Apogee JAM is a USB guitar interface for connecting and recording studio quality electric guitar or bass with GarageBand on iPad, iPhone and Mac. IPhone 5, iPad. Portable enough to slip in your pocket, the Apogee JAM 96K is a great way to jam, record and practice using your iPhone, iPad, or Mac computer. Connect it to your iOS device or Mac desktop or laptop and you’re ready to access Apple’s GarageBand or any other.
- Guitar Rig 5 Player Download
- Connect Guitar To Garageband
- Garageband For Ipad Manual
- How To Use Garageband Ipad
- Guitar Rig 5 Garageband Ipad Download
More then ever, it has become easier to lay down your song ideas while on the move. With GarageBand for iPad, we are also closer then ever to having a full professional recording studio in a very thin package. And at a price of $4.99, who can complain? For those who are just starting out, here's a first tutorial on recording guitar to get you and your iPad rocking.
Setup and Equipment needed
First off before even starting the application, you should get the hardware you need to enable you to record your guitar to your iPad. There are two basic input types you need to consider:
- Guitar Input for Electric Guitar and Bass (IK Multimedia iRig, Apogee Jam, AmpKit Link)
- Mic Input for acoustic guitar (IK Multimedia iRig Mic, Blue Yeti Pro -- requires Apple's Camera Connection Kit)
L to R: IK Multimedia's iRig, Blue Yeti Mic, Apple's Camera Connection Kit
Guitar Amp
Launch GarageBand for iPad and plug your guitar into the iRig. On the left of the screen is a ' 1/4' jack' button which lets you add a noise gate. Handy for those distorted tones. Next to it is the guitarist's best friend: the Tuner... no excuses for a flat g-string!
In the middle, you can select from different amp combinations and even save settings of your own. You can also swipe the amps to keep the same preset settings and try these settings on different amps.
On the far right is the 'pedals' section. Here you can add up to 4 pedals, change their effects level and remove pedals. To get back to the amp section, tap the 'Amp' icon on the right of the screen. One nice thing about GB for iPad is that you can change the amps settings after you've recorded your part and even create your own presets for future recordings.
Audio Recorder
Guitar Rig 5 Player Download
If you want to record acoustic guitar, you can use the iPad's built in microphone but I would recommend looking at Blue Microphone's 'Yeti Pro' or Apogee's upcoming 'Mic' to add a professional sheen to your recordings. When you first open Audio Recorder it gives you a VU meter to check your audio input levels. A noise gate is also available by tapping on the '1/4' plug' icon.
Once you record a take, you can then add processing to the sound from a preset selection that include effects and voice transformers. The effects also give you sliders for compression, reverb, chorus, etc. depending on the effect you choose.
Recording Tips!
First and foremost... PRACTICE! GB on the iPad does not allow editing like GB on a Mac and you don't get features like Flex Time, multiple takes, pitch correction, etc. Also, you will have to play the parts at the tempo of the song unlike those who slow a song down, record their part, and speed it up after. While some would look at this as a detriment, I look at it as positive growth for musical skills and it ultimately gives you a better understanding of your song. After all, becoming a better musician is a life long process and not a means to an end.
After recording an electric guitar you have plenty of options to affect the tone as the amps have EQ and FX pedals to compress, etc. If you want to record feedback on the electric guitar, you will need to connect the output to your speakers and boost the main volume. But... be careful as each amp/guitar has it's own characteristics for feedback and some are just plain uncontrollable ear-piercing squeals. Layering guitars also has the usual big sound but also eats up tracks so planning is crucial.
Connect Guitar To Garageband
Also, when planning your song parts, take into account that GB for iPad does things in 'sections' and only up to 10 sections. While this may not seem like a big deal, you will want to figure out the parts/sections of your song beforehand. For example, song intro, verse 1, pre-chorus, verse 2 with added guitar, pre-chorus with organ, Chorus, verse 3 with less instruments, bridge, intro, Chorus, Chorus 2, End, etc. You can put the 'Sections' into 'Automatic' mode which gives you whatever amount of bars you want i.e. Record intro and verse 1 together.
Garageband For Ipad Manual
When recording an acoustic guitar or instrument, be sure to try different takes with your USB microphone or iPad mic on different spots and distances from the guitar. Mic placement is very critical to get a decent sound. For example, placing a mic close to the sound hole of the guitar can add unwanted bass frequencies. Although with the iPad mic I found this to be the best spot.
