Thanks to GarageBand, it’s incredibly easy to make your own music. And now the app has been updated with more instruments, more loops, more sound packs, and more ways to create tracks.
Best of all, the latest version of the app adds all of these features while taking up less space on your iPhone or iPad. Magic, right? Here’s a quick tour of what new features are just waiting for you to explore:
New sounds
The all-new Sound Library is where you preview and download instruments, loops and sounds. You can be specific here. If you want a certain mix – like the guitar-tone collection – download just that one to save space.
Support for third-party apps is now offered, too. Virtual instruments that exist as stand-alone apps – like the legendary Moog Model 15 synthesiser – can now be loaded and played directly in GarageBand.
Beat Sequencer
Inspired by ’80s drum machines, GarageBand 2.3 has added a Beat Sequencer as a simple way to create complex grooves and club-ready rhythms. Every hit of the cowbell or snap of the snare can be fine-tuned, with each sound’s velocity (how hard you’re hitting) and length able to be adjusted.
To make a percussion loop feel like it’s being played by a human rather than a computer, try tweaking a new parameter called Chance. If you set it to, say, 98%, the app will skip playing the note 2% of the time, just as a human drummer might. The result is a surprisingly dynamic feel.
New instruments
In addition to GarageBand’s existing Touch Instruments (like keyboard, guitar, bass, and drums), the latest version of the app adds a few exotic options, like a lush-sounding Koto and Guzheng. With these, you can pluck strings, bend notes, or swipe for a mesmerising glissando.
If percussion’s more your style, try the new Taiko Drums. GarageBand manages to shrink these imposing instruments into your iPhone and iPad while maintaining their deep, resonant boom.
Can’t hold a steady beat? Then let the three new virtual drummers handle that for you. These AI-driven musicians each have their own playing style. (Isabela, for example, specialises in Latin-influenced rhythms.) You can customise the players’ performance, opting for simpler or more complex rhythms, and add or remove specific instruments from their drum kit with a tap.