| GarageBand 2 allows you to record up to 8 Real Instrument tracks and 1 Software Instrument track at the same time. This lets you record instruments and vocals together, as well as additional backing tracks in any combination you choose. To record multiple tracks simultaneously, you will need to use an audio interface with at least 2 input channels for recording. I'm currently using the Edirol FA-101, which connects to the computer through FireWire and has up to 10 inputs and 10 outputs. Although my interface can handle up to 10 different channels at a time, GarageBand is still limited to 9 (8 Real Instrument tracks and 1 Software Instrument track). To record multiple tracks simultaneously, you must first create the tracks and turn on the Record Enable button for each track. If you enable more than 8 Real Instrument tracks or 1 Software instrument track, the first track you enabled will be disabled for recording just to prevent you from exceeding the maximum number of recording tracks. Let's take a look at two Real Instrument guitar tracks that were recorded simultaneously. 1. | Choose File > Open and open the project 9-3 Track Editor from the Lesson_09 folder.
| 2. | If you get a dialog box asking if you want to save the project, click Save to keep your changes from the previous project.
The project opens with 4 guitar tracks. The lower tracks have been muted because they are the finished tracks for the next exercise. You'll be working with the top 2 tracks. When I recorded this section, the Record Enable buttons were on for both tracks. However, when you open the saved project, you'll see a Record Enable button active for only the selected track.
| 3. | Play the two guitar tracks together.
This is how it sounded when the two guitars played simultaneously in the recording studio. I panned the top track toward the left and the lower track toward the right to emulate the positions of the two musicians in the room.
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Tips for Recording Multiple Tracks Practice, practice, practice. I don't mean to sound like your music teacher here, but if you're recording five musicians plus a vocalist at the same time and somebody hasn't done their homework, it's going to be a very long day. If you're used to playing a song along with the other musicians, it will be more comfortable for you to record multiple tracks at once. If you are a vocalist who also plays guitar, piano, or some other instrument, this is a terrific way to record your song demos. It's much easier for many artists to get into the groove if they can play their instrument while singing or vice versa. Don't rush it, and don't try to record the entire song at once if you're not ready. If you followed along with the exercises in Lesson 4, you already know that you don't have to record the whole song perfectly from start to finish. You can always edit the parts together later. Record the difficult parts separately. If your song contains a tricky section, record it separately so that you can focus on that section, rather than try to perfect it along with the rest of the song. Also, if you have one musician who is having trouble keeping up or continually making mistakes, have him sit this one out while you record the other parts. Then create a practice CD that the musician can use for homework (see Lesson 8). The musician can come back in and record his part solo when he's ready. Don't forget to tune your instruments before you record. It's much easier to record in tune than try to fix it later. Record your tracks, especially vocals, cleanthat is, without too many effects from external devices. You can always add effects, like the guitar amplifier simulators or vocal effects presets that come with GarageBand, after you record the track. If you record a vocal instrument with too many external effects, you won't be able to change your mind lateror remove the effects. Have fun, learn from your mistakes, and remember you can always undo, try again, record a punch-in, or fix them in the Track Editor.
Speaking of the Track Editor, let's move on to some advanced editing techniques. |
