My last post, which reviewed GarageBand ‘08, might have come across the wrong way, sounding a bit like I’m poo-pooing the application as being substandard to the industry and severely lacking. Well, in some ways it is and other ways I must admit it impresses me.

I was messing around with it a bit more this evening; and though my first composition was fine, I felt myself finding the edge of creativity with the instrument voices that I had available to me — with the styles that I was trying to pull off. But I decided to persevere and try something totally off the wall and go dance/techno style and see what I could come up with just for the sake of fooling around.

The end result actually surprised me: audio file (192 kbps, 5.4 MB, 3:56). It’s got kind of a dance-funk-charlies-angels theme-phish kind of thing going on with it. Kinda fun.

It did start out to be a techno-type tune, but then I started throwing in some a few things, changed the beat up a bit and then despite my laurels, I even used a “fake” electric guitar in the tune and it actually sounds good for a GarageBand tune. I was VERY surprised.

I still hold my ground that Apple REALLY needed to include a lot more instruments in the default packet—I mean seriously, they don’t even have a clarinet in the list of woodwinds. While purists and clarinet players alike might prefer it that way and use the real thing, I don’t play clarinet and can think of times I’d really like to use a clarinet sound. Or a nice oboe or french horn. I LOVE the french horn. But none of those nice, real instrument sounds are available in the default package.

Anyway, I like the latest tune I came up with—it’s fun, upbeat, and something I could probably listen to a couple times and not get sick of it. Enjoy!

September 20, 2007, 10:18 pm

Filed under: Applications, General, Music, Recording

3 Comments »

1. Jamison said,

   September 21, 2007 @ 4:02 am

   Ya, and I think that’s a strength of GB. Encouraging experimentation and allowing you to take something in a different direction quickly. That tune is pretty neat, btw.

   So I guess Jam Packs are on your Christmas list

2. Jamison said,

   September 21, 2007 @ 4:08 am

   Oh, one other comment I was going to say too. Keep in mind the price you paid for GB. Even if you’re like me and had to buy the upgrade (no BRAND new iMac for me last month ), I had to pay $80. When you consider that there are pretty much 5 useful apps, that breaks down to $16 for GB. When you look at it that way, you get what you pay for….

3. Paul Wichterman said,

   September 24, 2007 @ 6:13 am

   Luck for you I have all the jam packs to pirate try out [edit by mt].
   AND French Horn is in the symphony pack.

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