Creating Your Own Instruments | The Macintosh iLife 06

In GarageBand, a software instrument is based on a foundation called a generator, and every generator has settings that you can tweak. You can create your own software instrument by picking a generator and then adjusting its settings.

Step 1.	Create a new software instrument track, and pick an instrumentany instrument.
Step 2.	Double-click the track's header and examine the Generator pop-up menu. Some generators are based on short recorded samples of actual instruments, such as piano and guitar. Other generators create their sound "from scratch," based on sound synthesis techniques.
Step 3.	Choose a generator.
Step 4.	Examine the generator's presets. Try them outyou might find one you like. For example, say you want to create an instrument that has a funky electronic synthesizer sound. Here's one way you might approach the task.
Step 5.	Click the pencil to the right of the generator's preset pop-up menu. This displays the settings that apply to the generator you chose. Tip To get a feel for the kinds of settings each generator provides, drag the settings window so that you can see it and the Track Info pane at the same time. Then paw through the generators and their presets, and watch the settings window change.
Step 6.	Play with the settings until you arrive at a sound you like. While you're at it, adjust effects as desiredthey're stored along with the generator settings.
Step 7.	Click the Save Instrument button in the Track Info pane and type a name for the new instrument. GarageBand saves the instrument settings on your hard drive (see the sidebar on the opposite page).

Adding Audio Unit Instruments

You can expand GarageBand's sound-generating and effects capabilities with software plug-ins called Audio Units. Some absolutely stunning software instruments are available in Audio Unit format. My favorite is Native Instruments' B4, which mimics the legendary Hammond B3 organ with frightening realism. And yes, it runs within GarageBand.

I'm also a big fan of Pluggo from Cycling '74 (www.cycling74.com).

Pluggo is a collection of more than 100 synthesizers and effects, and it lets you run software instruments that use other plug-in formats, such as the popular VST format.

High-end software instruments like B4 cost several times what iLife '06 costs. If you don't want to spend that much, there are some great-sounding Audio Unit instruments and effects that don't cost a dime. To explore what's available, go to www.icompositions.com or do a Google search for audio units. Don't expect to get any work done for a while.

Where they live. Commercial Audio Unit plug-ins usually include an installer program that puts things where they belong, but some free Audio Units don't have these installers. So for the record, Audio Units are stored in Library > Audio > Plug-Ins > Components. They can also reside in your home directory, in the same path.

Adding Effects

There's also a large selection of Audio Unit effects, and the aforementioned sites are great places to find them.

You might also explore ChannelStrip from Metric Halo (www.mhlabs.com). This legendary set of mastering effects has long been popular among recording professionals, and now it's available for GarageBand.

And while most people think of Apple's Jam Packs as being primarily a source of loops and software instruments, they're also a source of effects.

If you have a Jam Pack and would like to see what additional effects it provides, double-click any track's header, then choose the Jam Pack's name from the pop-up menu at the top of the Track Info pane. Next, choose an effect and explore its pop-up menu of presets.

How GarageBand Stores Instruments

GarageBand stores a software instrument as a file with a name that ends with .cstfor example, if you named your instrument Wacko, its file will be Wacko.cst. GarageBand stores its instrument files deep inside your hard drive's Library folder.

Tip

To put your custom instrument in a different category in GarageBand's Track Info pane, move its file into the appropriate category folder. For example, to move an instrument from the Synth Leads category to the Bass category, move its file from the Synth Leads folder to the Bass folder.