Playing a Song in the Timeline


There are several ways to play a project in the Timeline. In fact, many Garage-Band features can be accessed by menu, button, or keyboard shortcut. For example, to play a project you can click the Play button in the transport controls (the mouse method), or you can press the spacebar (the keyboard method). For this exercise, you'll start with the transport control buttons located at the bottom of the GarageBand window, below the Timeline.

1.

In the transport controls, click the Go to Beginning button to move the playhead to the beginning of the song (if it is not already there).

The Go to Beginning button is the first button on the left of the transport controls. It looks like a vertical line with an arrow pointing to the left.

Transport control buttons turn blue when they are active.

2.

Click the Play button, located in the middle of the transport controls, to play the project. Listen to the song 1-1 Alaska Sunrise.

While the song plays, watch the playhead (vertical red line) as it moves left to right along the Timeline.

The playhead simultaneously plays whatever regions (musical parts) it scrubs across in the Timeline.

Note

If you get a warning message that part of the song was not played, your computer may not meet the system requirements to play this song. Move the playhead to the beginning and try again. If you still get a warning message, read "Strategies for Minimizing Processor Load" (Bonus Exercises > Minimizing_Processor_Load.pdf) on the accompanying DVD.

For more information on system requirements and performance, see the introduction to this book, "Getting Started."

3.

Click the Play button again to stop playback.

Now you'll do the same thing using keyboard shortcuts.

4.

Press the Return, Home, or Z key to move the playhead to the beginning of the song.

Tip

If you're working on a laptop, use the Return or Z key to get to the beginning of the Timeline. On a laptop, the Home key is also the left arrow, so you need to hold down the function key first. The function key for Mac PowerBooks and MacBook Pro laptops is located in the lower-left corner of the keyboard and is labeled "fn."

5.

Press the spacebar to begin playback.

6.

Press the spacebar again to stop the playhead.

7.

Press Z, or click the Go to Beginning button to move the playhead back to the beginning of the Timeline.

I composed and recorded the original version of this song for a project I edited and scored in 1988 during the wildfires in Yellowstone Park. At the time the song was called "Splendor" and was inspired by the incredible wildlife and scenery, despite the charred ground and smoky surroundings. That was two decades ago, using what now seems like ancient recording technology, an audio engineer, and a studio full of equipment. If someone told me back then that I would be able to record and mix music with a simple program on my home computer, I probably would have laughed and said something skeptical like, "We'll have flying cars and robot maids before that happens!" Of course that was before GarageBand. (I'm still waiting for the flying cars and robot maids.)

I rerecorded and arranged the song after a trip to Alaska in 2002 where I was once again inspired by the scenery and wildlife. This book includes a portion of the song recorded and arranged using GarageBand.




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

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