty Project”. You can begin a new “Empty Project” by simply double-clicking on the “Empty Project” icon.

e) Selecting Track Type

The next screen that pops up should look like this:

Here, we can select the type of track that we want to record.

The four track types available to us are:

  • Software Instrument: Play sounds from your Mac
  • Audio (Microphone): Record using a microphone or line input
  • Audio (Guitar/Bass): Record guitar or bass using Garageband as an amp
  • Drummer: Add drums that automatically play with your song

We will choose “Software Instrument” for this project because we will not be using any real vocals or instruments. The “Software Instrument” track allows us to record MIDI instruments and also use Apple’s MIDI loops.

What is MIDI? “MIDI” stands for “Musical Instrument Digital Interface”. To put it simply, the instruments that we will be using are “virtual” or “computerized” instruments that are included as part of Garageband.

Use

IV. Overview of Garageband Workspace

Once you have selected “Empty Project” you should see the Garageband workspace:

If you see the window that says, “Musical Typing” like the one below, you can close it out by clicking the red “X” button on the top left. Musical Typing is a great feature to use for more advanced projects, but we will keep it simple for our first project.

We should now see a screen that looks exactly like this:

Now, let’s get familiar with the main Garageband Workspace.

a) The Transport Controls

Located at the top of the Garageband workspace, the Transport Controls help us navigate our music as we record and edit it. Here are the Transport Controls from left to right:

Rewind

Fast-Forward

Stop

Play

Record

b) The LCD

Located at the top of the Garageband workspace and next to the Transport Controls, the LCD tells us a lot about the project that we are currently working on.

Project/Time: Here, we can toggle between viewing our song as measures or in the form of hours, minutes and seconds.

Measures: Here we can see the bars, beats and ticks of our song in real time as our tracks are being played.

BPM: The BPM, or Beats Per Minute of our song. The higher the BPM, the faster the song will play. By default, Garageband starts a new project with a BPM of 120, which is a very common tempo for many types of songs.

Key – This button lets us change the musical key of our project. By default, Garageband starts a new project in the key of C Major.

Time Signature – This button lets us change the time signature of our song. By default, Garageband starts a new project in 4/4 time, or common time.

c) Cycle Tool, Tuner, Count-in, Click

Located to the right of the LCD is a set of four other buttons:

Cycle Tool – This tool comes in handy when you want to repeat a certain section of a track.

Tuner – A tool meant to tune instruments.

Count-in – This button gives the option of hearing four clicks before we start recording a track. It is meant to give us a second or two to prepare for recording.

Click – This toggles between hearing a click sound when recording tracks and not hearing a click. The click sound is meant to help you stay in time with the beat of the song when you are recording.

d) Master Volume Slider

Located on the top-right corner, this slider lets us control the volume of our entire song.

e) Timeline

The Timeline is how we see the overall picture of our tracks. We can use the numbers at the top of the timeline to see which bar of the song we are currently working in. Our tracks are recorded from left to right, with Bar 1 being the beginning of the song.

f) Track Headers

This area is where we see information about each of our tracks. When we first open Garageband, only one track is open and it is defaulted to sound like a classic electric piano. Below the name of the instrument sound are several tools used to fine-tune our individual tracks, such as Solo, Mute, Track Volume and Track Panning.

g) Instrument Library

With the instrument library, we can experiment with many virtual instruments that come pre-installed in Garageband. These sounds range from drum kits to orchestral instruments to the always-interesting synthesizers and arpeggiators.

V. Song Creation

It’s time to get started making our first song. For this first song, we’ll keep it simple and use Apple Loops. What are Apple Loops? They are a set of pre-made audio samples that are included in your Garageband software. I’ve taught hundreds of people how to use Garageband, and I’ve learned to keep the Apple Loops a secret until my students have learned the fundamentals. Why? Because the Apple Loops are so fun and addictive that often, there’s no turning back once my students know about them. The loops are wonderful tools for making quick but great-sounding audio tracks. The downside of Apple Loops, if any, is that using them isn’t exactly creating your own music; it’s more like cutting out pictures of a magazine and making them into a collage. For our purposes, we will keep it simple and start with Apple Loops even though there is far more you can learn to do with Garageband in the future.

a) Accessing Apple Loops

To access Apple Loops, you will click the button that looks like a loop. It is located in the top-right corner of our Garageband workspace and is the second of three buttons grouped together there. When we click the Loops button, we will see a menu appear like the one below:

Here, you can discover all sorts of sounds conveniently categorized for you. For our song, we will start with finding a nice drum loop to work with.

b) Picking and Adding a Drum Track

First, click on the button that says, “All Drums”. Your Apple Loops menu should change so that the “All Drums” button is highlighted in blue.

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In the first half of the Apple Loops menu, we see our loop categories. In the second half of the Apple Loops menu, we see our loops. Scroll down in the loops section and find the drum loop called “80 Pop Beat 09” and click it one time. By clicking it one time, you will preview the loop.

If you look at the middle of our Garageband workspace, you will see a message that says, “Drag Apple Loops here.”

