Creating a New Podcast Project


Many of the previous projects you've worked on were already in progress when you started. Since you'll be creating your own podcasts from scratch once you finish this book, let's take a look at the New Podcast Episode template available in the GarageBand welcome screen.

1.

Launch GarageBand. If GarageBand is already open, choose File > New.

2.

In the GarageBand welcome screen, click the New Podcast Episode button.

3.

Save the project as Podcast Template to your My GarageBand Projects folder.

4.

Click Create.

The Podcast Template project opens, with the empty Podcast Track, editor with marker information, and Media Browser already showing. The Media Browser contains buttons for different types of media files (Audio, Photos, Movies), a browser where you can navigate to the media files you want to use, and a media list showing the media files in the current location.

Notice that the Photos button and the iPhoto icon in the Media Browser are selected. If the iPhoto library on your computer includes movie files, they will appear in the lower pane of the Media Browser whenever you select the iPhoto icon. Any files in the Photos pane of the Media Browser can be used as episode artwork for your podcast.

You can also add other folders of still images and photos to the Photos pane so you can access artwork files anywhere on your computer.

Showing and Hiding the Podcast Track, Browser, and Editor

Because you created a new podcast episode using the template from the Garage-Band welcome screen, all of the basic tracks and panes are already showing. However, as you work on your own podcast projects, chances are you'll need to show and hide the different tracks and panes as needed to maximize your Timeline workspace. Many of these elements use the same shortcuts you'd use if you were working on a music project.

1.

Choose Control > Hide Editor, or press Cmd-E, to hide the editor.

2.

Choose Control > Hide Media Browser, or press Cmd-R, to hide the Media Browser.

The podcast template includes a Podcast Track and four prebuilt audio tracks, including Male Voice, Female Voice, Jingles, and Radio Sounds. You can always add more tracks or delete unneeded tracks from the Timeline. Also, the ducking controls are on and have the voice tracks set as priority tracks; the Jingles and Radio Sounds tracks are set as backing tracks that will be ducked as needed to favor the voice tracks.

3.

Choose Track > Hide Podcast Track, or press Shift-Cmd-B.

You generally won't hide the Podcast Track while you're working. In fact, you're more likely to want to show the Podcast Track in a project you may not have originally designated as a podcast.

4.

Choose Track > Show Podcast Track, or press Shift-Cmd-B.

The Podcast Track reappears along with the Track Info pane for the selected track (in the above screen shot, the Podcast Track has been selected). You'll also see a Podcast Preview pane in the upper-right corner of the window. The Podcast Preview panewhich is similar to the Video Preview paneallows you to see the podcast's artwork as you play the project.

5.

Press Cmd-R to show the Media Browser and automatically hide the Track Info pane.

6.

Press Cmd-R again to hide the Media Browser.

Hiding the Media Browser will not make the Track Info pane reappear. When a pane is hidden to make room to show another pane in its place, the previous pane remains hidden until you choose to show it again.

Now that you are comfortable with showing and hiding the various panes you'll be using during this lesson, let's move on to setting up your podcast recording equipment.

Note

A project can include either a Podcast Track or a Video Track, but not both. If you try to show the Video Track for a project that contains a Podcast Track, a dialog appears asking if you want to replace the Podcast Track with a Video Track and vice versa.


Choosing Podcast Recording Equipment

Recording audio for a podcast in GarageBand 3 can be as easy or complicated as needed for your particular project. For example, if your podcast needs only one voice track, you can record the narration to an enabled Real Instrument track by connecting a microphone to your computer or by using the built-in microphone (if it has one). An iSight camera will also work because it includes a fully functioning microphone that is perfect for recording podcast audio as well as visuals. In fact, you can even record remote interviews with iChat users.

Remember that the voice tracks you record for a podcast are Real Instrument tracks, so they follow the same recording rules you learned in Lesson 6. You can record a maximum of eight Real Instrument tracks and one Software Instrument track simultaneously. To record more than one track at a time, you'll need to use an external audio interface.

