Muting a Track

team bbl


Before you retire the cowbell and delete the track, it would be a good idea to hear how the song sounds with and without the cowbell. That way you can make an informed decision.

To mute a track, all you need to do is click the Mute button in the track header. The Mute button looks like a speaker.

1.

Click the Mute button in the Cowbell track header to silence the track.

The Mute button turns blue when it is on.

The regions within the muted track turn light gray to indicate that they have been muted.

2.

Click the Cycle button in the transport controls to turn on the cycle region.

To change a cycle region, simply click-drag a new location on the Cycle Region Ruler.

3.

Create a cycle region that starts about a measure before the cowbell, and ends about a measure after. (It does not have to be exact.)

4.

Press the spacebar to start playback of the cycle region.

5.

Listen to the section of the song without the cowbell.

6.

Click the Mute button again during playback to unmute the track and hear the cowbell.

7.

Continue playback, and click the Mute button on and off to compare the section with and without cowbell.

8.

Press the spacebar to stop playback.

9.

Click the Cycle button to turn off the cycle region.

The song could work with or without the cowbell, but I'm going to go with my instincts here and delete the Cowbell track. Why, after all that work to audition the cowbells, would I want you to cut it out of the song? Because sometimes a musical part seems like a good idea until you put it in perspective and hear it with the entire song. The cowbell cuts through the feel of the song too much.

It's as if it jumps out at you and screams"Hey listen to me, I'm a cowbell!" This isn't a song about a cowbell. For this song, the percussion is supposed to feel organic and subtle, like a percussive heartbeat. The cowbell breaks the flow of the piece.

Of course, that's just my opinion. Music is incredibly subjective, and if any of you really want the cowbell, you can put it back after this lesson.

    team bbl



    Apple Training Series(c) GarageBand 2
    Apple Training Series: GarageBand 2
    ISBN: 0321330196
    EAN: 2147483647
    Year: 2005
    Pages: 139
    Authors: Mary Plummer

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