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Taking Garage Band Center Stage

Because it’s part of Apple’s $79 iLife ’06 package (which also comes loaded on every new Mac computer, free of charge!), some people don’t realize how powerful Garage Band 3 really is. Apple acquired Logic Pro to be their professional level DAW, but they also put a bit of Logic’s ultra-cool mojo into Garage Band. In fact, the programs are actually now similar enough that most Garage Band users would be able to launch Logic Pro and start working after just a few minutes.

The coolest thing about Garage Band 3 is that it can be as drop-dead simple as you want it to be – just play around with the loop library and maybe toss in a software instrument or two. But the truth is that you can open any of the high-end virtual orchestras as an Audio Unit plug-in within Garage Band and compose some really sophisticated music without breaking a sweat (or breaking out a user’s manual). With East West/Quantum Leap’s RA installed (which is killer collection of “world instruments,” by the way), it was a breeze to lay down a basic rhythm track of tablas, then add a tamboura drone and some tasty sitar riffs. All you have to do is Create a New Track, then choose Software Instrument. You’ll see a list of installed Garage Band instruments on the right, but go down to the section that says “Details.” That brings up an additional menu where you can select an Audio Units plug-ins (like RA or MOTU’s Sympnonic Instrument) under the Generator menu. Once you’ve chosen which collection you want to access, click on the pencil icon beside the Manual drop-down menu, where you can select which specific instrument you want to use.

Apple, along with several third-part developers have produced some superb, dedicated software instruments for Garage Band, all reasonably priced. But isn’t it cool to know you can access such “gold standard” libraries as Vienna Instruments’ Symphonic Cube without having to use an application with a steep learning curve? A few hours with Garage Band and you’ll be making sweet music!

Inspiration. Information. Passion.

Being music makers ourselves, we love geeking out on all things gear. From the tweakiest techniques to the biggest ideas, our experts work hard to constantly supply inSync with a steady stream of helpful, in-depth demos, reviews, how-tos, news, and interviews. With over 28,000 articles and counting, inSync is your FREE resource for breaking news, reviews, demos, interviews, and more.

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