Garageband for pc download

Review Feature: GarageBand for PC

My expectations were not particularly high while I was rather heavy download the 350 MB app to my first generation PC. After all, as a Logic user, I had hoped for an iLogic or Logic PC Lite app since the day the original PC had been released. Was GarageBand for PC , at only $ 4.99, is going to be another musical toy or a serious tool for artists? Would this be a defining moment to "touch" musicians or would it be another application that I would play with for 3 days and then not come back to use?

I am happy to say that Garageband for PC is not a toy at all! Apple has established a new benchmark for music applications on touchscreen handheld devices. In fact, they have created a profit and interest tool for musicians and non-musicians alike in an accessible, playful and intuitive 8 track Mini GarageBand interface.

Read on to find out more ...

Getting Started

On my 1 PC, GarageBand took a second to launch some good ones. I suspect the newly released PC 2 will quickly load up times. I must mention that the loading time had no negative impact on my overall experience.

Once ready, you are greeted on the Instruments screen where you can choose from a number of software instruments like guitars, drums, keyboard and audio tracks designed for voice recordings, sampling and a guitar input. For new songs, you must choose an instrument to start.

Software instruments such as drums, guitar, bass, keys are also available in "intelligent" versions. More on that later. Taping on an instrument, you go to the instruments page, where you can type a key, drum, or strum a guitar, etc. In my 3 day tests the instruments were very reactive with the added benefit of sensitivity to The velocity? It is therefore possible to find a difficult key or softer and produce a more expressive performance. This uses an integrated accelerometer and, although some people complained about this lack of consistency, it worked for me better than expected from the PC.

Intelligent Instruments and Instruments

By default, a grand piano is loaded as the standard keyboard instrument, but typing on the piano's image reveals a pop-up, where a multitude of different instruments can be selected. Note the tabs at the top of the pop-up window where you can choose between the types of the instrument. A nice touch is that each instrument has its own unique face plate and controls. For example, synths usually have cut-off, resonance, etc. commands, while pulls feature the organs. If you have used Logic or GarageBand you will probably be comfortable with some of these predefined instruments. So I prefer more control to get under the hood of each synth, this is not the point of GarageBand for PC, and although some of the controls are limited

The introduction of intelligent instruments makes it easy for anyone to make music on their PC. I'm not always fan of "automatic" making music features, but intelligent instruments are a great idea. With intelligent guitars and keyboards a simple tap will trigger a chord and the AutoRun feature offers 4 pre-recorded modes and I found myself using it to quickly create accompanying tracks. The Intelligent Drums even include a randomization feature to help you create a variety of rhythm tracks depending on your project.

The interface

Recording your instrument is a simple matter. Press the Record button at the top of the screen and play your chosen instrument. It is important to note that GarageBand for PC works in "sections". Then press the Jigsaw button (top left) to choose the length of the section you want to record. By default the section A is fixed at 8 bars.

Once you have saved your performance by tapping the Arrange View button, you will be taken to the main Arrange area. Here you can create, delete and duplicate tracks ... and cut, copy, paste, move, cut MIDI and audio regions. In fact, if you have already used iMovie you can recognize the handlebar metaphor used on the edges of the regions. It almost feels like Apple have been preparing us for the musical creation PC since the release of iMovie'08 on the Mac!

There are many packaged in Apple's GarageBand, but kept the interface clean, pleasing to the eye and responsive. I can not stress how intuitive the interface is to move. With a little exploration, you will find features such as Quantizing MIDI notes, metronome settings, tempo and even a selection of loops from the Apple Loops Loops Library. The question mark at the top right gives you useful tips for this particular screen - and you might be surprised to discover additional multi-touch features in some areas of the interface.

Some people might wonder about the quality of recording through the built-in microphone or wondering how to plug your electric guitar into your PC. If you have an IRIG that will work as a guitar interface, but stay tuned for studio quality Mike and Jam from Apogee , both designed specifically for GarageBand on the PC (but will work happily on the IPhone and Mac! Expect a full review of these two devices in the near future ...

Conclusion

GarageBand for PC does not feel like the younger brother of it is relative Mac, a musical sketch pad rather than a full-blown DAW. But it has punch worthy of a well-designed Apple product. The ease with which you can start fixing music tracks is as fast, if not faster than the Mac equivalent. There are even additions not present on the Mac version, for example, a keyboard arpeggiator and the ability to choose a scale so that it is not possible to play a bad note?

There are of course some limitations, such as a maximum of 8 tracks, no Piano Roll editor for MIDI performance / online note input, no advanced audio waveform editor, no track automation, limited effects to apply on Tracks, limited - but fun - effects to apply to audio recordings. Moreover, at the time of writing there is no way to import your songs in GarageBand format to GarageBand on Mac, even if rendering your songs to audio and sending to iTunes or email is simple. Apple is however planning to provide this functionality via an upgrade and this should allow you to start a project on your iPhone and continue to work on it in GarageBand on your Mac.

Do not let any of these limitations put you off. What Apple have created is the next step in mobile, touch music production and once you are able to work on your song directly in GarageBand and Logic, the PC will become even more of a portable essential device for musicians . And on this note I'll finish a song in GarageBand for PC ... Yes, it's very fun in a practical way, so I can keep my hands so!

What you have not yet downloaded GarageBand for PC ? What are you waiting for?