Is GarageBand Good for Beginners?
Have you become interested in making your own music recently? If so, you’ve probably looked at a few digital audio workstations (DAWs), also known as music-making software. The chances are high that GarageBand has popped up multiple times in your research.
But is GarageBand good for beginners? GarageBand is Apple’s own digital audio workstation (DAW). If you own an Apple computer or smartphone, it is the easiest way to get started with music production as it comes preinstalled and ready to go.
Technically, all you need to do is open it to get started, no installs or fees required. But there are quite a few features to familiarize yourself with, especially if you’ve never used a DAW before.
Read on to learn about the functionalities of GarageBand and see if it’s right for you.
What is GarageBand?
When it comes to making music on a computer (or smartphone), GarageBand is usually the first name that comes to mind. Its prevalence is so significant that the majority of United States citizens carry a version of it in their pockets every day.
However, not everyone is aware of what GarageBand can do. Nevertheless, it’s a big part of Apple systems’ high price tag. Considering that most professional-grade DAWs cost hundreds, it’s quite a bargain.
Furthermore, GarageBand has been refined for nearly two decades (it came out in 2004) and is one of the most popular tools for beginner and intermediate level musicians. While it may lack a few features that career recording artists demand, it fulfills the needs of the general public.
Is GarageBand User-Friendly?
GarageBand is one of the most user-friendly DAWs available, which is a critical part of its success.
Consider the fact that Apple includes GarageBand with every Mac they sell. Most Mac users don’t know a thing about music production. Nevertheless, Apple targets its customers with a variety of creative apps.
GarageBand is designed to be an introductory DAW that the average Mac user can utilize. Many famous artists started out with GarageBand knowing nothing, only to outgrow it and purchase more high-end software.
Thus, GarageBand is very user-friendly. In many ways, it’s a learning tool that transforms its users into more skilled musicians than they could’ve imagined.
Have Professionals Used GarageBand for Famous Music?
Yes, many professionals have used GarageBand for producing powerful music that climbs effortlessly into “Top Hit” lists.
A quick Google search confirms this. Names that everyone has heard of, including professional artists like Rihanna, Steve lacy, Grimes, T-Pain, and many more have used GarageBand in creating music.
Here are some famous professionals that produced hit music using GarageBand:
Rihanna
Don’t lie to yourself. You’re familiar with the massive Rihanna hit, “Umbrella.”
Many readers now have “Umbrella” running through their minds whether they like it or not. Hey, it’s a catchy song.
Interestingly, this pop hit was made with a stock GarageBand drumline, “Vintage Funk Kit 03.” Rihanna repurposed it into a massive success that the creators probably didn’t anticipate.
Need proof? Open GarageBand and look for the drum plugin. Find the kit named above, set the tempo to 90 BPM, and nod your head in familiarity.
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Steve Lacy
In an interview with Wired, the Grammy-nominated producer Steve Lacy said that Garageband helped to enhance his creativity in song production. He also mentioned that he would continue to make beats with GarageBand.
Grimes
Grimes is a Canadian singer and songwriter. In 2012, she released a song called “Vision” that received great appreciation and acknowledgment from the critics. The song was recorded with GarageBand using vocal pedals, a Roland Juno G-Keyboard, and a sampler.
T-Pain
Garageband was released in 2004 with few features. And in 2005 T-Pain made his debut album “Rappa Ternt Sanga” using Garageband. He made his first album on a laptop using GarageBand with the availability of minimal effects and editing options.
Now, GarageBand includes a giant new world of features that have been added over many years.
So if T-Pain could produce music with very limiting options and features of GarageBand back then, you can put together a beautiful and powerful composition now.
Does GarageBand Offer a Free Sound Library?
Yes, GarageBand provides an extensive free sound library for pre-recorded songs. It includes features like a selection of session drummers, EDM synth, hip hop sounds, and virtual instruments (such as a violin) that include “smart strings.” Moreover, it constitutes presents for guitar and voice.
