CNET Editors' note: The "Download Now" link directs you to the iTunes App Store, where you must continue the download process. You must have iTunes installed in order to open the link, and you must have an active iTunes account to download the application. This download may not be available in some countries.
CNET Editors' review
by: Jason Parker on November 02, 2011
GarageBand already has a long history on the Mac, letting people use intuitive controls and a huge library of instruments and prerecorded loops to create songs. But for the iOS version, Apple needed to come up with creative ways to record music using only a touch-screen interface, and we think the company did an amazing job. The iPad version was released in March 2011, but the app has now gone universal in the latest version, letting you record and create songs on your iPhone and iPod Touch as well.
As a general overview, GarageBand offers several Touch Instruments, guitar amps and effects, eight-track recording and mixing, and more than 250 loops to play with. You can export AAC files of your projects through e-mail or add them to iTunes.
Immediately upon launch, GarageBand makes it easy to get started creating a song. Simply choose an instrument and start playing around with GarageBand's many options. GarageBand offers instruments you can play in real time like their real-world counterparts, but you also have the option to play Smart Instruments that do most of the heavy lifting for you. Every instrument has its own specific theme, giving all of them their own feel as you play. Some instruments even have added controls such as effects boxes you can turn on and off to fine-tune your sound.
Using the smart keyboard, for example, lays out all your chords in the chosen key. This means that just about whatever you press will probably go together in a song. You can change the key by touching the wrench in the upper-right corner of the screen. Using a combination of bass notes on the bottom and chords at the top, it's easy to create a nice-sounding song, even if you have very little experience playing the piano.
Similarly, the smart guitar offers a different layout that lets you play chords with a swipe of your finger. You also have the ability to switch to individual notes and actually bend guitar strings for your big rock solos. All of the Smart Instruments come with a few prerecorded segments so you can just tap a key and let the app play for you. Drums can be played manually on touch-screen drum kits or drum-machine-like layouts. But as with the other instruments, you can choose smart drums to make things easier. Simply drag and place drum set pieces onto a grid to experiment, or hit the dice icon in the lower left for a random layout. It's clear that Apple spent a lot of time on how to make music creation easy even for people with no musical experience.
Once you've been inspired by some of the instruments, you can record a couple of tracks, then look at the track layout section to add or remove tracks, manage track volume, and play with effects like reverb, track panning, and echo. Tracks are laid out horizontally with controls on the left and a graphical representation of your recorded notes on the right. As you become more advanced, you can touch the settings icon in the upper right and use quantization tools to match up complex tracks to cover up your less-than-perfect rhythm.
The track screen is also where you'll find GarageBand's prerecorded loops. Once you find something you like by instrument, genre, and other descriptors, just drag and drop the loop onto your track screen to add it to your song. We were able to put together loops and create a great-sounding song without ever playing a note. The cool thing about GarageBand for iOS is that you decide how involved you want to be with the actual music creation process. You can record your real-time playing of an instrument, use a prerecorded loop, or choose to let GarageBand play the instrument while you select the keys.
With tons of uniquely designed and authentic-sounding instruments, a smart touch interface, and tools that make song creation easy, we think it's a miracle this app is only $4.99. Anyone with even a passing interest in creating music should download GarageBand for iOS. Frankly, we wish we could give it more than five stars for the virtually unlimited song possibilities, ease of use, and excellent touch-screen controls. If you have an iOS device and like music, you should definitely buy this app.
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Publisher's Description
GarageBand for iPad turns your iPad into a collection of Touch Instruments and a full-featured recording studio, so you can make music anywhere you go. Use Multi-Touch gestures to play pianos, organs, guitars, drums, and basses on your iPad. They sound and play like their counterparts, but let you do things you could never do on a real instrument. Plug an electric guitar into your iPad and play through classic amps and stompbox effects. Use the built-in microphone or a guitar to record, or capture any performance. Then mix up to eight tracks to create a song you can share.
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