GarageBand facts for kids

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GarageBand

GarageBand 10.4.1 on macOS Big Sur
Developer(s)	Apple
Initial release	January 6, 2004; 21 years ago (2004-01-06)

Stable release	10.4.10 / December 5, 2023; 18 months ago (2023-12-05)

Operating system	macOS 13.5 or later
Available in	31 languages
List of languages English, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian Bokmål, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese
Type	Digital audio workstation
License	Proprietary

GarageBand is a cool software app made by Apple. You can use it on your macOS, iPadOS, and iOS devices. It lets you create your own music or even podcasts! GarageBand first came out for macOS computers in 2004. Then, it arrived on iPhones and iPads in 2011. This app helps you make songs and podcasts with many tools. You can use pre-made MIDI keyboard sounds, ready-to-use loops, and different instrument effects. You can also record your own voice.

History

GarageBand was created by Apple. Dr. Gerhard Lengeling led the team that built it. He used to work for a German company called Emagic. Apple bought Emagic in 2002.

Steve Jobs first showed GarageBand to the world. He did this at a big event called Macworld Conference & Expo. It happened in San Francisco on January 6, 2004. The famous musician John Mayer even helped show how it worked. GarageBand was part of a software collection called iLife '04.

GarageBand Updates

Apple kept making GarageBand better over the years.

GarageBand 2

In 2005, Apple released GarageBand 2. This version let you see and edit music using musical notation. You could also record up to eight different sounds at once. It even helped fix the timing and pitch of your recordings.

GarageBand 3

GarageBand 3 came out in 2006. It added a special 'podcast studio'. This meant you could easily make podcasts. It had over 200 effects and jingles. You could even do remote interviews using iChat.

GarageBand '08

In 2007, GarageBand '08 arrived. It let you record different parts of a song separately. For example, you could record a bridge or a chorus. It also had a fun "Magic GarageBand" feature. This let you have a virtual jam session with a band.

GarageBand '09

GarageBand '09 was released in 2009. This version brought music lessons. You could buy videos from popular artists to learn how to play. It also had cool new tools for electric guitar players. These included virtual stomp boxes and amps.

GarageBand '11

GarageBand '11 came out in 2010. It added a tool called Flex Time. This helped you adjust the rhythm of your recordings easily. It also had more guitar amps and stomp boxes. Plus, there were 22 new lessons for guitar and piano. A feature called "How Did I Play?" helped you check your playing accuracy.

Recent Updates

In 2013, Apple released GarageBand 10. This version removed the Magic GarageBand and podcast features. Later updates brought back some features. For example, in 2014, you could export songs as MP3 files. A new drummer module was also added. In 2017, GarageBand 10.2 was released. In 2018, all the Artist Lessons became free!

Features

GarageBand is a digital audio workstation (DAW). This means it's a software for recording and editing audio.

Audio Recording

You can record and play back many audio tracks in GarageBand. It has built-in audio filters to make your sound better. These effects include reverb, echo, and distortion. GarageBand can also record high-quality audio. It has a tuning system to help correct your pitch. This can even make an Auto-Tune effect if you want!

Virtual Software Instruments

GarageBand has many realistic instrument sounds. These include pianos, guitars, and synthesizers. You can play them using a USB MIDI keyboard connected to your computer. There's also a virtual keyboard on your screen. You can even use your computer's regular QWERTY keyboard to play notes! The synthesizers have many settings you can change. This lets you create a huge variety of sounds.

Guitar Features

For guitar players, GarageBand has special tracks. You can use many simulated amplifiers and effects pedals. These sound like real gear from famous companies. You can layer up to five effects on your virtual amps. Guitars can connect to your Mac using a special cable or a USB device.

MIDI Editing

GarageBand can open MIDI files. MIDI is like a set of instructions for music. It tells instruments what notes to play. You can edit notes in a "piano roll" view or as musical notation. You can change the pitch, how loud a note is, and how long it lasts. GarageBand also helps fix rhythms to make them perfect.

