Take Control of Recording with GarageBand '11

This book explains how to use GarageBand '11 to create musical compositions with vocals, drums, guitars, MIDI keyboards, and even the kitchen sink! Seattle composer Jeff Tolbert shares his GarageBand know-how and years of recording experience to help you get the most out of your existing gear or purchase new equipment that fits your budget and style. You'll find out how to plan a recording session, and you'll learn real-world recording studio techniques, such as using a microphone effectively, getting the best sounds from your gear, applying effects like a pro with the 12 GarageBand amps (including 7 new ones!) and the greatly expanded selection of stompbox effects, recording multiple tracks at once, and using Flex Time and Groove Matching to fix mistakes easily. Two example songs demonstrate many of the techniques discussed.

Bonus! Linked-in audio lets you listen to examples while you read about them—and, new with this edition, you can follow links to download the project files for them. Remember us when you're famous!

Questions answered in the book include:

• My GarageBand recordings sound lame. Can I even make a decent-sounding recording with this program?
• How do Real Instrument and Software Instrument tracks differ?
• How do I best record a vocalist?
• How do I use the multi-take recording option?
• I don't have an electric guitar. Can I still use the Electric Guitar track?
• How can I fix up a good but sloppy performance?
• What are the differences between the many GarageBand amps?
• How do I use the stompbox effects?
• How can I change an effect over time in a track?
• What should I know about punching in?