How To Cut Music Together On A Mac Without Garageband

Few things have changed the landscape of audio production like Apple's GarageBand, released in 2005. As a free app included with macOS and iOS, it's been a crucial first step in the burgeoning careers of many future home studio pros (this writer included).

Together with other free sound apps like Audacity, GarageBand has helped fuel the meteoric growth of podcasting by lowering the barrier to entry for recording quality sound.

It's an intuitive and user-friendly app to record, edit, mix, and export podcast episodes with pro-level quality.

Jan 24, 2018  HOW TO CUT MUSIC ON GARAGEBAND 2018 Version 10.2.0 A very easy and basic tutorial of how to cut music on GarageBand. This video shows you how to get your song into GarageBand, how to cut a. Dec 06, 2008 If you plan on using music purchased from iTunes, you should take these preliminary steps. Burn the music in question to a CD. Reimport the music as an AIFF file. ITunesPreferencesAdvancedImportingImport using: (drop down menu) AIFF encoder 3. This music can now be imported into GarageBand for editing. I hope this helps.

If you're a Mac user ready to start a podcast in GarageBand, look no further than this guide!

Note - This tutorial is for the Macbook/iMac version of GarageBand. This process will still work if you like to edit your podcast on an iPad or iPhone, just know that there are fewer editing functions available on the mobile version of GarageBand.

If you can't find GarageBand on your MacBook or iMac, you can download it for free in the App Store.

Step 1 - Set up a template

When you first open GarageBand, it will give you the option to create a new GarageBand project either from a Factory Template selection or as an Empty Project. You'll be creating a custom recording template, so choose 'Empty Project.'

Once the main GarageBand window opens, it will prompt you to add your first track from a selection of track types. Choose 'microphone' and select the input your mic is connected to, then tap 'Create.' Your track will appear in the workspace in the upper right (default name 'Audio 1'), next to Garageband's Library section and above the settings for that track. Feel free to close the library section for now. You can verify and, if necessary, edit your microphone input settings under the Recording Settings tab at the bottom.

How robust you make your template is up to you. If your typical setup includes multiple microphones, click the '+' icon at the top left and repeat these steps to create new tracks for each additional channel. Make sure to assign the correct inputs in Recording Settings for each audio track you create. You may also want to go ahead and include tracks for any music or sound effects you regularly use in your episodes. Do the same thing for these, adding an audio microphone track, but set the input to 'None' since you will not be recording to these tracks. If you want to customize further or differentiate your tracks, you can rename them by double-clicking on the track title, and you can even change the track icon by right-clicking on the default blue waveform.

Next, we'll turn our attention to the Transport section at the top. By default the Transport section displays music project information like beats-per-minute, key, time signature, etc. that doesn't apply to podcast recording. To simplify the display, choose 'Time' from the transport dropdown menu. You'll notice the workspace grid switch from beats to timecode. Turn off the metronome and count-in features to the right of the transport display simply by clicking on them – you'll see them gray out.

From here, you'll save your recording template to your desired hard drive location using File > Save As.

Step 2 - Recording in GarageBand

Now that your recording template is set up, it's time to put it to use!

When you open your template, you'll immediately want to 'Save As' a new file so that you don't accidentally change any settings or record audio into the template file. It can be helpful to think through your file organization before you get too many episodes in. Consistent naming conventions and folder structure will simplify your podcasting life.

Now that you've saved your new project let's get started. Depending on whether you're recording solo or with one or more guests, you'll use either a single track or multitrack setup.

Single track recording

If you're recording a solo podcast all you'll need to do is hit the record button in the transport (or use the keyboard shortcut R). How do i upload from garageband on an ipad. Double-check that your mic settings for the track are correct and record a test to make sure your levels are good. If you're too loud or too soft, adjust the input gain on your interface to compensate. You want to be loud enough to hear yourself clearly, but not so loud that the meters are hitting yellow or red territory.

Multitrack recording

If you're recording a multi-person podcast you'll likely want to record each person on their own track. This allows for greater flexibility in mixing down the line by keeping each sound source separate.

To add an additional track, click the + symbol in the top left corner. You'll select 'microphone track' again, but this time you'll want to choose the appropriate input for each additional mic (input 2, input 3, etc.). Click 'create.'

With your additional track added, it's a good idea to rename each track by speaker – 'Travis,' 'Rick,' etc. – to avoid any confusion.

By default, GarageBand only records to one track a time. To enable multitrack recording, go to the menu bar and choose Track> Configure Track Header. You can also right-click on any track and choose Configure Track Header or use the keyboard shortcut option+T. In the dialog that opens, tick the box next to 'Record Enable' to toggle it on. This will add the record-enable button to each track.

