- Introduction
- Don't wait for the 'right' time to record your ideas; use GarageBand for iOS on your mobile device ASAP
- Use Tap Tempo and the Metronome to set the pace for your song
- Use the Record Enable buttons to record a scratch/tracking vocal and guitar or keyboard simultaneously
- Use the Editors or Guitar Tuner to show which notes you've already played
- Add grooving keyboard, bass, strings, or guitar tracks with Smart Touch Instruments
- Instantly fix timing issues with Groove Tracks
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Don’t wait for the ’right’ time to record your ideas; use GarageBand for iOS on your mobile device ASAP
Let’s face it: Life happens, and inspiration usually strikes while you’re busy doing something else. Chances are that catchy melodies, riffs, or lyrics pop into your head when you’re in the middle of some other life task: working, driving, sitting in a classroom, walking the dog, babysitting, doing dishes. Unfortunately, by the time you finally get around to recording it, the idea is gone. Next time, don’t wait—or at least not too long.
Safety first! If you’re driving, pull over and park. At work? Take a quick break. Offer to get your boss some coffee. Do whatever it takes to move to a quiet spot and record your idea. It takes only a few minutes—maybe just seconds—to record a melody, riff, or lyrical phrase; with GarageBand, you don’t even need your guitar, keyboard, or computer. On your iOS device, open GarageBand, start a new song, and choose microphone as the instrument; then hum, sing, whistle, or speak your idea. Figure 1 shows my niece, Jorin Plummer, taking a quick break from homework to record an idea.
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The purpose of this recording is to keep you from forgetting your idea; you can use this reminder to rerecord later. So don’t worry about background noise, or if you make mistakes. Just record your idea, and get right back to the life activity you briefly interrupted.
The next time you have an idea for the same song, record it in the same “idea” project. You can record to a new track, or just add onto the current track. Your “idea” project is just to collect musical fragments or phrases as they come to you. You’ll re-create or rerecord those ideas in a different project later.