Also, there are No EQ Frequency bands to allow you to fix things after recording. For a brighter tone, consider newer strings or a harder pick. If using the iPad's mic, make sure your room is as quiet as possible, because it'll pick up every little sound as the signal to noise ratio is not great. Another trick is to use the Guitar Amp settings for EQ control. I found the most natural to be the Clean Combo setting with the gain off. As you increase the gain, it adds some crunch to the tone. This way you can EQ somewhat and even add some nice compression and chorus. Even playing with the Noise Gate setting gave some interesting results. Metal Acoustic! Experimentation is key.
Stay tuned for more GarageBand for iPad tips and tutorials on recording synths, pianos, etc. and vocals!
more... Gigging Advice • Recording Tips • RecordingJim's studio, anchored by the iPad |
Let’s not forget the iPad’s importance—and usefulness—for professional musicians. For many, it’s like the reinvention of the wheel. The iPad has revolutionized how musicians—myself included—approach practice, rehearsal, recording, and live shows.
The Musical Director
As a professional musical director, producer, and musician, my days are hectic. An average morning for me includes running through a rehearsal with Avril Lavigne at 11 a.m., then running across Los Angeles to a studio session with Weezer in the late afternoon. Because I am always hustling to fit every ounce of rock in, I always have to make sure I have my keys, shades, phone—and now, my iPad.
In preparation for Avril Lavigne’s latest world tour supporting Goodbye Lullaby, I used the iPad extensively in rehearsals. As Avril’s musical director, it is important for me to have all of her music at my fingertips—and easily accessible—so I load every one of her new and old tracks onto the built-in iPod. I also use Notes to jot down thoughts or ideas, and I import or create lyrics with the Pages app. The iPad is always on a stand next to my pedalboard—far easier than walking over to a computer all the time.
The iPad can also be a lifesaver when working out new material in rehearsals. As musical director for Weezer, we were working on a cover version of Radiohead’s “Paranoid Android.” I brought the iPad to the studio to access the Radiohead recording, as well as several live versions I pulled up on YouTube. With five guys set up in normal playing positions, I bring the iPad around to each of them and play them a riff from iTunes, or show them a YouTube clip without anyone having to get up and walk around to me.
The iPad is popping up in other high profile, real-world applications as well. Paul Mirkovich, musical director for Pink, Cher, Christina Aguilera, and Janet Jackson, uses the iPad in rehearsals and live onstage for the new hit CBS show The Voice.
“I use the iPad extensively on The Voice during rehearsals. I use the GoodReader app to read all the PDF charts I have for the show, which is almost 160 songs at this point,” said Mirkovich. “I also use it for personal playback, and looking up live versions of the songs we do on YouTube. The iPad is an indispensable piece of gear and is always on the stand with me.”
The Guitarist
How To Use Garageband Ipad
Of course, there are multitudes of applications for guitarists not in charge of major productions as well. There is a wealth of guitar-specific apps [as covered previously in Premier Guitar’s 'The Guitarist's Guide to iPad Apps'] that simplify and enhance life as a guitarist. They let you record, stay in tune, learn, and capture ideas. And some push you to approach the instrument in a whole new way.Guitar Rig 5 Garageband Ipad Download
Ryan James Cheung, a musician from Winnipeg, said “As a guitarist and bassist, the most interesting aspect of using something like the virtual guitars in GarageBand is that you play the onscreen guitar more like a piano than a guitar. What I like about this is that it breaks the conventional techniques we guitarists usually employ on the guitar, once we transfer what we have written on the iPad, to an actual guitar.”
Among guitar-specific apps, I find that AmpliTube iRig is essential. It allows you to plug in and play your guitar through choices of amps, cabs, speakers, and effects. The sound quality is superb and the app itself is instantly inspiring. For tuning, TuneORama is one of the most accurate stand-alone tuners available. It has guitar and chromatic tuner mode, which is perfect for tuning instruments like mandolin and violin (and is a great value at $2.99). For capturing ideas on the fly, BPM is a great app for taping out a tempo. The built-in Voice Memos Recorder is indispensable for getting an idea down quickly, before it falls into the abyss of “Man, what was that awesome lick I came up with the other day?”
The Road Dog
Though there are thousands of music-specific apps, some of the more general apps can be a lifesaver for touring musicians. I probably use Facetime more than any other app. You can video call anyone who has an iPhone, iPad, or any Apple computer with a camera over WiFi. The quality is dependent on your WiFi connection, but in most cases, it has worked flawlessly for me. Recently, I had a video chat from Cologne, Germany with a friend who was driving on the freeway up the East Coast in the US. With long distance phone charges at a premium, Facetime saves me a ton of cash. Psychologically, it’s a great feeling to be able to see the people I love anytime I want—without worrying about coming home to a massive phone bill.