Jan 01, 2009 02:30 pm I've never worked with GarageBand myself, but in my opinion if a software package does what the user needs it to do and they get good results, everybody else should STFU. :-D
GarageBand vs. Like...anything else
Posted on Jan 01, 2009 02:25 pm
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Member Since: Oct 27, 2007
So I have used several different progarms for recording (Cubase, Vegas, Audacity..some others), but I've always wanted garageband in my arsenal. I've always been really impressed with its simplicity. A buddy of mine has been using it for a long time while I was using cubase and his tracks sound so much better than mine, and the stuff he does is so simple compared to the hoops I felt that I had to jump though with other programs to get a comparable sound. To be completely honest though, I'm not a guru here by any means. I've learned some tricks with my software but I'm still learning how to mix.
Anyway, I just got my first mac, I love it and I'm really excited about it, but I've noticed some people on the forum bashing GarageBand and I'm just curious as to why. I know it doesn't have alot of bells and whistles, but I'm only recording an acoustic guitar and vocals...so the extras aren't really necessary.
At any rate I was just wondering what others opinions were about GarageBand compared to other software out there, mainly cubase since that is what I have used the most until now...
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Jan 01, 2009 02:30 pm I've never worked with GarageBand myself, but in my opinion if a software package does what the user needs it to do and they get good results, everybody else should STFU. :-D
Jan 01, 2009 02:40 pm I've worked a lot with GarageBand, but never with Cubase. If my recordings don't sound as good as I would like I usually don't blame GarageBand, I blame the pinhead using it.
GarageBand is a very powerful recording program that can - in the right hands - get very professional sounding results. I don't think too many people on this forum have bashed GarageBand, probably just those that have never used it.
Like dB said, they can STFU.
Jan 01, 2009 02:57 pm Yep, sounds like you could do well and get by easily with GarageBand for sure.
Sometimes simpler is easier for sure.
But ya, no dissing GarageBand here either. I say go for it.
Jan 01, 2009 02:57 pm You can ask these guys and they will tell you I'm the most, I guess, "anal" about programs and stuff that I like. But, I have used Garage Band along with PT, Cubase, Nuendo, Logic, and Digital Performer and they all are the same. Each has it's own whistles and such but that's it. None of them sound better than the other. They just have different functionality. It's like blondes or brunettes? Chevy or ford? Doesn't matter the product matters the user.
Jan 01, 2009 06:18 pm Garage band won't export PCM data. That's reason enough to "bash" it - Although I understand there's a way to get to it (freakishly enough, GB renders 16-bit PCM data before it exports tragically compressed MP3 data - but doesn't allow the user easy access to this PCM data).
Stroll around on the 'net on some of the "Mac Tricks" type forums and you'll find it.
Jan 01, 2009 06:31 pm I'm guessing above post author wasn't looking for PCM data. That said, it's good information to have.
Jan 01, 2009 11:20 pm He was looking for "weak spots" from what I can tell. That's a pretty weak spot. Although there's evidently a work-around for it -- But it makes you wonder why Apple didn't feel like simply making it part of the program...
Jan 02, 2009 12:33 am i say we just bash it coz we can,
if we all group together it wont stand a chance!
and we'll grab the blonde too while we're at it.
Jan 02, 2009 08:37 am well I've definitely already gone for it. Just curious why some felt it was a crappy program. What is PCM data by the way? Probably something I should know about haha. Like I said I love GB, really easy to use and works great for what I do...
Jan 02, 2009 09:02 am It's another format of audio data...that said, if you don't need it, it doesn't make the program suck...if you do need it, well, then maybe it does.
Again, repeating what I already said, if a program works for what you need it to do, it's good for you.
Jan 02, 2009 11:10 am I've only messed with GB on the surface but it seems like a pretty cool little program. And some of the SFX that come 'stock' on most Macs are very handy.
PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) is basically "standard" uncompressed audio data. It is what it is, it stays what it is. You can "save as" 1000 times and the 1000th file will null out against the first. With MP3, the first time you save, up to 90% of the original information is gone - forever - due to extreme data compression. "Save as" again and it compresses again. By the third or fourth generation, you're left with little more than weird noise resembling the original recording.
