Creative Recording Tips: Tracking & Comping Different Ideas Using Takes in GarageBand

In the video below, from GarageBand 101: Absolute Beginner's Guide, Matt Vanacoro shows how to use Cycle mode to record multiple versions of a part which can be as similar or different as you wish. These are known as “takes”. 

Essentially cycle recording works by allowing you to record over a new or existing section. Every time you record over the existing section GarageBand intelligently mutes that performance so you only hear what you’re playing and not what was already recorded.

Then with “Frankenstein” as his inspiration, Matt shows how to combine different sections of each take to create a composite (or comp) of the recording. 

It wasn’t many years ago that recording takes and comping was introduced into Apple’s flagship DAW, Logic Pro. It’s inclusion in GarageBand means that everyone has access to powerful music recording and editing tools. Very cool indeed.

Selecting takes in GarageBand is easy once you know how.

This is just one video from a full course by Matt Vanacoro: GarageBand 101: Absolute Beinner’s Guide. There’s 39 video tutorials in the full course and you can subscribe and watch it in The Ask.Audio Academy here.

More About GarageBand 101: Absolute Beginner’s Guide 

If you own a Mac, you own GarageBand, too… it comes with every Mac and it’s yours for free! So you may as well learn how to use it! This Absolute Beginner's Guide course explains everything you need to know to build your confidence to use all the features of this great software for recording and producing music, creating podcasts and more. 

Beginning with a detailed introduction to creating your first project and then doing some very cool editing and mixing, this course takes you through every feature step-by-step, explaining and demystifying everything in a logical way. You learn about the synths, the arpeggiator and the virtual amps and pedals as well as how to record audio and MIDI. You even learn how to score music to video! So join trainer and educator Matt Vanacoro as he takes you on a 39-tutorial, GarageBand journey!

Watch the full course here.

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