Garageband, MIDI, Connecting to Instrument and Using

Life Technology
1

Anyone use Garageband connected with an instrument? How is it? I haven’t really used Garageband but considering connecting to my Yamaha keyboard.

Also has an iOS app to make music with iPhone Garageband and share between phone and computer.

2

I have done. I use one of the cheap MIDI keyboards specifically designed for use with Garageband. These keyboards are controllers only i.e. no sound chip inside. It’s a lot of fun, the only problem is if you use GB loops they’re instantly recognizable as such since every man and his dog uses them.

Here’s an ambient track I did for use with a video, preset drums but the rest is composed, played live and layered in multiple takes.

3

Nice chill. Wish my neighbor’s dog used them. He just barks with no backing tracks.

Does Apple still own music you make using Garageband pre-recorded? Or can you use it freely for your own interests?

4

You can use it, you own what you produce since you have paid for the samples already. That’s why on Youtube you come across thousands of videos using Apple loops. Likewise many marketing videos.

The vocal loops are a bit mad. I used to have the whole package, some fantastically funky vocals in there.

5

Hey, there’s a topic I opened for posting these kind of things. I really wanted to see what people do instead of posting my sound garbage :smiley:

https://tw.forumosa.com/t/post-here-your-musical-creations/

6

Post it if you like, it’s already here.

7

Well, that comment above was intended to be an invitation to you music genius to post your stuff there.

8

I guess a lot is free now? Garageband asked me if I want to download 16Gb of tracks or just the most popular 2Gb. I went with 2Gb right now.

9

Tell you what, let me find one of my tracks using the vocal loops. They’re hilarious.

10

Deal xD

11

so what exactly did you play in that song? the piano? the synths? drums? or it’s all a collage of samples?

Just got myself a second hand MIDI controller, can’t really play but I love messing around with these things.

12

I played everything except the drums, although even the drums I triggered a couple of fills on. I was quite proud of the bass in that piece since I don’t play bass and had to make up a bass part with the keyboard.

The reason I’m sharing that piece is that it not a collage of samples. You can easily make short pieces comprising collages of samples but it’s exactly like making a collage of images found online.

13

Nice. Yeah, yesterday I was mocking on a friend who CAN play keys (and pretty well) because of all the wankeries that some machines come with. You press a single key and the sequencer/arpegiator/whatever makes a sequence more complex than many people’s songs. Also I don’t see the fun on that.

@tango42 I don’t know if you want to play piano or whatever other instruments you can control with your keyboard, but you can install some DAW (Reaper is quasi free) and try have fun with thousands of free VSTi’s. Some sound better than others, but hey, they’re free:

https://www.reaper.fm/download.php
http://www.vst4free.com/

EDIT: these sound decent to my untrained ears:
http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?plugin=DPiano-E&id=2813
http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?plugin=Elektrik_Keys&id=270
http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?plugin=Mr_Ray&id=273