How to: make music with GarageBand

 How to: make music with GarageBand

Compose and record your own mini-masterpiece with Apple's portable home studio app

OF ALL THE NEW OR OPTIMISED APPS AVAILABLE

for iPad 2 none are quite so fully-featured, fun to use and downright impressive as GarageBand, a new portable version of Apple's acclaimed Mac music studio software.

The app lets you record your own songs from scratch, either by plugging in your own instruments or using the digital versions provided. You can use up to eight separate audio tracks to build your composition and a range of features to fine tune it to perfection.

While the original Mac version has many ardent followers, this one arguably goes one step further than its home computing cousin. Not only does it pack in almost all the same editing features but, by adding digital guitars, bass, keyboards and drums, it's a much more versatile, hands-on experience too.

And on top ofthat, the 'smart'versions of those instruments that are offered really level the playing field, performing the hard work of smoothly playing an instrument foryou while you concentrate on chord changes and special audio effects. This new feature gives users free rein to craft their own pocket symphonies, regardless ofwhether they're a complete beginner or an experienced musician. Take all that into account and, at only £2.99, you've got one ofthe very best deals on the App Store.

It would be impossible to cover everything GarageBand has to offer in just a few short pages but read on for our beginner's guide to getting set up and recording your first song.


 KIT LIST:

■ iPad2

■ Guitar connector cable (if recording live instruments)

■ A Wi-Fi connection (for instant sharing)

Time required : 30 mins 
Difficulty: Intermediate/ Advanced

 Strike a chord

Here's just one of the built-in digital instruments available: the Hard Rock guitar. To strum a chord, just tap the key name or stroke the strings. The app automatically groups chords that are in the same key, so that they work together in a song,

 Autopi ay it safe

Not much ofa musician? Select one of the four Autoplay settings and let the app pick or strum rhythms or arpeggios for you while you just time the chord changes.

 String theory

You can also pluck a single String by tapping it. Ifyou hit the button in the top-right corner, the display will switch away from chords into a standard guitar view, letting you bend and hammer on or off notes, as well.


 Change your instrument

Hit the tab in the top-left corner to bring up other instruments in the same category. Choose between Acoustic, Classic Clean, Hard Rock or Roots Rock, each with its own range of effects.

 Add an effect

Every instrument comes with a range of different effects. The Hard Rock guitar has two pedals: Vintage Drive or Robo Flanger. Just tap one, or both, to mix up your sound, and tap it again to turn it off.

1 Pick your instrument The first thing you'll need to do when booting up the app is select an instrument to get started with. Take your pick from keyboards, guitar, bass and drums. You can also plug in your own live instrument, too, using a guitar cable connector (available seprately).


2 Lay down a rhythm Drums are always a good place to start. Hit the red 'Record' button at the top of the screen and then tap out your rhythm using the on-screen drum pads. The harder you tap the drums, the louder they'll sound.

3 Add another track Hit the tab at the top of the screen with three horizontal lines on it to bring up your studio view. This is where you'll manage your recording and add extra tracks. To add a second instrument tap the'+' in the bottom-left corner and make your selection.


4 Bring in the guitar Next up, some guitar. Hit the record button and pick or strum your tune. The drum track you record will play over the top so you can stick to the beat.





Hot Tip


GarageBand also lets you plug in your own axe via a guitar connector cable {available separately). Not only that, but it offers then different pedals and 32 distinct amp types with which you can customise your sounds. There's even a built-in tuner!

5 Time for some keys Repeat step three, but this time select keyboards. As with guitars, there are rang of different instruments to choose from, from grand piano to sci-fi synths, and a smart keyboard option that plays for you. Hit record, lay down your melody and head back to the studio screen.


6 Edit your track Once you've added all the Instruments you want {up to eight), It's time to fine tune your creation. Drag the slider on the left of the screen out to tweak the volume of each different track.

7 Strive for perfection To crop the length of tracks Just tap on them and move the slider left or right. You can pinch the screen to zoom in closer for more accurate editing. Double-tap to bring up a menu that lets you copy, delete, loop or split a track.



8 Share your song When you've finished, tap the 'My songs' tab. You can name your tune, email it to a friend or upload it to iTunes, after tapping the button shaped like a box with an arrow coming out of it.