Ultimately, you can pull from the library to arrange sounds and beats however you want.
Furthermore, in the latest update of GarageBand iPad and iOS, Apple has launched new song packs of famous producers in the music industry. These songs are all available on GarageBand for free download. The update makes it even easier for a beginner to remix and make songs using new loops, beats, and instruments.
Best GarageBand Features
GarageBand has some wonderful features. Because of that, GarageBand has become one of the most widely and easy-to-use apps.
As a beginner, it provides you with thorough help to learn about features. At the top right corner, you can see the “Quick Help” button. With this button, you will get to read every functionality of the feature (on which your cursor is present) explained in the yellow text boxes.
Touch instruments are considered to be one the most prominent features of GarageBand. The digital instruments of GB, such as guitar, drums, and piano, gives you a very realistic experience. Garageband provides the facility for musicians to plug in their real instruments and equipment. That musician can record and play live instruments (guitar or microphone) to form a tract and then add it to the sound library.
Garageband comes with a Groove track feature that can adjust all other tracks to match the timing of the selected groove track. With GarageBand, you can start from where you have previously left off.
It’s one of the best apps for beginner musicians. It will help polish and sharpen your skills on your journey of musical mastery.
What are Some Advantages of Using GarageBand?
There are many DAWs out there, but GarageBand is one of the most well-known of them for good reason. It includes many features that make it a great balance between user-friendliness (for beginners) and a generous number of capable tools (for intermediates and pros).
Here are a few that pop out:
Easily editable
Garageband provides straightforward editing options. For example, you can easily highlight something, and if you are working on some part that doesn’t feel up to the mark, you can simply delete that part.
Many users like how GarageBand allows them to add more than one track together for perfect sync while editing. But most importantly, basic editing is no more complicated than it needs to be. It only takes a few minutes to get rolling.
Work with multiple tracks
Garageband offers the feature where you can easily manipulate multiple tracks. Exporting MP3 is very simple, and you can quickly adapt to it. Moreover, it provides various options to export MP3s, such as numerous different sizes of MP3s.
Multi-track editing is a professional-grade feature made incredibly simple with GarageBand.
Fine-tuning audio
Garageband has a straightforward interface for recording and editing that anyone can understand. Moreover, it can clear out all the impurities present in audio and produce clean audio.
With some experience, there are endless ways to tweak your sound without picking up an instrument to do another take.
Free for Mac and iOS users
The best thing about GarageBand is that it is completely free to use. It doesn’t cost you a penny to enjoy all GarageBand’s useful and best features. It is a user-friendly app with intuitive features.
So long as you have the right operating system.
User-Friendly Alternatives to GarageBand
It’s crucial to note that not everyone owns a Mac. Plus, the mobile version of GarageBand likely won’t meet the needs of a studio musician.
Your options are:
- Own a Mac and have immediate access to Apple’s suite of software
- Consider an alternative DAW that’s compatible with Windows or Linux.
Fortunately, there are some options for PC people, many of which are also free. They include:
- Cakewalk
- Audacity
- Ableton Live Lite
- Ohm Studio
- Cubase LE
- MPC Beats
Granted, many of these options are lacking when it comes to advanced features. Additionally, some lack pretty user interfaces like GarageBand. Nevertheless, they get the job done.
FAQ
How to Check GarageBand Version
The version of GarageBand you have installed tells you much about what tools you have available.
To see what version you have, open the GarageBand app.
Click “about.” An image will appear with the version you’re running.
Conclusion
GarageBand is a digital audio interface (DAW) designed by Apple. It is excellent for beginners as an introduction to music production.
Furthermore, many famous artists started out with GarageBand and made some all-time greatest hits with it. Think Rihanna and T-Pain, for example.
So have no doubts. Not only is GarageBand user-friendly, but it’s also a reliable tool for professional music producers. If you have a Mac, you can experiment with it today. You’ll be surprised by how quickly you learn the ropes.
