Ms. Downey

Garageband Lesson 1

Please open Garageband on your computers

Click on Create New

Name your piece voices then click on create




A piano will appear, please click on the red dot in the left corner to x out of it

In the top left hand corner is a preset track

About tracks
Tracks give you a way to organize your music, and control the sound of the instruments in a song. Tracks are where you record Real and Software Instruments, where you drag loops to add them to your song, and where you arrange regions in the time line.

Each track has a track header (in the Tracks column), which contains the instrument name and icon, Mute and Solo buttons for the track, and a triangle to show and hide the track's volume curve. Each track also has a pan control, a volume slider, and a pair of level meters in the track mixer.

Garageband songs can have two kinds of tracks:
1) Real Instrument tracks, which contain Real Instrument regions created when you record a Real Instrument, or when you add a Real or Software Instrument loop. Real Instrument regions are audio recordings.
2) Software Instrument tracks, which contain Software Instrument regions created when you record a Software Instrument, or when you add a Software Instrument loop. Software Instrument regions are "rendered" by your computer in real-time

Please click on the track itself, go to the menu and click on the word track, then click on delete track

Next we are going to create a new track so we can record vocals

Go to the menu and click on track

Select new track , real instruments, vocals, and then no effects

Please notice the picture of the microphone and the slide that controls the volume of the mic

Make sure the volume is turned up all the way then hit create

The Microphone on your laptops is internal, so it is built in, see if you can find it

When you are asked, please press the record button and say something into the mic

A few helpful shortcuts for you are:

The space-bar will stop and play the track for you

The Z key will bring you back to the beginning of the track

After you record listen to the different effects that you can you use on your voice

Double click on the track and select a new effect

Garageband Lesson 2

Please open Garageband and create a new file as First Try
If your old file opens up just go into file and new
Take a look at the preset track
There are several helpful features on this...



Garageband adopts the tried-and-tested track-based approach to sequencing and audio recording.

* 1: The button with a speaker icon is used to temporarily mute a track's output, removing it from the overall mix.
* 2: Every track has its own icon, which is used to depict the tracks contents. The icon can be changed in the Track Info window.
* 3: The button with a headphone icon is used to audition a track in isolation by activating Solo mode.
* 4: The Pan control places the track's output in the stereo field; turning the knob to the left makes the sound appear from the left.



* 5: The Volume slider is used to control the track's individual level, while the output meter shows the track's current output level.
* 6: The button with a triangle icon is used to expose a volume sub-track, which can be used to automate volume changes for the track.




By clicking on the down arrow on the track #6 you can personalize the rise and fall of the volume. This will help with fade ins and fade outs





The lock icon on the track is also a useful feature. While the lock is lit up the track cannot be altered




At the bottom of the screen in another series of icons





The plus icon is to add a new track

The icon if pressed brings up the following menu





The eye shaped icon shows the loops that are avaliable to you
There are two ways they apear




or







The last icon the are there so you can see the audio clips

lines that show the duration of the note and where the note falls on a piano





or actual notation







You project today is to explore the different sounds that are in the loops
see what ones you like
Try dragging them onto a track and see what the notation looks like or how the audio wave flow

Tomorrow we are going to attempt to put together our first song

Garageband Lesson 3

Please open Garageband and create a new file named First Song

Please use the loops to make your first full song

FCA's

You must use at least one guitar, one drum, and either a woodwind or brass instrument (you can add more instruments if you wish too)

You must use the volume sub track to personalize the sound on at least one track

Be creative and have fun!

If you need any help let me know and wear your headphones please!






a little helpful tip

If you are trying to match loops and want to hear if something fits well together, try putting they part you want to match on repeat, using the gold line at the top of the screen

If you play the area you selected on repeat and then play the different loops, you will be able to preview what they sound like together without having to create a new track each time

Garageband Lesson 4

Splitting and Joining Regions

A useful tool in garageband is the ability to split and join regions

Each of these features can be found under the edit option

Being able to split the region or loop you can trim anything that you don't want to be played

When you are done creating a region or loop you can connect it flawlessly by using the join option


World Music

Your task for today, once you are done with your first song, is to create a song only using instruments from the "world loop" selections

Please name the new file World Music

FCA
You must use at least 4 different loops from world. You may use additional loops after you choose your 4 from the world selection.


YOUR HOMEWORK- BRING IN A CD FROM HOME TOMORROW, MAKE SURE THAT IT'S CENSORED!!!!!

Garageband Lesson 5

Midi Instruments

MIDI (short for "Musical Instrument Digital Interface") is a standard file format for synthesizers and other electronic music instruments. MIDI files do not contain audio data, but contain data that electronic instruments can use to produce music.





Onscreen music keyboard
Garageband includes an onscreen music keyboard you can use to play and record Software Instruments.





