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How to Make a Rock Song on Garageband

Apple's GarageBand, a basic audio and MIDI recording and editing studio included with OS X, includes tools and presets for creating music of a variety of genres with minimal work or musical knowledge. The "Magic GarageBand" option includes royalty-free, pre-recorded audio loops, as well as complete performances, by professional musicians. Using these as accompaniment, even inexperienced musicians can create a rock, jazz, blues or country song in a few steps with GarageBand.

Instructions

    • 1

      Open GarageBand. When the project selection dialog appears, click on "Magic GarageBand."

    • 2

      Click on the "Rock" icon and click "Choose." GarageBand will load the rock preset and the Magic GarageBand interface will appear. It resembles a stage with instruments appropriate to the chosen genre ranged around it. The instrument at center stage represents your instrument input. By default, the image will be of a piano. The other instruments are controlled by GarageBand.

    • 3

      Choose tones for each instrument controlled by GarageBand. Click on each in turn. When you click, a menu of available tones will appear at the bottom of the screen. For example, when you click on the guitar, a list of available tones such as "honky-tonk" and "punk" will appear. Choose a tone you like by clicking on its icon.

    • 4

      Preview the song by clicking "Play." The background music over which you will record a unique track will play back. Listen to it a few times to get a feel for the song.

    • 5

      Click on the piano representing your instrument input. A menu of options appears at the bottom of the GarageBand screen. From the drop-down menu, choose your desired instrument input. For example, if you are playing a guitar connected to an audio interface, choose the audio interface from the menu.

    • 6

      Click "Record" when you are ready. Anything you play will be recorded over the Magic GarageBand track. You can record as many times as you like -- each take will be saved for later listening.

    • 7

      Open the project in regular GarageBand by clicking on the "Open in GarageBand" icon in the lower right part of the screen. GarageBand will open the song as a standard GarageBand project. Each instrument, including your recordings, will be represented by its own track. From here, you can mix and master the track as desired.

    • 8

      Open the "File" menu and choose "Save" to save the track.

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