Due to the popularity of GarageBand, a variety of third-party recording equipment is available. When I'm creating projects for these books, I try to find equipment that is both GarageBand-friendly and modestly priced.

The podcast you'll be working on later in this lesson includes four Real Instrument voice tracks, plus a Software Instrument track used for sound effects. To record all four voice tracks at the same time, I used the Edirol FA-101, which is the same audio interface I used for recording Real Instruments in Lesson 6.

To record my narration, I used the new Blue Snowball USB microphone, which plugs into any USB port. It doesn't require any additional software or drivers, and it works well for these types of projects.

To trigger sampled MIDI sound effects during the podcast recording, I use the small Edirol PCR-A30 MIDI keyboard/audio interface. This is the same keyboard I used to record Software Instrument parts in Lesson 3.

Finally, I use the M-Audio iControl for GarageBand, which I have to confess I've been using throughout the process of writing this book.

The iControl is a GarageBand-specific USB device that allows you to select, mute, solo, record enable, pan, and adjust volume on tracks, as well as operate the transport controls, add effects, and adjust the master volume.

For me, using the external iControl device to control the tracks and transport controls, and an external MIDI keyboard to trigger sounds, enables me to focus on the live podcast interviews without using the mouse or computer keyboard.

In addition to my various MIDI keyboards, I also keep an iGuitar handy for recording riffs, guitar parts, and song ideas. The iGuitar.USB by Brian Moore Guitars is an exciting development in the world of digital music recording. It is the first guitar to offer on-board, class-compliant USB audio to streamline the guitar-to-computer connection, eliminating the need for an external audio interface. In other words, you can use a standard USB cable to hook the iGuitar to the computer and record real guitar parts into GarageBand without any other equipment.

More Info

You can find more information on GarageBand accessories at www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/accessories.html. You can find out more about the iGuitar at www.brianmooreguitars.com.


Again, let me stress that none of this equipment is necessary to create a podcast, and you can often get along with minimal equipment. I just wanted you to see some of the other options, especially if you plan to create a lot of enhanced podcast episodes or music projects.

Before recording, make sure that your equipment is turned on and properly connected to the computer. For more specifics on the operation of your equipment, refer to the equipment manuals.

Exploring the Vocal Track Presets

GarageBand includes microphone settings and vocal enhancement effects that can be applied to a vocal track before or after recording. These effectsavailable in the Details area of the Track Info paneare designed to improve the quality of your vocal recordings.

1.

In the Timeline, double-click the Male Voice track header.

The Track Info pane appears for the selected track. Notice that the Podcasting instrument category has been selected, and Male Radio is the specific preset.

There are five Male Voice presets: iSight Microphone Male, Male Narrator Noisy, Male Narrator, Male Radio Noisy, and Male Radio.

The presets that have Noisy in the title include automatic noise reduction to help eliminate unwanted background noise in the recording.

The iChat and iSight presets are designed specifically for tracks using those methods of recording.

2.

In the Track Info pane, select the Male Narrator preset.

The preset effect changes, and the Track Header's name changes to reflect the new preset.

3.

In the Track Info pane, click the Details disclosure triangle to reveal the effects details.

You can see that the preset includes a little bit of Reverb effect and a Speech Enhancer effect set to Male Narrator.

The Manual settings for the Speech Enhancer also let you choose which type of microphone you are using. This is very useful to enhance the quality of recordings if you are using a built-in microphone.

4.

To open the Speech Enhancer controls, click the Edit button (looks like a pencil) for the Male Narrator preset.

The Speech Enhancer controls include a preset pop-up menu, which will automatically change to Manual if you modify any of the current settings. There is also a Reduce Noise slider, which is currently at the lowest setting. In the Microphone Type menu, you can choose the type of microphone, and in the Voice Type menu, you can select the type of voice.

5.

Select the Microphone Type box, then click the Microphone Type menu to see the different choices, ranging from PowerBook G4 Titanium to iMac G5 with iSight. Choose the microphone type that best fits your recording situation. Use Generic if you are using an external microphone.

6.