Music Lessons

A cool feature in GarageBand is the music lessons. You can download lessons for guitar and piano. There are Basic Lessons which are free. And there are Artist Lessons which used to cost money but are now free!

In these lessons, a music teacher guides you. You see high-quality videos and hear clear audio. The lessons show a virtual guitar or piano. They also show the correct musical notes. The songs used in these lessons are often popular tunes.

In Artist Lessons, the teacher is the actual musician who wrote the song! Some famous artists who have taught lessons include:

Sting (from The Police)
Sarah McLachlan
Patrick Stump (from Fall Out Boy)
Norah Jones
Colbie Caillat
Sara Bareilles
John Fogerty (from Creedence Clearwater Revival)
Ryan Tedder (from OneRepublic)
Ben Folds
John Legend
Alex Lifeson (from Rush)

Additional Audio Loops

GarageBand has many pre-made audio loops. These are short musical phrases you can use in your songs. You can also bring in your own sounds. You can even buy extra loop packs from the App Store. All loops can be edited and have effects added to them.

Jam Packs

Jam Packs are official add-ons from Apple for GarageBand. Each pack has loops and instruments for different music styles.

GarageBand Jam Pack: Remix Tools
GarageBand Jam Pack: Rhythm Section
GarageBand Jam Pack: Symphony Orchestra
GarageBand Jam Pack: World Music
GarageBand Jam Pack: Voices

Third-Party Instruments and Loops

Many other companies also make instruments and loops for GarageBand. You can use any software instrument that works with the Core Audio standard. You can also record your own loops. Just use a microphone or connect a guitar to your computer.

Sample Multitrack Source Files

Some famous artists have shared their GarageBand files. This lets you experiment with their music! For example, Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails shared the files for "The Hand That Feeds". This allowed fans to remix the song. Other artists like Evermore and Ben Folds have also done this.

Limitations

GarageBand is great, but it has some limits. It doesn't easily connect to external MIDI instruments. It also can't change the time signature in the middle of a song. However, you can change the tempo (speed) of a song.

Before GarageBand 10, you couldn't easily export files. You had to save them as a special GarageBand file. Now, you can export songs to iTunes or as other audio files.

GarageBand for iOS

GarageBand for iOS
GarageBand for iOS
Developer(s)	Apple

Stable release	2.3.15 / September 19, 2023; 20 months ago (2023-09-19)

Operating system	iOS 17 or later, iPadOS
Type	Digital audio workstation
License	Proprietary

On March 2, 2011, Apple announced GarageBand for the iPad. It has many features similar to the macOS version. You can make music using the on-screen instruments. These include keyboards, drums, a sampler, and "smart instruments." It also works as a recording studio with effects and guitar amps. You can email songs or send them to your iTunes Library. You can also send projects to GarageBand for macOS to edit them further. The app used to cost money but became free in 2017.

Instruments

GarageBand for iOS comes with many instruments. Most non-drum instruments can limit the notes to different musical scales.

Keyboard

The keyboard looks like a regular piano keyboard. It has sounds like grand piano, electric piano, and different organs. It also has synth sounds and can even play guitar or string sounds. The Alchemy Synth from Logic Pro was added in version 2.2. The keyboard has cool features like pitch bend and "autoplay."

Drums

There are three types of drum instruments. The touch drums have acoustic and electronic drum kits. The electronic kits are like drum machines. The "Smart Drums" let you arrange drum sounds on a grid. The "Beat Sequencer" helps you create drum patterns step-by-step.

Smart Guitar

GarageBand has five guitars: an acoustic guitar and four electric ones. Each guitar has two modes. One mode lets you play chords easily. The other lets you play individual notes. It also has an "autoplay" feature.