MP3 makes a "reasonable" end-user listening format for internet and iPods and such. Not much for anything else and certainly not for any further processing.
An audio CD is made from 44.1kHz PCM data with a 16-bit word length. The cruel hoax is that if you create an audio CD from MP3 data, that (compressed, garbled, etc.) MP3 data is transformed back to 16-bit, 44.1kHz PCM data (but of course, the sound quality is only ever that of the MP3 source).
So - It's well worth it to dig in for that PCM data (it'll be 16-bit, 44.1kHz .aiff files in this case) and use it for any further processing (it's only 16-bit, but it's still infinitely better than using MP3), or burning CD's, or even for creating MP3's at higher resolution than GB will allow for internet and iPod use.
Jan 02, 2009 11:34 am Absolutely...when I use GarageBand I always keep the original .aiff file around. Actually, GarageBand itself doesn't allow you to make an mp3 file (at least not in my older version) All of that takes place elsewhere (in my case, iTunes).
Bottom line, use GarageBand for as long as it meets your needs. When you develop your skills to the point where you need something more sophisticated then move on!
Jan 02, 2009 03:41 pm Ya, Apple prefers to use the aiff file which is just as high quality as the pcm wav data files on a PC or Mac.
But ya, it would be nice if they offered either or.
Jan 02, 2009 04:46 pm GJim... Your older version *does* allow (easy, standard) access to the .aiff file? The newer version seems to do the opposite - No access to PCM (other than that "hack" I mentioned earlier) and *only* MP3 (or M4P?) output.
Jan 02, 2009 09:17 pm When I mixdown (export) from GarageBand to iTunes:
File - Export to iTunes
it automatically creates an .aiff file. I have to do all of my converting in iTunes. For what I mostly do, and for what I use my recordings for, I'd like the ability to skip a step and go straight to .mp3 if I feel like it.
Maybe I'm missing something...perhaps a setting in preferences? I can't find any way to get anything but an .aiff straight out of GarageBand.
I'll have to monkey with the newest version that's on the laptop at school and see what it does. Hmmm...maybe sometimes an upgrade isn't an upgrade!
Jim
Jan 02, 2009 09:39 pm Ya Jim, I thought I just read it only exports aiff as well somewhere. I'll have to take a peek around again and see if I can find were I had seen that. Might have been an old piece though as well.
Jan 02, 2009 09:39 pm OK MM...here's what I discovered:
My older version of GarageBand that I use at home is version 2.0.2, and it behaves as described above.
The newer version that I use at school is version 4.1.2, and it behaves as follows:
In the new GarageBand, you have the option of mixing down directly to iTunes, or you can export to a file on your desktop (or where ever). In both cases you are given a great deal of flexibility as to the "quality" of the exported file. You can go uncompressed, which leaves you with an .aiff. Or, you can check the "Compress" box and then choose between several levels of quality for either an .mp3 file or an .aac file (That's Apple's version of the .mp3, I think)
So there you go. I'm wondering if maybe you're looking at version 3. In any case, I'm glad you brought this up because I learned some very useful information, and I may be upgrading!
Jim
Jan 02, 2009 09:47 pm Yep, that was an older version I was reading about as well.
I really need to look at dates on some of this stuff.
Jan 04, 2009 07:29 am yeah export an .mp3 in GB is pretty easy, like it was said you have a few option:
-export to iTunes and convert if necessary
-export to disk and choose to save the file as an .mp3
I'm not sure if exporting directly to iTunes creates an .mp3 or not, I usually just export my music to special folder.
At anyrate I've had some time to mess around with GB a little more now and it is really great IMO. Really simple to use. I would spend hours mixing with Cubase and with GB it just seems to be where I need it to be from the start. I can't wait until I can get into some of the more advanced stuff.
Jan 04, 2009 07:30 am that is odd that in the older versions of GB you couldn't export an .mp3, I imagine that that would have gotten annoying pretty quickly.
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