How To Edit and Format in Garage Band

How To Edit and Format in Garage Band
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Garage Band: Editing and Formatting

Now that we have a 16 count loop from our previous discussion/lesson we will discover some basic editing features for GarageBand. In keeping with the previous article we will use a step by step approach here as well. This will allow you to understand how to manipulate and import both music and video into your GarageBand project. So here we go!

Step 1 – Open your GarageBand project entitled DEMO. Let’s say you like the clip but want it to last longer. You could go back and click and drag the same content or you can do the following. This first editing piece we want to do is a simple copy and paste. Click on the loop to highlight and then go to the Edit on the menu and click on copy or apple command and C. You then align the red line by clicking and dragging it to the end of the first loop. Go back to edit and now click paste or Apple command and V. This will give you a duplicate track. You can repeat this as often as you want and in each instrument as well.

Step 2 – In the very bottom right corner of GarageBand you will find three icons. An eye which is the loops we have been working with, an i which is specific instruments that we might create (we have not done this yet) and some music notes. This last one is the media browser. Any pictures, movies or audio tracks you have stored in iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD and Photo Booth are already accessible in this icon. Click on this icon to see what you have available. Then choose a few pictures to add to this project. Click on the picture and drag it to the place within the loop you want it to appear. It will load itself and appear at the top as a Podcast track. This also works with your movie or video clips.

Step 3 – In this final step we will add a voice over. To do this go to the bottom left hand corner and click on the + sign. You will see three choices. Choose the real instrument choice locate in the middle of the three choices. This will give you a track that says no effects. Then depending upon whether you are male of female go to the right side and choose the appropriate voice from the list. It should be noted here that if you have a Mac with a built in microphone you can speak or even paly an instrument right into the computer and it will record. You can also use the Mac Snoball to record by plugging it in to your audio jack. For me I am choosing the Male Basic. You then place the red cursor where you want to start recording and then click on the record button at the bottom center of the GarageBand page. Before recording however, go to the Control on the top menu and click the metronome so that it is unchecked. If you do not do this you will get a click on every beat while you are speaking. You are now ready to do your voice over. Again you should write down what you want to say but if you goof simply stop the recoding, click on the voice track, go to edit and delete. You can then start over repeating the process we just discussed..

You now have a basic project that can be saved in your GarageBand file or shared by going to the Share file on the top menu bar. If you export it to disk, this can go to your desktop or CD Rom or whatever you choose. Now that you have a basic idea I will discuss some advanced editing, downloading and creation ideas for GarageBand in our next article.

This post is part of the series: GarageBand - What It Is and How to Use It

This is a series of articles on what and how to use the GarageBand software on your Mac. Learn all about the basics of understanding how to work with GarageBand in these step-by-step tutorials that will help you learn the basic functions and navigation of GarageBand.

  1. GarageBand - What It Is And How It Works
  2. GarageBand - Editing and Formatting