Smart Bass

The bass instrument is like the guitar, with four strings. But it can't play chords. It includes electric basses, an acoustic bass, and synth basses. It also has an "autoplay" feature.

Smart Strings

Smart Strings were added in 2012. They include violins, violas, cellos, and bass. You can play notes smoothly (legato), short (staccato), or plucked (pizzicato). You can choose which instruments play in your orchestra.

World Instruments

World instruments were added in 2018. These let you play traditional Chinese and Japanese instruments. You can use the pipa, erhu, koto, and guzheng.

Drummer

The Drummer was added in 2016. It's a virtual player that creates realistic drum beats. You can choose from many drummers in different music styles. Each drummer has a unique drum kit. You can also change their playing style.

Sampler

With the sampler, you can record your own sounds. Then, you can play them on the keyboard. You can trim, reverse, or loop your sounds. The app also has fun sound effects like a dog bark.

Audio Recorder

The audio recorder is for recording and editing sounds. You can record using your device's microphone. After recording, you can add many audio effects. It has presets for recording guitar, piano, or vocals.

Amp

The amp is for plugging in a guitar or bass. You can record and use different virtual amplifiers and effects pedals. This lets you create many different sounds.

External Apps

You can use other music apps inside GarageBand. The Audio Unit Extensions let you use third-party instruments and effects. Inter-App Audio lets you record sound from other apps into GarageBand.

Sound Library

The Sound Library was added in 2017. It lets you download more free instruments, drummers, and loops. These are released as Sound Packs over time.

Updates

GarageBand for iOS has received many updates.

In 2011, it added support for iPhone and iPod Touch.
In 2012, it added Smart Strings and a note editor. You could also upload songs to Facebook, YouTube, and SoundCloud. A "Jam Session" feature let up to four devices play together.
In 2013, it added the ability to import music from your library. You could also create ringtones.
In 2016, version 2.1 brought Live Loops. This lets you create music by triggering loops in real-time. It also added a virtual Drummer and more tracks.
In 2017, version 2.2 added the Alchemy Synth. A new Sound Library was also added.
In 2021 and 2022, new Sound Packs and Remix Sessions were released. These included loops and instruments from artists like Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga, Seventeen, Katy Perry, and Zedd.

Differences from MacOS Version

Here are some ways the iOS version is different from the macOS version:

No Music Lessons (though Artist Lessons are now free on macOS).
Only three time signatures (4
4, 3
4, and 6
8).
No master track.
You can only automate volume.
It has a Live Loops layout.
It uses Audio Unit Extensions (from the App Store).
It has a Sound Library for free, downloadable content.
Limited exporting functions (exporting to YouTube was removed).

Availability

Before Apple's Mac App Store, GarageBand was only available as part of iLife. This was a collection of apps that included iPhoto and iMovie. You also got it when you bought a new Mac. On January 6, 2011, GarageBand became available on its own in the Mac App Store. Since then, many more people have started using GarageBand.

Notable Users

Many musicians use GarageBand to record and make music. Steve Lacy used the GarageBand app on his old iPhone to make music for his projects. That phone is now on display in the Smithsonian museum! Nine Inch Nails made their song "The Hand That Feeds" in GarageBand. They even shared the files so others could remix it.

Musicians who have worked with Apple to promote GarageBand include Katy Perry, John Mayer, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, and Lady Gaga. Many artists like Charlotte Day Wilson, Doja Cat, Meghan Trainor, and Awkwafina started learning music production with GarageBand.

Artists like T-Pain and Grimes used GarageBand for their albums. Rihanna's hit song "Umbrella" even started with a drum track from GarageBand! Fiona Apple recorded much of her album Fetch the Bolt Cutters at home using GarageBand. Also, the music for the funny internet video Charlie the Unicorn was made in GarageBand.

Supported Music File Formats

GarageBand works with many music file types. These include AIFF, WAV, and MIDI. You can export your songs as AAC, MP3, MP4, or AIFF files.