Microsoft look to be taking a step in the same direction as Apple. It’s not what you might imagine. We’re not talking an OS, tablet or hardware computer. Surprisingly it appears to be music making software.
Logic Pro has been solely available for Macintosh since Apple acquired eMagic in 2002. Microsoft don’t have their own DAW (digital Audio Workstation) or music software, instead relying on 3rd-party software developers. Most of the major DAWs are cross-platform except GarageBand, Logic Pro and FL Studio (which is coming soon to Mac).
Arguably, this is one (of many?) advantages Apple has had over Microsoft. By developing their own creative software for Mac musicians Apple, in theory, are able to integrate hardware and software more closely. But, also, they are able to appeal to musicians, producers and the like by offering GarageBand (entry-level, but very capable music making software) for free to all Mac users. With Logic priced at just a couple of hundred dollars it's cheap compared to most independently owned DAWs like Ableton Live or Steinberg's Cubase and is a logical step up for existing GarageBand users too. We imagine Microsoft would like to woo the creative audience over from Apple and provide a music making pathway for their machines in much the same way.
Via this thread on the KVR forums, Microsoft are evidently looking to make bigger moves into the world of music software. Job listings were posted for Senior product manager (digital audio software) and Senior music software engineer. The original poster added this is for making “the future of music creation in multiple dimensions.’ It would appear Microsoft aren’t then focusing on the more traditional DAWs like Ableton Live, Cubase, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, etc. The idea of multi dimensional music software conjures visions of augmented reality / VR, gesture-based controllers, fusing studio production and live performance.
Sep 26, 2019 GarageBand offers easy music recording for novices and pros alike, and it comes free with every Mac. The app is still the best way to learn piano or guitar on a computer and easily earns our. Apr 05, 2020 Learn To Master GarageBand for Mac in This Complete Beginners GarageBand Course and Create Two Full Tracks From Scratch 4.3 (106 ratings) Course Ratings are calculated from individual students’ ratings and a variety of other signals, like age of rating and reliability, to ensure that they reflect course quality fairly and accurately. Dec 05, 2018 Composition and mixing instructor John Davies explores the surprising differences and similarities of GarageBand and Logic Pro X. Learn these techniques in-depth on any of. Add percussion to your GarageBand song using Drummer If you can't record audio after a macOS Mojave update After installing macOS Mojave on your Mac, you might not be able to record audio in Logic Pro X, MainStage, GarageBand, Final Cut Pro X, or third-party audio and video apps. May 12, 2014 Mainstage will install all six JamPacks with hundreds of additional sampler instruments (guitars, basses, horns, pianos, harps, organs, drums, many ethnic instruments, like flutes and strings, bagpipes, accordions.) and many more Apple Loops. You can use them directly in GarageBand wthout any additional setup.
We expect Microsoft music software to run on the Surface Pro
From the senior product manager's job description:
'As a senior program manager in the group, you will use your background in digital audio software, virtual instruments, or game audio platforms to partner with our Audio Engine team to prototype and build a software platform that enables new music entertainment scenarios. You will research customer habits and difficulties in digital music creation, audio software tech, and identify differentiated experiences for our team. You will craft feature specs that drive new ideas in software technology that enable music expression and enjoyment.'
It’s not unprecedented for Microsoft to target musicians and producers. Our own Thavius Beck put pen to surface in this video showcasing the workflow and performance when using Bitwig with the Microsoft Surface Book tablet/computer. https://ask.audio/articles/8-reasons-why-microsoft-surface-book-could-be-better-than-ipad-for-music-makers
'Senior Program Manager (Digital Audio Software): https://careers.microsoft.com/jobdetails.aspx?ss=&pg=0&so=&rw=1&jid=304496&jlang=EN&pp=SS
Senior Music Software Engineer: https://careers.microsoft.com/jobdetails.aspx?ss=&pg=0&so=&rw=1&jid=320824&jlang=en&pp=ss '
Whatever Microsoft are actually working on music software wise, stay tuned to AskAudio to find out more when it is revealed. And if you’re an experienced program manager or music software engineer follow the links above to check out the job vacancies at Microsoft.
[Via: KVR]
Microsoft Surface Book vs Apple iPad for Music Makers: https://ask.audio/articles/8-reasons-why-microsoft-surface-book-could-be-better-than-ipad-for-music-makers
Learn music production tips, tricks and techniques in the AskAudio Academy. We're not Apple or Microsoft... we make education for music hardware, software and techniques accessible. Help yourself and support us in the process. Get instant karma and learn music production in the process: https://ask.audio/academy
Recording
Editor Rating: Excellent (4.5)
There's been a seismic shift in how records are made. A couple of decades ago, it took a mountain of gear to make an album. Now, you can do it with the built-in software that comes with every Apple computer, thanks to the free GarageBand. Unlike the cartoonish version that debuted in the early aughts, the new GarageBand features a surprisingly serious presentation that roughly mirrors the high-end Logic Pro X digital audio workstation, or DAW. Although GarageBand lacks Logic's amazing flexibility, vast array of instruments, and powerful mixing and mastering features, it's almost as powerful when it comes to handling other tasks. The fact that GarageBand is free makes the app all the better, and a clear Editors' Choice for entry-level recording software.
Setup and User Interface
For this review, I tested GarageBand 10.3.2 on a 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM and macOS Mojave. To use this app, you must plug in a USB-compatible MIDI keyboard and either a pair of headphones or a small pair of desktop speakers. For plugging in an electric guitar or bass, or connecting microphones to record vocals and other acoustic instruments, you'll need an audio interface of some kind, such as the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (3rd Gen) or the PreSonus AudioBox USB 96.
GarageBand's basic interface layout mimics that of Logic Pro X and other proper multitrack software. I vastly prefer this to GarageBand's old design, which tried to imitate a four-track tabletop recorder. When you first create a project, you're tasked with selecting a template for the kind of music you want to record, as well as an empty project you can populate from scratch. Selecting one brings up the main interface. The top-right portion of the window is where you add and mix new tracks. You click any recorded data to bring up an editor in the bottom portion of the display. Here you can switch between piano roll and score views, an audio editor, and, where appropriate, an EQ tab that displays a beautiful, clean-sounding parametric equalizer for the given track.
The left side of the display shows your selected instrument. The top bar includes icons for triggering the various windows, a transport bar for recording and playback, an LED-style readout for the current beat, bar, tempo, meter, and other information, icons for loop recording, a guitar tuner, a count off, and a metronome. It's easy to resize the various windows and zoom levels using the on-screen sliders. To the far right, you can launch a Notes page, an audio loop browser, and a media drawer for recorded audio and movies you want to sync music to. Apple also added support for the Force Touch trackpad and Touch Bar that come built into the latest MacBook Pros.
Recording, Smart Controls, and Remote
Recording is as simple as arming a track and clicking the Record icon. You can record at 24 bits with a mic, if you have a USB-powered one or an audio interface with a mic preamp into which you can plug a microphone. You can record and mix up to 255 tracks, and only your audio interface limits how many you can record simultaneously. You can easily record multiple takes, and comp them. With version 10.3.2, you can drag and drop on-the-fly Voice Memo recordings of your latest idea right into GarageBand.
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Basic editing is simple, but if you want to really dig into GarageBand, advanced features are available, too. Flex Time lets you massage the groove of a given audio track, while Groove Matching perfectly matches the timing, tempo, and feel of the other tracks to the one you have set up. These are surprisingly transparent sounding, as long as you use them within reason.
There's still no proper mixing board. Instead, you use the left side of the Arrangement window as a mixer, with horizontal sliders on each track. There's a reverb effect, and you can pan tracks from left to right in the stereo field; you can also apply compression to recorded audio tracks. GarageBand includes a basic mastering track to boost your levels and get a finished sound, though it's nothing like what you'd get in a professional-level digital audio workstation, such as Logic Pro X or Pro Tools. Still, it's a much-appreciated inclusion in a free recording app.
