If you want to make music but don't know where to start, your first stop should be GarageBand. This guide covers everything you need to know about laying tracks in Apple's music tool for macOS.
GarageBand handles the entire process on a Mac: creating the music, producing the track, mastering it, and creating a final song you can share or even sell. That makes it a big stepping stone for Mac users, and the starting point for many people who want to move into a full career and onto other tools and production environments. The skills you learn in GarageBand carry over to other music tools later on. Although it's free as part of Apple's ecosystem, it can be the start of making great music for years to come.
GarageBand is a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), software for recording audio and making edits. A simple recording app like Voice Memos captures one recording with little room to edit. A DAW can record each audio element of a song separately, applying effects and edits at a granular level. These snippets can then be combined into a fuller track, giving you much more control over each element.
There are many DAWs, including Ableton Live, Avid Pro Tools, and Apple Logic Pro, each with its own target audience and advantages. GarageBand is one of the most beginner-friendly options and can handle practically any task you would realistically need for audio production. If it ever feels limiting, you can move your projects to the paid version of Logic Pro. Because all you need is a Mac and an idea, GarageBand is also ideal for those on a budget. It is available for macOS and iOS, and this guide focuses on the Mac version.
When you open GarageBand, an initial window offers New Project, Recent, Learn to Play, and Lesson Store options. Learn to Play offers lessons for the guitar and piano, and any lessons you download appear there.
Source: AppleInsider · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing