Introduction: Getting Started

Welcome to the official training course for GarageBand 2, Apple's dynamic and powerful music arrangement software. This book is a detailed guide to recording, arranging, and mixing music using GarageBand, instrument recordings, and the library of more than 1000 royalty-free Apple Loops that is included with the software. It is based on the premise that a training book should go beyond a basic tour of the application by providing you with practical techniques that you will use on a daily basis to add professional-quality music and sound effects to your projects.

Whether you are a seasoned composer or have never written a piece of music before, you will learn how to use GarageBand for a variety of real-world scenarios, including recording, arranging, and mixing music from scratch. You'll work with Real Instruments, MIDI Software Instruments, and prerecorded Apple Loops to edit music and add effects that sweeten your finished songs. Finally, you'll export your finished music to iTunes, where you'll learn to share it with the other iLife applications.