GarageBand Composing

[dxp4acu]

I used to have MusicWorks on my old Mac Plus, and I loved it because I could put musical notes on scales and have it played back to me, whichever part I wanted (I'm a singer).

So can I do this in GarageBand? Is there a place in it to enter musical notes? I dont want to have to get a keyboard just for this.

 

[Stike]

Re: GarageBand Composing

Originally posted by dxp4acu
I used to have MusicWorks on my old Mac Plus, and I loved it because I could put musical notes on scales and have it played back to me, whichever part I wanted (I'm a singer).

So can I do this in GarageBand? Is there a place in it to enter musical notes? I dont want to have to get a keyboard just for this.

Hey nice, I am singing too (occasionally ) and I already ordered GB... I think there is a possibility to enter notes, maybe even with your normal Apple keyboard. Very primitive of course, but who cares. It would be VERY stupid to keep the composing feature exclusive to users of USB/MIDI keyboards. It would render the software instruments unusable. I would kick Steve´s butt for that.

EDIT: GB has a built-in keyboard. Here is the quote from GarageBand site

"A Few Notes on the Built-in Keyboard

You can play and record these instruments by using GarageBand’s own built-in keyboard. You can also play and record GarageBand software instruments via a USB or MIDI music keyboard...."

 

[dxp4acu]

Thanks. Any more insights?

 

[neut]

from what i read on the web-site, Garage Band does not seem to use 'notes' for composing. you can do this in Cubase or the like and there are a lot of lower end progs that can also achieve this, but garage band is a record, loop, mix setup (ie Live, Acid).

i don't think note composition is possible with GB...


peace.

 

[Stike]

Originally posted by neut
from what i read on the web-site, Garage Band does not seem to use 'notes' for composing. you can do this in Cubase or the like and there are a lot of lower end progs that can also achieve this, but garage band is a record, loop, mix setup (ie Live, Acid).

i don't think note composition is possible with GB...

Ahhmmm, any proof on this??
If, as officially stated, GB has a "built-in" keyboard, (on-screen or on the normal Apple keyboard, I guess) why should you NOT be able to enter notes!?

Your claim makes no sense to me...

 

[adamberti]

Originally posted by Stike
Ahhmmm, any proof on this??
If, as officially stated, GB has a "built-in" keyboard, (on-screen or on the normal Apple keyboard, I guess) why should you NOT be able to enter notes!?

Your claim makes no sense to me...

This would be a pretty substantial feature if one could compse with GB. I think Steve would have showed this feature off. If it is included, it would at least be mentioned on the website - but its not. None of the screenshots indicate this ability.

The built-in in keyboard is for simple music creation, a few notes here and there, unless you think you can play Pachelbel Canon on a computer keyboard...

 

[neut]

Originally posted by Stike
Ahhmmm, any proof on this??
If, as officially stated, GB has a "built-in" keyboard, (on-screen or on the normal Apple keyboard, I guess) why should you NOT be able to enter notes!?

Your claim makes no sense to me...

you can record sounds, but you cannot enter musical notation. this is what i meant by my comment. sorry for the confusion.


peace.

 

[rueyeet]

Originally posted by adamberti
The built-in in keyboard is for simple music creation, a few notes here and there, unless you think you can play Pachelbel Canon on a computer keyboard...

I saw a screenshot somewhere of the built-in, on-screen keyboard, and that was my immediate thought to: good for getting in a basic melody line, but not much more. I had a sudden image of playing the asdf row on the keyboard and trying to use the qwerty row for the sharp/flat keys! (can you tell, I've only ever played piano)

 

[neut]

Originally posted by rueyeet
I saw a screenshot somewhere of the built-in, on-screen keyboard, and that was my immediate thought to: good for getting in a basic melody line, but not much more.

you just need to get used to micro-programming...I do it in Reason when i don't have a MIDI keyboard handy . and it's also how i program all my 64th drum hits...copy paste, copy paste.


peace.

 

[tjwett]

for those of you not ready to purchase a MIDI keyboard here is a little app that will turn your regular keyboard into a little piano. not ideal for intricate stuff but it works well. comes in handy for me when i'm on the train and working on a tune. lets me bang out simple melodies.

http://www.manyetas.com/creed/midikeys_beta.html

 

[tjwett]

Originally posted by neut
you just need to get used to micro-programming...I do it in Reason when i don't have a MIDI keyboard handy . and it's also how i program all my 64th drum hits...copy paste, copy paste.


peace.

lately i've been doing a lot of my drums in Reason again and i've been psyched on using the Matrix to trigger ReDrum. i find it a bit faster than turning channels on an off in ReDrum.

 

[neut]

Originally posted by tjwett
lately i've been doing a lot of my drums in Reason again and i've been psyched on using the Matrix to trigger ReDrum. i find it a bit faster than turning channels on an off in ReDrum.

you can also program ReDrum from the sequencer (no different than the matrix...sans the cvs) and you can group the bars and re-arrange as you wish. i like it better 'cause it's easier to change times and studder beats by hand rather than screw with automating the resolution knob.


peace.

 

[Stike]

neut + adamberti:

I guess you guys have never before used an app like Soundtracker?!
You can "build" a composition with that, without an actual notation display. I think this is what is possible with GB too.

I have no screenshots now, but it looks kinda this:


?-C-??-D#??---
?---??---??---
?---??---??-F-
?---??---??---
?-D#??-E-??-F-
?---??---??---
?---??---??---

 

[neut]

Originally posted by Stike
neut + adamberti:

I guess you guys have never before used an app like Soundtracker?!
You can "build" a composition with that, without an actual notation display. I think this is what is possible with GB too.

i haven't seen that anywhere on the GB site. I can't read music...so, it's no big deal to me. it looks like a common piano roll sequencer:

...with intergrated wav drawing. I guess you've never used Reason before.


peace.

