Bill, et al,
Here is some info on Apples's Garageband (excerpted from a recent
issues of TidBITS, a Mac newsletter); be advised that it requires a
600MHz processor or faster, G3 or later and runs only under Mac OS X
(for more info, go to the imbedded URLs):
**GarageBand** -- According to Apple, about half of U.S.
households include someone who can play a musical instrument.
While several of us attending the keynote tried to determine how
all of those people manage to hide their talents, Apple announced
GarageBand, a program that enables even the casual musician to
play over 50 software-based instruments (such as pianos, drum
kits, basses, organs, and UFOs from outer space) using any USB or
MIDI keyboard or controller, digitally mix up to 64 tracks, and
integrate live audio, whether recorded from a microphone or an
electric instrument plugged in to the Macintosh. In traditional
Apple fashion, GarageBand's interface is fairly simple to
understand and use. Like iTunes's playlists or iPhoto's albums,
you click a plus-sign icon to add new instruments, then customize
their specific sounds (such as adding distortion or using a
British Invasion guitar sound).
<http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/>
The software offers over 1,000 music loops (professionally
produced drum beats and backing tracks), 200 pro-quality audio
effects (from traditional echoes and phasing to wacky filters),
plus a small collection of vintage and modern guitar amplifier
emulations to intrigue the Hendrix wanna-be in your household.
When you've recorded and tweaked your next chart-topping hit to
your satisfaction, GarageBand offers one-click export to iTunes;
from there, you can share your work with other iTunes users and
other iLife applications, transfer it to an iPod, or burn your
magnum opus to CD. (During the keynote we were commenting that the
only thing missing is a "Sell my song on iTunes" button that would
upload it to the iTunes Music Store.)
<http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/accessories.html>
In addition to GarageBand's default sounds and tones, Apple also
offers the $100 GarageBand Jam Pack with 2,000 additional loops
and over 100 additional software instruments. Apple is also
selling an M-Audio 49-key USB keyboard (like a piano keyboard,
not a typewriter keyboard!) for playing software instruments.
eB
>Robert,
>
>Are you saying that the stable of instruments that comes with garage
>band (for building tracks) includes a koto? I'd be pleasantly but
>definitely surprised. I've been curious as to how Garage Band
>compares to other digital recording programs. Apple does have the
>knack of making software intuitive to use. Does it have good
>"outboard gear" built in such as delays, echos, reverbs, EQ,
>compression, etc.? Thanks.
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