B.5. Control Menu

The commands here are the only menu commands related to recording and editingthe meat of your GarageBand time.

B.5.1. Metronome

This command turns the steady clicking of the GarageBand metronome on or off. (Whether it plays only during recording, or during both playback and recording, depends on what you've selected in the GarageBand Preferences General dialog box.)

Keyboard shortcut : -U.

B.5.2. Count In

When a checkmark appears next to this menu command, GarageBand will count you in to a new recording by clicking off one measure (that is, four clicks in 4/4 time) before the recording actually starts to roll. The idea is to get you into the feeling and the tempo of the piece before you start playing. It's the software equivalent of your garage band drummer saying, "And-a one! Two! Three! Four!"

B.5.3. Snap to Grid

An underlying rhythm grid is everywhere in GarageBand, helping you to line up notes and regions with each other to keep the music in sync. You determine the value of this grid using the pop-up menu shown in Figure B-3. And you determine whether or not notes and regions snap into position with the grid lines by using this command. When a checkmark appears here, you'll find it impossible to drag notes or regions horizontally anywhere except aligned with a grid line. (When no checkmark appears, you're free to slide notes or regions horizontally anywhere you like.)

Figure B-3. Use this pop-up menu to specify the rhythmic unit of the grid lines that appear in the timeline and the Track Editor. Actually, as you can see here, the timeline and Track Editor each have their own Grid value pop-up menu.

The Track Editor has its own grid pop-up menu, which controls how GarageBand quantizes selected notes (Section 5.5), as well as the value of any new notes that you create by -clicking in the Track Editor.

Keyboard shortcut : -G.

B.5.4. Show Loop Browser/Hide Loop Browser

This command shows or hides the Loop browser at the bottom of the GarageBand window, the array of buttons or columns that help you find a prerecorded loop for use in your piece. It's the menu-bar equivalent of clicking the little eyeball icon at the lower-left corner of the GarageBand window.

Keyboard shortcut : -L.

B.5.5. Show Editor/Hide Editor

This command shows or hides the Track Editor at the bottom of the GarageBand windowthe special editing window where the individual notes in a green Software Instrument region appear as horizontal bars, and blue or purple Real Instrument regions as a waveform graph. Using this menu bar command is the same as clicking the little pair-of-scissors button at the lower-left corner of the GarageBand window.

Keyboard shortcut : -E.

B.5.6. Show Instrument Tuner

GarageBand 2 can help you tune up an instrument, as described on Section 9.7. When you choose this command, the little display that usually shows your location in beats and measures changes to become a "too flat/too sharp" meter as you play single notes on your violin, flute, guitar, or whatever.

Keyboard shortcut : -F. Or just click the little tuning-fork icon in the beat-counter display.