We have the technology
by Clanger
I searched for some time for a replacement for my aging analog Tascam mixer. Quite simply I needed a way to input instruments, multitrack and record it all with the press of a few buttons. I have never wanted to be a sound engineer. For me the most enjoyable part of music making is the composition and performance.
The pro audio software world rests on the shoulders of the three big players: Digidesign's Pro Tools , E-Magic's Logic and Steinberg's Cubase . These applications cry for attention. To perform simple recordings they ask for the latest machines; fast processors.; fast drives ; lots of memory. Since they make little distinction between 'pro' users and people who simply play music these applications are, naturally, better suited to recording suites than teenagers bedrooms. There has been crippled versions of these 'high end' audio applications offered for those that dare to dabble a little. However by the time anyone has mastered the process of using the applications they probably have either decided that they either have to 'borrow' the apps or find a cheaper and easier hobby.
I found a copy of Bias's Deck bundled with the Tascam US-428 USB audio interface I bought via e-bay. Deck is fairly easy to use. It seems to record 2 or 3 tracks quite well. Adding more tracks my efforts fell to pieces as the sound broke up and the application groaned under the strain of multi-tracking. People spend a small fortune on audio applications and effects add-ons. Yet it all holds together like a burning second world war bomber flying on one engine.
The audio discussion boards are full of well meaning people struggling to achieve the impossible. Meanwhile the audio software companies churn out even more software and imply that faultless recording requires their latest product as well as the fastest most expensive hardware. After all..... it is the consumers fault for not being able to afford the best...... isn't it ?
Last year Apple bought pro audio market leader E-Magic. They dropped the PC version of Logic [smiles]. Suddenly PeeCee users were forced to either migrate to Macs or choose another application such as Cakewalk for their audio sequencer applications. Together with the development of OSX and 'audio units' as a new industry standard for linking audio applications Apple were hellbent on regaining the crown as THE platform for music production.
This all sounded like good news for existing Mac/Logic users. But Apple have a talent for extending so called 'Pro' areas of software into the wider public arena. Firstly they utilized E-magic's talents for their existing audio/visual applications with Final Cut Pro /Soundtrack and its consumer equivalent of FC Express . Logic itself has been supplemented with an 'Express ' version too. But now we have GarageBand (I doubt that the German E-Magic team dreamt up the poor name for the application)
GarageBand will, I think, create a revolution in consumer audio production. The hearts of Apple's competitors in the audio software arena must have dropped a beat or two when it was released.
GarageBand (GB) has finally brought stability and ease of use that has been so badly needed in the audio field. Pro audio users will no doubt dismiss the application as a toy. Admittedly it works very well in the hands of kids which in my view is a real plus. However if I had spent the equivalent value of a small house on audio applications I expect I would be dismissive of a $49 (iLife ) software bundle that includes GB and iDVD4 . But I have news for those people. Not only does GB exceed expectations from my point of view as a home user but it partially liberates musicians from their dependency on the recording 'experts' for production.
Virtually anyone can use GB ( given that they have a fairly recent mac and a brain and obviously that will exclude PC users) and it is both intuitive and quickly learnt. GB will mix up to 64 tracks. It has over 50 software instruments. It has over 1,000 sample loops and over 200 pro quality audio effects. I know GB has already been reviewed to death but I have to stress that this isn't a lightweight application as the ' pro' audio users might guess.
With the addition of a relatively cheap USB keyboard you literally have thousands of dollars of instruments at your disposal. In addition with a special lead or a suitable interface you can plug in a electric guitar, microphone or other instrument output. Add in the GB Jam expansion Pack ($99) for adding another 2000 loops, 100 more instruments and 15 guitar settings and this is a rich source of inspiration. For those with the Soundtrack application they can add in the samples that come with that.
Although GB may lack some of the professional features of full blown audio applications like 'midi export' it fills a huge vacuum that has existed for some time in the audio editing market. MacRumours member DavisBAnimal succinctly states" I couldn't decide between Logic Audio Gold. Silver, Red, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, with support for VST, AU, MIDI, LOL, ROTFLMHO, Virtual Instruments, Banana Muffin ports, DigiDesign MOTU, M-Audio 6 port 96Khz/128 megawatts, 1/8 coaxial with RST GHTEAGHHE at 14 hominid homunculus, garbage garbage garbage. It's ridiculous - I can't for a moment figure this stuff out without a masters degree in computer jargon. I play the guitar and I want to record some of it, sing over it and ROCK OUT. I don't want to become certified in the linguistics of the ubergeeks before doing so".
GarageBand is easy to use. All track volumes can be adjusted separately at any point along the timeline and the overall timing and beat with fade etc can be handled as a whole too. GarageBand's 'professional' controls for both individual tracks and global sound function much the same as you would expect in 'pro' apps including track sound balance and mixing outputs. In fact many of the virtual controls are actually an improvement on similar found on other audio mixing applications and the GUI is intuitive.
Where professionals would be frustrated is in the sound exporting options and integration with their existing audio 'add-ons'. However GB actually integrates quite well with other software synths such as Native Instruments Pro-53, FM7 and B3 that utilize audio units. Currently GB cannot directly import midi files but a workaround is to utilize a third party application Dent du Midi which provides drag and drop conversion of midi files to the GB compatible AIFF format. Its fair to say that with Apple also producing the current professional industry market leader in audio production with Logic had they provided much more with GB they would have lost customers for their high end software including the mid priced Logic Express.
Although GarageBand liberates audio editing and music production for 'the rest of us' this will not in itself enable everyone to necessarily produce new or innovational music. Put garbage in and you get garbage out. Much in the same manner that hip-hop and sampling in the 80s made musical expression possible for a whole generation of kids it was mostly through the reproduction of sound and recycling of old material.
GB will find many friends as a mixing application quite apart from its function as a multitrack recording application. I personally find that I could quite literally become 'loopy' using GB as it is so easy to produce excellent mixes by using samples.
Nobody needs to be able to play an instrument to use GB and can still create some great sounding stuff utilizing the excellent samples provided with the application. However the real bonus for me is the various amplifier emulation and effect settings that can be used for electric guitar. This alone shows how GarageBand can actually surpass the 'pro' applications for sound quality and processing.
Apple and the Logic team have created a consumer audio mixing application where EVERYONE appears a winner. The 'Jennifers' out there can now practice their piano lessons with the sound of a grand piano by using GarageBand a USB keyboard and a mac.
Alternatively if you fancy yourself as a budding Jimi Hendrix plug your guitar in to your mac; crank up the volume on your sound system to 11 and let GarageBand blow you away.
Clanger
Cambridge, UK
Listen to Clanger's first GarageBand track - "We have the technology"
