Garage Band still hitting all the right notes (and is free)
After college I studied audio engineering with legendary producer Bill Lazerus, whose credits include producing or engineering artists such as James Taylor, Barbara Streisand, B.B. King, Diana Ross and hundreds of others. Although my degree was in marketing and I worked days at an ad agency, what I really wanted was to produce rock ‘n’ roll records.
But reality set in when I graduated from the program. Entry-level audio engineering jobs were few and far between. I couldn’t afford studio time at even a third- or fourth-rate recording studio. And a home studio would have cost more than my house itself.
Realizing my chances of becoming the next George Martin were slim and none, and that advertising wasn’t my cup of tea, I pivoted and accepted a job as editor-in-chief of a scruffy little independent Mac magazine called MACazine. After MACazine was sold to Macworld, I spent the next decade writing about the Apple universe in books and magazines.
I never stopped wanting to produce music. But audio recording software and hardware were still cost-prohibitive at the turn of the century, so my love of recording music remained unrequited until 2004, when Apple introduced GarageBand and changed everything.
I was in the audience for the 2004 Macworld Expo keynote where Steve Jobs unveiled GarageBand (with help from John Mayer). I ran from the auditorium to my publisher’s booth on the show floor and immediately began wheedling and begging my editor to sign me to write GarageBand For Dummies.
I succeeded, and GarageBand For Dummies was released later that year.
At the time, I was blown away by how easy and inexpensive it was to record, mix and master professional-sounding tracks using GarageBand. For the first time, you could have the digital equivalent of a wellequipped recording studio for less than the cost of one hour in a “real” studio.
At some point I needed more horsepower in my production setup, so I switched from GarageBand (free) to its pro-quality sibling, Logic Pro (currently $199 in the Mac App Store). As a result, I haven’t used GarageBand much lately, at least not until my publisher asked me to revise GarageBand For Dummies later this year.
I hardly recognized the program when I opened it for the first time in ages last week. The user interface has been refined and many features are easier than ever to use and understand. It now includes 28 virtual drummers that are at least a million times better than using loops or sequencers for drum tracks. With hundreds of built-in instruments — including synthesizers, a full orchestra, strings, brass and guitar amps — it’s become an all-in-one solution anyone can use to create music. Plus, it now includes free lessons on keyboards and guitar, so you can make music even if you don’t know how to play.
If you haven’t looked at GarageBand lately, check it out. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how mature and usable it’s become.