Choose a preset from the Preset menu at the top of the Speech Enhancer dialog. Try a preset that best suits the type of recording you might use in a podcast. If you're unsure, try Male Narrator or Female Narrator.

An alert appears, showing that you've made changes to the current instrument settings.

7.

Name the preset My Podcast Voice, and click Save.

8.

In the Speech Enhancer dialog, choose your new preset from the menu. Then close the Speech Enhancer dialog to add your custom settings to the selected track.

Note

Once you've made changes to a track's preset vocal effect, you may want to change the name of the track to reflect the current effects.

Project Tasks

If you have a microphone attached to your computer, take a moment and try recording to the track you just set up. Remember the shortcuts R to start recording and spacebar to pause. Also make sure that the track you want to record is selected and the Record Enable button is turned on. Record a little narration about yourself, or your family, or read a few paragraphs from this book. The important thing is the practice, not the content of the recording. When you have finished, save and close the project.

Adding Speech Enhancer Effects to Recorded Vocals Tracks

Now that you know how to create a new podcast project and set up your vocal tracks, let's fast-forward to a podcast project that is a little further along. In this exercise, you'll apply the Reduce Noise control to some of the tracks. Along the way, you'll also use many of the skills you've learned throughout this book.

1.

Open the project 8-1 Podcast start and save it as Podcast start to your My GarageBand Projects folder.

The project contains a lot of media files and is fairly large, so it may take a few minutes to save.

This podcast project-in-progress is an interview with the band Speakeasy, featured in Lesson 6. It includes four recorded Real Instrument voice tracks, two Speakeasy music tracks containing orange (imported) Real Instrument regions, and two empty tracks: Jingles (Real Instrument) and Radio Sounds (Software Instrument). The Podcast Track has been hidden so you can focus on the recorded tracks first.

Notice that the ducking controls are showing, and the recorded voice tracks are the priority tracks; the music and effects tracks are ducking (lowering volume) to favor the priority tracks.

2.

Move the playhead to 00:45 (45 seconds) in the time display. This is right before Jimmy speaks for the first time.

3.

Press C to show the Cycle Region Ruler, and create a yellow cycle region over the first section of waveform in the Jimmy region (from 00:45 to around 01:14).

4.

Double-click the Jimmy track header to open the Track Info pane for the selected track. Then click the Details disclosure triangle to see the track's details.

The track has the Speech Enhancer effect applied, with the Male Narrator preset.

5.

Click the Edit button to open the Speech Enhancer controls.

6.

Press the spacebar to begin playback of the cycle region.

7.

Press S to solo the selected track.

You can hear a bit of room noise when Jimmy speaks. You may not be able to get rid of all the noise, but you can certainly remove some of it.

8.

Continue playback and drag the Reduce Noise slider from the lowest setting (quiet noise) to the highest setting (loud noise). Feel free to choose a setting in-between that you like better.

Can you hear the difference in the noise while he's talking? Let's also change the Voice Type effects preset on his track.

9.

Continue playback and change the Voice Type pop-up menu from Male Solo to Male Voice Over.

10.

Close the Speech Enhancer dialog and pause playback.

11.

Press S to unsolo the Jimmy track, then press C to hide the Cycle Region Ruler.

Note

Normally, when you choose a new preset in the Track Info pane, the name of the track also changes. Podcast Tracks are commonly named after the subjects or contents. If you have manually named a Podcast Track, the name will stay with the track, even if you change to a different preset.

As you can see, it is easy to apply the Speech Enhancer effects to a track before or after it has been recorded.

Project Tasks

Now it's your turn to apply the same changes to the Kyle track. You can choose whether or not you want to solo the track and use a cycle region. Your main goal is to open the Kyle track's info and manually adjust the Speech Enhancer effect to add the Reduce Noise feature, as well as change the preset to Male Voice Over. When you are finished, save your progress. Also, be sure to close the cycle region and unsolo all of the tracks.




Apple Training Series GarageBand 3
Apple Training Series: GarageBand 3
ISBN: 0321421655
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 134
Authors: Mary Plummer

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net