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Now, we will click on the selected loop one more time and drag it to Bar 1 of the project and right below the “Classic Electric Piano” track. Use the picture to follow along.

How To Use Garageband On Mac To Mix Songs

If successful, we should see that a new track has been created. The green box that has appeared on our timeline is our loop. If we click the Play button on the top of our Garageband workspace or simply press the space bar, we should hear our drum loop being played.

c) Picking and Adding a Bass Track

Now, we will go back to our Loops Menu and click the orange “Reset” button to reset our search for loops. We will now add a bass track to complement our drums. Click on the “Bass” button and find the loop called “80s Dance Bass Synth 05”. Click it once to preview it, and click it a second time to stop the preview.

Now, click and drag the bass loop called “80s Dance Bass Synth 05” to the first bar of the timeline, right below the drum loop that you already added.

If successful, you should now see a screen with three total tracks:

Sometimes, you will see that the third button of our Transport Tool has changed. When it looks like the image above, it serves as a “Go to Beginning” function and helps us start the song from the first bar. Another way to go to the first bar is to simply click below the number “1” on your timeline. Press the space bar to play the two tracks together. If both loops are perfectly aligned with the first bar, they should sound in sync with one another.

d) Using the Cycle Tool

The Cycle Tool will come in handy on many occasions. Locate the Cycle Tool to the right of the LCD screen on the top of the Garageband workspace. The Cycle Tool looks like two arrows intertwining each other. When the Cycle Tool is activated, you should see a yellow bar above your timeline, like in the image below:

When the Cycle Tool is active and you press PLAY, you will notice that Garageband will only play the area of the song that is covered by the yellow bar and repeat it over and over again. In many cases, this tool is great for reviewing specific parts of your tracks. I like to use the Cycle Tool to play a specific part over and over while I generate ideas for things that I might want to add to my existing tracks.

e) Looping Your Loop

At the moment, our drum track plays for four bars but our bass track only plays for two bars. Fortunately, it’s possible to loop our tracks. Click on the lowest green block in your timeline, which is currently your bass track. When you hover over the top-right corner of that green block, you will see a special icon appear that looks like an arrow going in a circle. When you see that arrow going in a circle, click and drag to the right until you’ve made a duplicate of your first bass loop. Now, instead of having one bass loop that lasts for a total of two bars, you should have two bass loops that last for a total of four bars combined and match up perfectly with the drum loop.

Play the track by pressing the space bar. The song should loop because the Cycle Tool is still activated.

f) Changing Your Drum Sound

You may notice that your drum loop has a specific name in your Track Header. Currently, your drum loop is called “Crystal Pad.esi”. If you don’t like the way that your instrument sounds in your loop, you can change it.

First, click the Track Header where you see the picture of the drum set. Next, go to the left of the Garageband workspace and look at your Instrument Library. Click on “Drum Machine” and then pick “Gritty Funk”. When you play your song by pressing the space bar, you should notice that the instrument in your drum loop has changed.

g) Changing Your Bass Sound

Following the same steps that we did with our drum loop, we can change the sound of our bass loop. First, click the synthesizer icon in the Track Header for our bass loop.

Next, go to the Instrument Library and click “Synthesizer”, then “Bass”, then “Jump Up Bass”.

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We have successfully altered the sound of both of our loops. I picked two instrument sounds to get us started with this project, but as you can probably tell, there are thousands of possible combinations of loops and instrument sounds for you to experiment with.

VI. Saving Your Song as an MP3 File

Once we are happy with our tracks, we can save our Garageband projects as MP3 files. Saving our projects as MP3 files makes it easier for us to use our music in email, YouTube videos, podcasts, and so on.

First, click “Share” all the way at the top of your screen. Then click “Export Song to Disk”. Next, give your file a name. I like to give my files a descriptive name and include the date that I created them. For this file, I will call it “test song 092415”. In this window, you can also use tags and pick a specific folder in which to save your file. I recommend saving this first file to your Desktop so that you can find it very easily.

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In this window, you also can choose the file type. For this example, click “MP3”. I also recommend checking the box that says, “Export cycle area only, or length of selected regions”. When this box is checked, it will save the area below the yellow bar on our timeline and nothing else. Once you click “Export” and the file is done processing, go to your Desktop and locate your MP3 file.

By clicking on your file once and pressing the space bar, you can preview your song. Double-clicking the file will open it in iTunes.

VII. Summary

You’ve done it – you’ve made your first audio file in Garageband. By doing so, you’ve also become familiar with the Garageband workspace, including the Apple Loops menu and Instrument Library. There’s much more to learn in Garageband, but I hope that this tutorial helped you get started. If you are interested in digging deeper into Garageband, then be sure to check out my LEARN GARAGEBAND course. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me through Udemy.

a

About the Author:

Mr. Guarino is a certified teacher and online entrepreneur. He plays the guitar, drums and electric keyboard, and has spent the last four years running the music program at schools in the Bronx and Westchester County, New York. He is very excited to be a part of the Udemy community and hopes to inspire his students.