Use the Audio Recorder in GarageBand for iPhone. Using the Audio Recorder, you can record your voice, an instrument, or any other sound using the microphone on your iPhone, and play it back in GarageBand. You can also record sounds using an external microphone connected to your iPhone. While bloggers often fall into the trap of overstating the importance and wider implications of new product releases by Apple, it's reasonable to suggest that the launch of GarageBand for iPad does have the potential to change the mobile music making landscape (you see, we've just done it).Update: You can now read our hands-on review of GarageBand for iPad for a detailed overview.
More then ever, it has become easier to lay down your song ideas while on the move. With GarageBand for iPad, we are also closer then ever to having a full professional recording studio in a very thin package. And at a price of $4.99, who can complain? For those who are just starting out, here's a first tutorial on recording guitar to get you and your iPad rocking.
Setup and Equipment needed
First off before even starting the application, you should get the hardware you need to enable you to record your guitar to your iPad. There are two basic input types you need to consider:
- Guitar Input for Electric Guitar and Bass (IK Multimedia iRig, Apogee Jam, AmpKit Link)
- Mic Input for acoustic guitar (IK Multimedia iRig Mic, Blue Yeti Pro -- requires Apple's Camera Connection Kit)
L to R: IK Multimedia's iRig, Blue Yeti Mic, Apple's Camera Connection Kit
Guitar Amp
Launch GarageBand for iPad and plug your guitar into the iRig. On the left of the screen is a ' 1/4' jack' button which lets you add a noise gate. Handy for those distorted tones. Next to it is the guitarist's best friend: the Tuner... no excuses for a flat g-string!
In the middle, you can select from different amp combinations and even save settings of your own. You can also swipe the amps to keep the same preset settings and try these settings on different amps.
On the far right is the 'pedals' section. Here you can add up to 4 pedals, change their effects level and remove pedals. To get back to the amp section, tap the 'Amp' icon on the right of the screen. One nice thing about GB for iPad is that you can change the amps settings after you've recorded your part and even create your own presets for future recordings.
Audio Recorder
If you want to record acoustic guitar, you can use the iPad's built in microphone but I would recommend looking at Blue Microphone's 'Yeti Pro' or Apogee's upcoming 'Mic' to add a professional sheen to your recordings. When you first open Audio Recorder it gives you a VU meter to check your audio input levels. A noise gate is also available by tapping on the '1/4' plug' icon.
Once you record a take, you can then add processing to the sound from a preset selection that include effects and voice transformers. The effects also give you sliders for compression, reverb, chorus, etc. depending on the effect you choose.
Recording Tips!
First and foremost... PRACTICE! GB on the iPad does not allow editing like GB on a Mac and you don't get features like Flex Time, multiple takes, pitch correction, etc. Also, you will have to play the parts at the tempo of the song unlike those who slow a song down, record their part, and speed it up after. While some would look at this as a detriment, I look at it as positive growth for musical skills and it ultimately gives you a better understanding of your song. After all, becoming a better musician is a life long process and not a means to an end.
After recording an electric guitar you have plenty of options to affect the tone as the amps have EQ and FX pedals to compress, etc. If you want to record feedback on the electric guitar, you will need to connect the output to your speakers and boost the main volume. But... be careful as each amp/guitar has it's own characteristics for feedback and some are just plain uncontrollable ear-piercing squeals. Layering guitars also has the usual big sound but also eats up tracks so planning is crucial.
Also, when planning your song parts, take into account that GB for iPad does things in 'sections' and only up to 10 sections. While this may not seem like a big deal, you will want to figure out the parts/sections of your song beforehand. For example, song intro, verse 1, pre-chorus, verse 2 with added guitar, pre-chorus with organ, Chorus, verse 3 with less instruments, bridge, intro, Chorus, Chorus 2, End, etc. You can put the 'Sections' into 'Automatic' mode which gives you whatever amount of bars you want i.e. Record intro and verse 1 together.
When recording an acoustic guitar or instrument, be sure to try different takes with your USB microphone or iPad mic on different spots and distances from the guitar. Mic placement is very critical to get a decent sound. For example, placing a mic close to the sound hole of the guitar can add unwanted bass frequencies. Although with the iPad mic I found this to be the best spot.
Also, there are No EQ Frequency bands to allow you to fix things after recording. For a brighter tone, consider newer strings or a harder pick. If using the iPad's mic, make sure your room is as quiet as possible, because it'll pick up every little sound as the signal to noise ratio is not great. Another trick is to use the Guitar Amp settings for EQ control. I found the most natural to be the Clean Combo setting with the gain off. As you increase the gain, it adds some crunch to the tone. This way you can EQ somewhat and even add some nice compression and chorus. Even playing with the Noise Gate setting gave some interesting results. Metal Acoustic! Experimentation is key.
Stay tuned for more GarageBand for iPad tips and tutorials on recording synths, pianos, etc. and vocals!
GarageBand User Guide for iPad
Using the Audio Recorder, you can record your voice, an instrument, or any other sound using the microphone on your iPad, and play it back in GarageBand. You can also record sounds using an external microphone connected to your iPad.
The Audio Recorder has two sets of controls you can use to change the sound. Fun view lets you quickly change the sound of your recording, while Studio view gives you more options to enhance your recording.
Switch between Fun and Studio view
Tap the Fun or Studio button at the top of the Audio Recorder.
Record a sound
Tap the Record button in the control bar.
Play, sing, or make sound into the microphone.
When you are finish, tap the Play button in the control bar to stop recording. Tap the Play button again to hear your recording.
Adjust the microphone input level
While you record, the In level slider on the left shows the input level from the microphone. If the level turns red, drag the slider down (or record the part again more softly) to prevent distortion.
Drag the In level slider up or down to set the input level.
The In level slider is available if your iPad or input source supports input level control.
If the input device supports left and right channels, tap Channel button under the In level slider, tap Input 1 or Input 2 to select the input channel, or tap Stereo to record in stereo.
Set the input level automatically
When an external microphone or other audio device (such as a headset or an audio interface) is connected to your iPad, the input level can be set automatically.
Tap the Input Settings button , then tap the Automatic switch.
Reduce unwanted noise
You can use a noise gate to reduce low-level input noise when you record. A noise gate cuts off the sound when it falls below a certain minimum level.
Tap the Input Settings button , then turn Noise Gate on.
Drag the Noise Gate slider until the noise stops or decreases to an acceptable level.
Turn on monitoring for an external microphone
When an external microphone or other audio device (such as a headset or an audio interface) is connected to your iPad, the Monitor button under the Out level slider becomes active.
Tap the Monitor button to turn monitoring on. Tap the button again to turn monitoring off.
Change the sound using a preset
The Audio Recorder includes presets that appear after you record a sound. Each preset adds an interesting character to the recorded sound.
Do one of the following:
In Fun view, tap or turn the dial to select one of the presets.
In Studio view, tap the icon in the middle of the screen and choose a preset from the list.
Turn the knobs to change the sound of the preset.
You can try out different presets by tapping them and turning the knobs.
Set the key and scale for Extreme Tuning
Recording Music Ipad Garageband Pro
The Extreme Tuning preset is a popular vocal effect that changes the pitch of your recording based on your song’s key and scale settings.
Tap the Settings button , tap Key Signature, then tap a new key or a different scale (major or minor).
Ipad Garageband Tutorial
If the actual key or scale of your song differs from the key or scale setting, the effect might be less pronounced, or might change the pitch of individual notes in undesirable ways.