Using Musical Typing

You can play and record Software Instruments by typing notes on your computer keyboard. Musical Typing lets you play Software Instruments even if you do not have a music keyboard connected to your computer.


When you turn on Musical Typing, the keys on your computer keyboard play notes just like the keys on a music keyboard. The middle row of keys play the "white keys" on the piano and the keys W, E, T, Y, U, O, and P in the top row play the "black keys" (sharps and flats). The Musical Typing window shows the layout of notes on the computer keyboard.


In addition to playing notes, you can move the key range up or down by octaves, and change the velocity and controller values of the notes you play.

Choose Window > Musical Typing.

The Musical Typing window appears, showing the layout of keys used for playing notes and changing controller information.

Select the Software Instrument track you want to play.
Play the Software Instrument using the keys on your computer keyboard.

As you play, the notes you play are highlighted in the Musical Typing window.


Move down by octaves by pressing Z, or up by octaves by pressing X.

Lower the velocity by pressing C, or raise velocity by pressing V.

Change the modulation (mod wheel) value by pressing 4 through 8. Press 3 to turn off modulation.

Bend the pitch down by pressing the 1 key, or bend it up by pressing 2. The pitch is bent for as long as you press the key.

Turn sustain on and off (like using a sustain pedal) by pressing Tab.


Assignment

Please name this new piece itunes



Take the cd that you brought in

Pick one song and import the song into your music library

When you are finished, drag the imported file into an empty track in Garageband

The song should appear as a purple audio file

Your assignment is to alter the song in anyway that you would like, but it must be noticeable

Garageband Lesson 6

Country Music

In music there are many different Genres or types of music

Today you will create a Country Western song, please title it Country.



Your FCA's: The song must be at least 50 measures long

You must use an acoustic guitar and drum set

It must have distinct ending
It must sound like a Country song

Garageband Lesson 7

Hip Hop Project

It's time to try some rap/ hip hop.
Let's play with those funky beats.

Title your new project Hip Hop

FCA's

The song must have 4 synthesized beats

The song must have two different drums

It must be 75 measures long

It must not be boring

It must have a distinct ending

Garageband Lesson 8

Soundtracks

We all encounter music in our everyday life. The world would be a pretty boring place without it!

What would happen if the movies and television shows that we watched didn't have music?

Would hearts break the same way when the Titanic went down,

would you be on your feet cheering the same way when US team won against Russia in Miracle,

OR

would you be able to tell that Jaws was lurking around the corner?




Today you are going to pick a movie clip from some preselected files.

Load the clip off of Miss Downey's flash drive.

Play file in Quicktime (remember to watch the clip before you continue on your project)

Create a new Garageband file called Soundtrack


Your objective is create background music for your movie clip. You may use any sounds found in the loops or you can create and record your own. Use the techniques that you have learned throughout this unit!


FCA's

Your song must be at least a minute long (unless you use the one clip that is less than a minute)

The song must go along with the movie clip

Your song must be creative

Garageband Lesson 9

Exporting Your Finished Garageband Song to iTunes

Before you export your song to iTunes you must first adjust the length of your song.

If you scroll to the end of your music track, you will find a purple arrow.

Drag the arrow to where your song ends. Give an extra measure or two as a buffer. This arrow signifies where the song stops when it istransfersintoiTunes. If the arrow is left too far down on the track from where the song ends, then it will be exported as dead air.

The arrow will also slide the other way if you wish to extend the length of your song.

Once you have adjusted the length of your song, please go into file in Garageband.

At the bottom of the file list it will say, export to itunes.

Click on it and your song will be exported.

iTunes will open automatically and load your song into the library.

Your song will be named the same thing that you named your Garageband file.

Burning your Garageband Songs onto a CD

Once you have exported your songs into iTunes, create a playlist by clicking on the plus in the bottom left corner.

Highlight the songs you would like to burn onto a CD and drag them into your new playlist (#1).

Insert a blank CD and click on the Burn icon in the upper right hand corner of the screen.

Sound Files

When your files are imported into iTunes, they are usually transferred as AAC files. There are other file options that are available for use. They vary in quality and size.

Open iTunes and click on the iTunesoption in the top right hand of the screen. Click preferences, advanced, importing and then you will see a drop arrow next to the text, Import Using. If you click this arrow it will give you the the different file options for importing.

You can import using...AAC, AIFF, Apple Lossless, MP3, or WAV

Select MP3, Please.

The AAC and AIFF file have the better sound quality, but they are big files. MP3's are more commonly used. The sound quality is significantly inferior in comparison toAIFF and AAC files, especially when using high quality stereo equipment. The MP3, however, is a smaller file and is easier to import onto things like iPods and upload for podcasts and other programs.

If you have already imported a song into itunes, you may change the file name by selecting the song, click on advanced at the top of the screen and then select Convert Selection to MP3 (or what ever file you previous selected).

Garagband Lesson 10