Apple's GarageBand

My workload has slowed down a bit for the end of the year, so I finally got a chance to sit down and play with Apple's GarageBand a bit. (Yes, it's spelled "GarageBand," one word, two capitals.)

GarageBand is Apple's software program that allows the user to create and record music. GarageBand is best, I've found, when paired with some type of MIDI compatible keyboard. The keyboard makes playing the music easier.

I use the M-Audio AXIOM 25 Advanced 25-Key Semi-Weighted USB MIDI Controller 9900-51411-10 keyboard ....

GarageBand is also capable of accepting input from a musical instrument, such as an electric guitar. To the extent that I play music, guitar is my main instrument. I didn't hook up my guitar for this piece, but I will definitely be doing so soon.

(NOTE: If you want to play your electric guitar in GarageBand (or if you want to use a better microphone then the one included in your Apple computer), then you'll need some type of interface. I use (and recommend) the Apogee Duet FireWire Interface)


Here's a song I made:



I don't consider myself to be very musically talented, but GarageBand makes it easy to compose music. Many professional musicians use this program to record their musical ideas.

GarageBand is a very powerful piece of software for the non-professional musician. Best of all, GarageBand is part of Apple's iLife suite of software, which is included free of charge with every Apple computer. (How awesome is that?!?)

If you're interested in creating music on the Mac, I highly recommend GarageBand.

Fun stuff! :-)