Getting more out of GarageBand - Recording a real instrument (part 4: press record)

Recording a real instrument (part 4 — press record)

So you've got everything ready to have GarageBand record a real instrument track (as covered in the previous articles in this series), and surely now you're at last ready to hit that red button?

Almost. There's one more decision to be made. There are two methods of recording in GarageBand, cycle and non-cycle recording.

Cycle-recording

In cycle recording, you set up what is known as a cycle region over which you want to record. Recording will start where the cycle region starts and stop at the end of the cycle region. This is useful for recording a part of known length, such as a repeating rhythm part, or for drop-in recording over an exiting part to correct a mistake (though note that a cycle region must be at least 1 beat long).

To define the cycle region, first click the cycle button (the last of the transport controls), which brings up the cycle ruler. (You can also hit the C key to turn cycling on and off). Click and drag on this ruler to paint in a yellow cycle region. To modify the cycle region, click and drag at the ends to extend or shorten it, or drag it in the middle to move it.

You don't have to make sure the playhead is in the right place when cycle-recording. As soon as you press record, the playhead will jump to the start of the cycle region (you can press the return key to get it there anyway), or the bar before if you are using GarageBand's Count In feature (see below).

When you record using a cycle region, GarageBand will record what you play on the first pass through the region, then it will continue to play the region (including, after a short delay, the part you've just recorded) again and again till you press stop. (Note that this is different from software instrument cycle-recording, which continues recording and allows you to add new notes on each pass through the cycle region.)

Non-cycle recording

To set up non-cycle recording, you just have to put the playhead in the position you want to start recording bli clicking on the ruler. Once you start recording, GarageBand will record from that point until you click stop.

Count-in and metronome

It is a good idea to have some sort of metronome going so you can keep time while recording. GarageBand has a built-in metronome or click track feature. The metronome is on by default, but you can turn it off or on via the Control menu (or by hitting -U), and you can modify its behaviour a little via the General pane of GarageBand's Preferences.

The metronome sound itself can be a bit weedy, and it's usually better, particularly if you're laying down the first track, or the instrument you're playing is loud, such as a distorted guitar, to have a basic drum track to beef it up and make sure you can really feel the beat, even if you aren't going to have drums in the finished track (you can always throw them away later).

Another essential feature is the Count In, also activated via the Control menu, but unfortunately with no command key sequence to turn it on, and, for some reason, it's off by default. (GarageBand 3 changes this; you can use shift++U to turn on Count In.) Turning it on is the first thing I do whenever I start a new GarageBand song. (Alternatively, you can create a template.) This gives you a one-bar count-in before you start recording, which is essential for getting your foot tapping at the right tempo.

Now to record

Make sure you've got the track you're going to record onto selected, and that it is record-enabled (the red dot should be showing below the track name):

Now click the red record button, or hit R (no command key modifier required) and, you'll be recording.

GarageBand will draw a rough waveform as it records (and redraw it in more detail once you stop). If you're cycle-recording, recording will stop automatically at the end of the cycle region, otherwise you'll have to stop recording by either pressing the record or play buttons, or by hitting R or the space bar. (If you've moved your end-of-song marker, it will automatically extend as you record.)

Cycle-recording a rhythm part

Note that recorded audio takes up about 10MB of disk space per minute, so make sure you have enough free space available. Also, to avoid the possibility of drop-outs (where GarageBand fails to record what you've played), have as few other applications running as possible. If necessary, mute or lock other tracks, particularly effects-heavy or software instrument ones, to cut down on the processing GarageBand has to do. You can turn them on again once you've finished recording.

A few tips

The best way to get a good performance while recording is to relax.

Tap your foot to the beat to feel the rhythm.

Don't expect to get it right first time; instead, expect to lay down several takes of the part you're recording. You can always keep several takes, by dragging recorded parts further up the timeline or onto a duplicated, muted track, so you can compare them and work out which is the best one to keep.

Practise the part first!

Also, should you want to re-record a part later on, you may want to keep notes of any instrument settings you use (such as which pick-ups you're using on a guitar) so you can exactly duplicate the sound later on. (You can even put brief information, such as N, M, and B for Neck, Mid, and Bridge pickup, in the track name, though note that track names are limited to 48 characters.)

Above all, have fun!