 

[Stike]

Originally posted by neut

...with intergrated wav drawing. I guess you've never used Reason before.

This is what I am talking about. The software instrument bars displayed here are the same as the Soundtracker example I have posted before. The Soundtracker displays them vertically, GB does it horizontally.

Don´t you think you can EDIT those lines? Yes? Then this equals the ability to *compose* in GB, what is ultimately my point
I will find out soon enough anyway. The first reviews will be very soon available from people who tested the app on MacWorld.

 

[neut]

Originally posted by Stike
This is what I am talking about. The software instrument bars displayed here are the same as the Soundtracker example I have posted before. The Soundtracker displays them vertically, GB does it horizontally.

OIC

now that we're on the same page...yes, compose away! GB will be a very nice sketch tool for any musician. I would like to see what kind of roll it could play in my audio setup. I can already do everything GB can in the software i already have, but for $50 it's worth it just for the sounds and instruments (and the apple support ).


peace.

 

[tjwett]

Originally posted by neut
you can also program ReDrum from the sequencer (no different than the matrix...sans the cvs) and you can group the bars and re-arrange as you wish. i like it better 'cause it's easier to change times and studder beats by hand rather than screw with automating the resolution knob.


peace.

yeah, in all the years i've been using Reason one thing i never use is automation. dunno why but it just seems annoying to me. with Ableton Live on the other hand, automation is so easy i have to stop myself from going crazy with it. Live and Reason has become my whole studio. it's such a productive combo. i hardly ever launch Logic anymore, maybe for the sampler once in a while. who needs all those menus and windows and clicking around when i can get a track going in minutes with Reason and Logic? and now with Plogue Bidule i have VST instruments ReWired right into Live. couldn't ask for anything more.

 

[Photorun]

Reason is good, Live is good, I use Protools as I actually play all my own instruments (purist) but Soundtrack will rock because it'd be great to arrange with on the fly and work up songs, there's nothing wrong with one more app out there that may unlock a creative epiphany, this is one more key among many keys. Beautiful thing, it's not a very expensive key at $49... bring it on!

 

[DeepIn2U]

Music Composition

Ok I learned how to play all saxophones, an introductory into Piano (was more interested into Saxophone - Jazz), and brief flirt with the Guitar (killed my sensitive small fingers, always cutting them) by reading on a musical sheet.

Can GarageBand show me in a treble or bass cleff the notes that I've composed with the loops or from what I've played for the respective instrument (guitar treble clef, xylophone bass clef)?????

Also, can I compose music via on a treble clef, bar by bar, then have a particular (able to switch on the fly) instrument play those notes??

Or is this a little more professional in terms of software requirements??

Thanks

Donny

 

[MOM]

I have seen no indication that GB can output or input in music notation. There is software for doing this, but I don't know if you can export from GB into this other software to have it write the music.

You can do some basic editing of the lines (notes) seen in the software instrument screenshot above.

 

[Jodeo]

No Notation [yet]

From what I see GBand does not allow for any notation, that is , creating or editing music using the traditional sheet-music interface (bass and treble clefs).

There are other apps out there that do this, but overall, for the price and package, not comparable to GB. Still, you may want to look at "Intuem". It offers notation entry and a slick (at times, otherworldly) interface, but I've read that it's buggy.

There's a 30-day free trial, and it only costs $79 which isn't bad at all compared to similar apps offering notation, etc.

I don't have it, but I did try it. Since I prefer having a block-based Interface like GB, I didn't use Intuem much (which uses notation and piano roll for MIDI but does have a block-based interface for audio).

 

[Sobes]

Good Composition Screenshot

I think this screenshot will answer some of your questions.

GarageBand Screenshot

Notice the drawer at the bottom with the sideways keyboard and the timeline track to the right of it.

GB is not like written music composition but more like a GUI composition method. Kind of like using a graphic HTML editor like Dreamweaver or GoLive. You can see a visual representation of your composition but the actual written composition is sort of hidden. Not sure if that's a great analogy but that's my best explanation.

 

[Sabenth]

Well what i want to know is this are MY VST bits of gear going to work with GB. If so i am in heaven if not still working with Cubase with reason.. OH THE JOYS ..

on a side note some one mentioned reasons anamation qualitys. i find it simple enough to automate far easier than in say some other apps ive used lattly mainly becasue iam used to it i guess.

 

[adamberti]

Originally posted by Stike
neut + adamberti:

I guess you guys have never before used an app like Soundtracker?!
You can "build" a composition with that, without an actual notation display. I think this is what is possible with GB too.

Well, I stand corrected then. I've strictly stuck to music w/o the computer. I was thinking you needed the notation, but it could be done that way, it just wont be easy....or will i need to be corrected again?

 

[DeepIn2U]

hmmm.

thanks Sobes for that screenshot, as well thanks to Jodeo for that link....looks like an idea. I might give it a try when I get sorted out.

Sobes your screenshot showed me what I fear with GarageBand, as I learned to play with sheet music before playing by ear or getting creative. And for my creative nuances I'd still like to know what I played during a session just to see if I could repeat it again while reading it and then listen to the two and see how different it is....aka doing the second pass while reading the music sheet to play sounds any less soulfull.

Also, when see the notes I could extend a note by tieing it past 1 beat, or changing a single note without touching the keyboard, just the mouse, and tweak a few notes to have a bar sound like stilleto or stagoto without changing the pitch!