Acoustic & Electronic Instruments, Musicians, News, Tutorials, Videos & Interesting Finds
Acoustic & Electronic Instruments, Musicians, News, Tutorials, Videos & Interesting Finds

GarageBand Resource List

Welcome to our resource list for Apple’s GarageBand audio/music recording software.

Whether you’re new to GarageBand or a seasoned pro, we hope you’ll find something here to inspire and educate you.

Anything missing? If you know of a great resource we should be linking to, let us know!

Latest Version

Apple released GarageBand 10 (also known as GarageBand X) on 23 October 2013. Read about the GarageBand 10 feature set.

You’ll always find details about the latest version of GarageBand for Mac (currently GarageBand 10.3.2) on the Apple GarageBand web site. If you’ve been using an older version of GarageBand it can be worth looking here to see if the new features make it worth upgrading.

Recently, Apple added the ability to run GarageBand on the iPad, and that link will take you to the latest information. It’s not the full desktop version of GarageBand but files are interchangeable with the Mac version.

The following resources have been primarily focused on Garageband ’11 (version 6) and may not be fully compatible with GarageBand 10.

GarageBand/Apple Loops Downloads

  • Loopasonic: Various free WAV sounds which can be imported into GarageBand.
  • Tune-Up Loops: Select: A range of “select” loops ready to go in GarageBand. Buy all five packs + bonus for under $40.
  • isotope: 74 Free Beats for iDrum and GarageBand in exchange for your email address.
  • PrimeLoops: A huge range of GarageBand-ready audio loops in a variety of styles and genres to purchase.
  • Platinum Loops: A range of loops in AIFF format compatible with GarageBand.
  • Sound Effects Hunter Free GarageBand Loops: A selection of hip-hip, piano, reggae loops in AIFF format that can be imported into GarageBand.
  • Peace Love Productions: Latin Instruments, Latin Percussion, Hip Hop Kits and plenty more.
  • GarageBand Tutorials

    How To Have Multiple Time Signatures in GarageBand
    Our guide to creating music with multiple time signatures. GarageBand can’t do it out-of-the-box, but we’ve found a way to do it using some free music software.
    Importing and Changing MIDI files in GarageBand
    James Humberstone has recorded a great video overviewing the basics of importing a MIDI file into GarageBand ’09 (same principles apply to other versions) and then changing the assigned sounds.
    MIDI Basics for Apple GarageBand Users
    A decent overview of MIDI with specifics relating to GarageBand.
    Writing a Jingle Using GarageBand
    Another great resource from James Humberstone. This one not only gives you some background about what makes jingles work, but provides help for setting up a simple jingle in GarageBand
    Built-in Audio Unit Effects
    There are some seriously advanced audio effects available in GarageBand if you know where to look and how to use them, and this tutorial offers a great introduction to them.
    Keyframing Audio in GarageBand
    In other words, how to change volume and panning automation for each track.
    5 Ways to Speed Up GarageBand
    Simple but effective ways to help GarageBand run more smoothly particularly on less powerful Macs.
    Make Your Own Apple Loops in GarageBand
    A step-by-step guide to creating custom Apple Loops from internal instruments or audio recordings.
    Give your vocals some X-Factor treatment with GarageBand
    The latest version of GarageBand includes a Groove Matching feature which allows vocal tracks to be retuned and time matched automatically. Here’s how to do it.
    Split Track
    Plain and simple: how to split a track in GarageBand.
    Basic Editing
    A detailed tutorial with plenty of screenshots and example audio files that guides you through the process of editing in GarageBand.
    Adding More Instruments to GarageBand
    How to use third-party audio plug-ins with GarageBand.
    Podcasting
    How to create your own podcast using GarageBand.
    Creating an iPhone Ringtone
    Using GarageBand ’11 to create a ringtone that can be used on the iPhone. Video tutorial.

    GarageBand Blogs

    GarageBand Help, Hints and Tips by Svend
    Though the blog isn’t updated very often it does contain some interesting tidbits so have a scan through and you may pick up some new hints.

    GarageBand Support

    If things go wrong or you just can’t work out how to do something in GarageBand, check out these resources:

    Apple GarageBand Support Pages
    The official pages from Apple cover a wide range of issues, from getting started with the software to troubleshooting common problems.