GarageBand 101: Introduction to GarageBand '09

Course Description
Course Outline

This one-day, hands-on course introduces students to the features and interface of GarageBand '09, which is part of iLife. iLife is a suite of digital authoring tools that comes with every Mac: iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, iDVD, and iWeb. Whether you're an accomplished musician or student, GarageBand is the most rewarding way to create, perform and record your own music. Learn the interface and basic recording techniques, then move on to arranging a song, editing and mixing tracks, adding effects and distributing your music files.

Who Should Attend

This class is designed for anyone who prefers hands-on and interactive instruction to best explore the functionality of GarageBand '09. Students who want to prepare for the Apple Certified Associate, iLife exam may prefer to take the three-day iLife 201 course which covers all the applications in the iLife exam suite.

What You Will Learn

  • Turn your Mac into a full-featured recording studio
  • Arrange a song, edit and mix tracks, add effects and distribute your music
  • Use Magic GarageBand Jam to create your own virtual backing band
  • Create a podcast complete with narration, music, sound effects and artwork
  • Create an iPhone ringtone from scratch
  • Learn piano and guitar through interactive video lessons with legendary recording artists


Prerequisites

Students should have the following prerequisite knowledge prior to attending the course:

  • Basic knowledge of the Macintosh OS
  • Knowledge of basic audio terminology

Course Schedule

Day 1

Learning to Play Music with GarageBand

Opening GarageBand, Connecting Musical Instruments and a MIDI Instrument, Learning to Play Guitar or Piano, Exploring the Interface, Navigating Between Lesson Sections, Customizing the Lesson Workspace, Tuning and Recording During a Lesson, Changing a Lesson Mix, Downloading Learn to Play Lessons and Taking an Artist Lesson

Jamming with a Virtual Band

Selecting a Musical Genre, Navigating and Controlling Playback, Auditioning Virtual Musicians, Mixing Instruments in Magic GarageBand, Setting Up and Adding an Instrument, Recording a Part, and Opening and Saving a Song in GarageBand

Recording Music in GarageBand

Recording a Song, Choosing a Project Template, Identifying Regions and Tracks, Setting Up an Electric Guitar Track, Monitoring Input, Stereo vs. Mono, Tuning a Guitar, Using a Metronome or Drum Track, Adding a Drum Loop, Recording Single and Multiple Takes, Selecting a Best Take, Using Guitar Amps and Stompboxes, Saving Effects, Working with an Acoustic Guitar Track and Editing Multiple-Take Regions

Scoring a Movie and Arranging Loops

Scoring a QuickTime Movie, Importing Video, Creating a Cycle Region, Working with Loops, Using Alignment Guides and Snapping, Trimming a Loop, Working with Software Instrument Loops, Splitting a Loop Region, Using Advanced Arranging Techniques, Changing Track Instruments, Duplicating and Transposing Regions, Working with Sound Effects and Archiving a Project

Creating an iPhone Ringtone

Opening a Ringtone Template, Recording a New Software Instrument Part, Playing the Onscreen Music Keyboard, Sending a Ringtone to iTunes, Exploring a Voice Ringtone, Editing a Real Instrument Voice Track, Editing Regions in the Editor and Merging Real Instrument Regions

Mixing Music and Effects

Creating a Basic Mix, Adjusting the Tempo, Using the Arrange Track, Working with the Track Mixer, Adjusting Levels, Reading the Level Meter, Using the Pan Dial, Balancing Levels for Tracks, Adding Effects, Locking Tracks, Working with Volume and Pan Automation Curves, Showing Volume Curves, Adding and Adjusting Control Points, Dynamically Panning a Track, Working with the Master Track, Understanding the Volume Controls, Fading Out the Master Track, Testing your Trained Ear and Ducking Background Tracks

Creating Podcasts

Creating a New Podcast Project, Showing and Hiding the Podcast Track, Browser and Editor, Choosing Podcast Recording Equipment, Exploring the Vocal Track Presets, Adding the Speech Enhancer Effects to Recorded Vocal Tracks, Importing a GarageBand Project, Saving a Project with iLife Preview, Adding a GarageBand Project from the Media Browser, Working with Artwork and Markers, Adding Artwork to the Browser, Adding Episode Artwork to the Project, Working with the Artwork Editor, Building a Marker Title Sequence, Editing Marker Regions, Viewing Additional Marker Information, Adding a URL to a Marker and Adding Episode Information to a Podcast

Sharing your Finished Projects

Sharing with Other iLife Applications, Exporting Projects to iTunes, Setting Preferences for iTunes, Evaluating a Song's Output Level, Sending a Song to iTunes, Exporting a Project as a QuickTime Movie, Sharing a Project with iDVD, Adding and Editing Markers, Sending a Movie to iDVD and Sending a Podcast to iWeb


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To Register

Check the course schedule for a list of courses available for registration at Apple Authorized Training Centers worldwide.

Build Credibility. Get Certified.

This course covers some of the knowledge necessary to pass the iLife Level One exam and earn Apple Certified Associate, iLife certification. Students who want to prepare for the exam may prefer to take the iLife 201 course.

Apple Authorized Training Centers offer exams either as part of the course or separately.

Apple Pro Training Series Book

The book for this course is GarageBand ’09, by Mary Plummer. Click here for a 30% discount code.