GarageBand is a line of digital audio workstations. It is available on macOS, iPadOS and iOS platforms; all Apple products have GarageBand preinstalled in them. It is a combination of several software instruments. It allows multi-track recording. Users can, with touch control, record, edit, and share their creation and music via this platform.
GarageBand has various instrument simulations on the platform. It includes guitar, drums, piano, and synthesizers. Various piano and synthesizer styles, guitar amplification, and multiple drum kit pieces are all available for use. Users may use the microphone to record any music piece and upload and import it to the software. Chords can be activated by a simple swipe and only those chords are accessible which sound good when played together.
There are 250 loops preinstalled for those artists who wish to work with pre-recorded tracks. The software is designed in such a way that even a tone-deaf person can create substantial music.
Here are a few performers who created masterpieces with GarageBand:
1. Steve Lacy: “Damn” by Kendrick Lamar and “Ego Death” by the Internet are all a result of Lacy’s work on GarageBand. Steve Lacy earned the largest collaboration by working on GarageBand on his iPod and iPad. He used this platform to produce music that got Grammy nominations. Applying his knowledge of guitar and bases, he used this software as the primary tool for producing his music.
2. Grimes: Claire Boucher, who is popularly known as “Grimes” used GarageBand when she was trying to pave her path as an artist, a music producer. She used it in her underground gig in Montreal, which eventually led her to create her very popular album “Visions”. While Claire shifted to a more advanced studio after her breakthrough album’s massive success, the particular album was created on GarageBand itself.
3. Juliana Barwick: There might be some people who are skeptical about using such software for developing their music, especially those who are not enough tech-savvy. And so was the case with Barwick. She did not even have the least idea of using this platform. However, the interface of this software is so simple and user-friendly that with only the bare minimum guidance she was able to produce her second album, “Florine” with the help of GarageBand.
4. George Pringle: Another artist who has reaped the benefits of this extremely useful platform is George Pringle. His single “Carte Postale”, which went on to be extremely popular was completely made on GarageBand. According to Pringle, once somebody has got the hang of using GarageBand and knows how to use it properly, they can produce practically any kind of sound. He believes it is essential for any music producer, who wants to produce good music to use this platform.
5. Justice: While some people, who are oblivious to GarageBand’s application, believe music made on this platform is not worthwhile, established performers like Xavier de Rosnay believe it is an “amazing tool” for music production. The album “Cross” by Justice was made solely by using GarageBand. After it gained massive popularity, the band stated that they plan on using the same platform in the future for producing more music.
6. Usher: The very famous song “Love in this Club” by Usher is supposedly made using GarageBand. The producer Polow Da Pon, used certain loops available on the GarageBand platform to produce the song. The results were marvelous and highly appreciated by the audience
7. Rihanna: Yes, the “Queen of Pop” too used GarageBand to produce her widely popular song “Umbrella”. She used a drum roll loop from GarageBand and the song topped many charts back in 2007 when it was released. This particular song went on to win the Grammy awards and featured in the first position of Billboard Hot 100. It also reserved a spot on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Songs of all Times”. The drum loop used in the iconic song is called “Vintage Funk Kit 03”.
8. Radiohead: Another huge name that uses GarageBand to its benefits is Radiohead. Initially, they released stem files for their single “Nude” on the iTunes store. Fans could download these various stem files (like the bass, drum, guitar, etc) and remix the track as a part of a competition. Later they launched a similar competition for another track from their album ‘In Rainbows’- “Reckoner” where the fans could download the stem files and remix them on the GarageBand platform. The fan response to these competitions was massive and made Radiohead more famous than ever.
9. Trent Reznor: Nine Inch Nail, the band’s entire single, “The Hand That Feeds” was released after it was produced on GarageBand. The lead man Trent Reznor said that GarageBand is an amazing and flexible platform that allows the user to perform various experiments and embezzlement on their songs and music.
GarageBand has been revolutionizing music and its perception since its very inception. Not only newcomers and novices, but as we just saw, even professionals and experienced, established artists use this platform to produce their music.
