GarageBand for Dummies

by Bob "Dr. Mac" LeVitus

Lay down some tracks--no garage required!

GarageBand has become the default musical sketchpad for both well-known artists and hobbyists musicians who want a simple way to record, edit, and share their own tunes. GarageBand For Dummies is your go-to guide to navigating the interface and making the tweaks to create your own songs.

Look inside to discover how to lay down a beat with the virtual drum kits, layer on sweet sounds with built-in virtual instruments, and attach simple hardware to record vocals or live instruments on a Mac, iPad, or even an iPhone.

Use built-in instruments to create a song Attach your guitar or mic to record live sounds Export your final product or individual tracks Add effects and edit your song GarageBand is the simplest way to create basic tracks without investing in costly hardware and learning a complex digital audio workstation software package--and this book shows you how.

Genres: Nonfiction, Music

400 pages, Paperback

Published June 30, 2020

About the author

Bob "Dr. Mac" LeVitus is the longtime technology columnist for The Houston Chronicle as well as a regular contributor to The Mac Observer. He is author or co-author of over 75 books including multiple editions of macOS For Dummies, iPhone For Dummies, iPad For Dummies, and GarageBand For Dummies. Bob also has a strong background in music, both as a professional commercial producer in an earlier career and currently as a hobbyist. His website, Working Smarter for Mac Users, helps readers become more efficient, accomplish more in less time, and avoid procrastination so they can focus on doing the things they love.

Reviews

[Jeffrey Bumiller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very helpful!

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with most of the books in the …for Dummies series, here we find a personable breakdown of how to use GarageBand. It's simple, perhaps even a bit simplistic, but does provide the basics that anyone really starting here will appreciate. There are some useful suggestions for how to use the bundled plugins and loops, as well as some descriptions of the online musical ecosystems. Much os this information is available in many places but this is a good enough initial primer.

[Erik Steevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely terrific book! For those who want to go to the bottom of what can be done with GarageBand. Maybe one minus point: the illustrations of the Garageband screens are in black and white and way too small, but Bob LeVitus has done a fantastic job!

[Julio R. Ra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good introduction and actually became very technical in certain parts. It is a good guide to GarageBand.

[David A Townsend · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't stupid enough