GarageBand works with the excellent Logic Remote app that's available free on iOS devices. You can use your iPad or iPhone to wirelessly play any GarageBand instrument on the Mac, adjust the Smart Controls for individual sounds, and otherwise edit and arrange your project. It also has built-in transport controls, so you can record with a guitar or vocals on one side of the room while you remotely start and stop the Mac on the other side using Logic Remote. This process used to require the use of a $1,000 hardware control surface and a professional digital audio workstation program; now it's free on your phone or tablet.
Taking another page from Logic Pro X, GarageBand boasts Smart Controls that highlight the most effective parameters to tweak for a given sound, and present knobs, buttons, and sliders for you to adjust, depending on the instrument. You can now record performances with Smart Controls, too, letting you shape and evolve sounds in real time that then get printed to the track as automation data.
Garageband Like Software For Mac Free
Many Instruments
There's a solid sound library built in, and Apple has been continually adding to it over the past several years; you no longer need to pay $4.99 to get extra sounds. Out of the box, you get an array of sweet-sounding acoustic and electronic drums, electric and acoustic basses, and a small variety of synth pads, leads, and basses. There's a nice acoustic piano, electric piano, clavinet, and tonewheel organ, new Mellotron patches, and acoustic and clean electric guitars. The orchestral instruments contain several choir samples, a harp, and a pipe organ, in addition to the usual strings, brass, woodwinds, and percussion. A new Chinese instrument section includes the Erhu and Pipa, and for Japan, the Guzheng, Koto, and a set of Taiko drums.
Guitar and bass players can plug in and choose from a selection of 28 instrument-specific amps and cabinets with a choice of several microphones, plus 35 separate stomp boxes and a handy tuner. You also get Drummer, a virtual session player plug-in that accompanies your tracks with one of 28 players. Drop one on a track, and you'll get an automatic groove you can tune in real time to simplify or busy up the playing. GarageBand 10.3 adds two new players for roots and jazz-influenced brushwork. More than 3,000 Apple Loops help get you started in a variety of genres, and there's even a library of 400 sound effects for basic post-production work. (Note: You'll need to download most of the sounds separately by heading to GarageBand > Sound Library and selecting Download All Sounds; they're not included in the initial App Store download.)
Across the board, the patches sound good to excellent. I particularly like the Steinway piano and the acoustic stand-up bass. GarageBand supports third-party AU plug-ins, so you could buy or download free virtual instruments and add to your sonic repertoire—and those will of course carry over if you upgrade to Logic Pro X or another professional DAW. A quick check around the internet revealed people having trouble with existing third-party plug-ins, so check each manufacturer's website for updated compatibility with GarageBand.
Options, Options, Options
GarageBand comes with 40 free basic guitar and piano lessons you can download; to get started with these, click Learn to Play in the New Project window. Each lesson provides real-time feedback as you play to show you what you've done correctly or incorrectly. The Lesson Store is no longer; you now get more than 20 free downloadable artist lessons from famous artists such as Sara Bareiles, John Legend, Rush, and Sting, playing their signature hits and showing you how to do so. Apple used to charge $5 a pop for these, so this is an excellent freebie.
There are plenty of online sharing options for social networks, as well as the ability to export to MP3, SoundCloud, iTunes, or a custom ringtone file for your phone. You can also save projects to iCloud, or better yet, start a project on GarageBand on the iPad or iPhone, save it, and then open it in GarageBand on the desktop. You can now import projects from the iOS Music Memos app, as well.
Garageband Software For MacStunningly Versatile
GarageBand is incredibly powerful for a free DAW. There are lower-cost DAWs on the PC side that come in at under $100, such as Cockos Reaper and Studio One Artist, but there's nothing free with this much power and this many included sounds. If you prefer a full mixing console, many more instruments and effects, pitch correction, proper mastering, and other pro editing features, Logic Pro X—also an Editors' Choice for Mac users—is an excellent buy at $199. All told, you can't beat GarageBand for getting started making music, immediately and affordably.
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