iLife '04: The Missing Manual

Recording a MIDI Track

Whether your keyboard is on the screen or on your desk, virtual or physical, you use it to record in GarageBand the same way. Here’s the routine:

1. Click the track you want to fill with music.

   Remember, it must be a Software Instrument (green) track.

   If you don’t already have a green track ready to record, choose Track → New Track to create one. In the New Track (Track Info) dialog box, click the Software Instrument tab, and then choose the instrument sound you want (Figure 26-3). Click OK.

2. Turn on the metronome, if you like.

   A metronome is a steady beat clicker that’s familiar to generations of musicians. By clicking away “1, 2, 3, 4! 1, 2, 3, 4!” it helps to keep you and GarageBand in sync.

   Use the Control → Metronome command, or the

   

   -U keystroke, to turn the metronome clicker on or off. (See the box below.)

   Tip

   On the General pane of GarageBand → Preferences, you can indicate whether or not you want the metronome to play during playback, or only when you’re recording.

3. Choose a tempo for recording.

   This is a very important step. Because you’re using a sequencer (recording software) instead of a tape recorder, it makes no difference how slowly you record the part. You can record at 60 beats per minute, for example, which is basically one note per second—and then play back the recording at a virtuosic “Flight of the Bumblebee” tempo (229 beats per minute, say). Your ...