When you're ready to start, toggle on the record-enable button on each track you want to record. They'll begin flashing, indicating that the tracks are armed. To disarm a track, click the record-enable button again. Any armed tracks will record simultaneously when you press the record button.

Cut

Note – if you are unable to arm multiple tracks, double-check your Recording Settings for each and make sure you have selected separate inputs. GarageBand will not record the same input to multiple tracks.

Make sure you have your outline or interview questions handy, take a sip of water, and start recording!

Step 3 - Editing in Garageband

Once your recording is complete, the next step toward finishing your podcast is to edit it. We'll focus on GarageBand-specific tips here, but check out How to Edit a Podcast: The Step-by-Step Guide for a more comprehensive overview of podcast editing.

In addition to simply dragging audio regions around in the workspace, there are a few bread-and-butter tools in GarageBand that will do most of the heavy lifting in your edit. Let's walk through them.

Trim

The trim tool allows you to shorten an audio clip by dragging in from the edge (to reveal previously trimmed audio, drag the edge back out). The trim tool in GarageBand appears when you hover your cursor over the lower right edge of an audio region.

An example use case might be that your intro music is longer than you need it to be. Using the trim tool, you can shorten the intro music region to an appropriate length.

Split Regions At Playhead

Another essential editing feature in GarageBand is the Split Regions at Playhead tool, accessible from the menu bar via Edit > Split Regions at Playhead or using the keyboard shortcut Command+T. With this tool, any selected region will split into two separate regions, which can then be independently moved, trimmed, etc.

An excellent time-saving feature to use in conjunction with this is Edit > Delete and Move. Let's say you have a few seconds of an interview that you want to delete from your edit. You could isolate the offending region via Split Regions at Playhead and delete it, then close the resulting gap by dragging everything that follows to the left. Delete and Move performs those two steps at once, both removing the region you don't want and moving the regions that follow automatically.

Automation

Once you've trimmed an audio region or used the Split at Playhead tool, the result may be a truncated clip that stops abruptly. GarageBand doesn't have a Fade tool like many other DAWs, so you'll need to use automation to create volume changes.

To access volume automation, use the keyboard shortcut A or from the menu bar choose Mix > Show Automation. GarageBand defaults to show volume automation, but you can also automate many other parameters by selecting from each track's dropdown menu.

With automation visible, click anywhere on a region in the workspace to create an automation node. A bright yellow line will appear, and you can add additional nodes. Drag a node down or up to decrease or increase the volume level for that track at the given moment.

Editing Music in GarageBand

GarageBand is, first and foremost, a music editing software. You can apply each of these techniques to royalty-free music tracks (think Intro and Outro segments) and also create your very own music tracks as well.

You can record real instruments (like a guitar or drum kit) or use one of the virtual instruments that come with GarageBand (like synth, keyboard, or one of the software instruments). Just add a new instrument track for each layer and experiment with creating your very own theme music.

Pro Tip - Apple Loops are prerecorded musical phrases or riffs in the Loop Browser that you can use to easily add drum beats, rhythm parts, and other sounds to a project. These loops contain musical patterns that can be repeated over and over, and can be extended to fill any amount of time.

We recommend composing any music tracks in a separate GarageBand project so you can focus on dialing in the perfect tune without it being impacted by the other parts of your podcast episode.

How To Cut Music Together On A Mac Without Garageband Software

Step 4 - Episode Assembly and Mixing in GarageBand

Once you've edited your recorded content to your liking, you'll need to arrange and mix the tracks into a cohesive episode. There is no uniform way to do this, but it's generally a best practice not to put multiple types of audio on the same track. Music, sound effects, and each voice, for example, should be kept on their own tracks.

Arranging Your Tracks

One option to get you started is to arrange your audio tracks chronologically, beginning at the top. In this example, we have an intro clip taken from the interview that starts the episode, followed by theme music on a track just below, then intro narration, then the interview itself, and so on. This arrangement affords a level of visual organization, with audio cascading from top left to bottom right.

Another option is to use one track per audio source so that any track-level effect processing you do (EQ, compression, etc.) only has to be set once. In this setup, the intro clip would be on the same track as the interview, since they're from the same source. Intro and outro narration would be on one track, assuming both segments were taken from the same recording. Intro and outro music could potentially be on the same track if you're not using different processing on them. In addition to track-level effects, this approach can minimize the number of tracks you use in your mix and save vertical real estate in your workspace.

Mixing Your Tracks

At its heart, mixing is simply the process of striking a good balance between the levels of your different tracks. You want to avoid extreme differences in volume as your listeners move from intro music to narration to the interview, etc. We recommend using the voice level of your recording as the baseline for setting other levels – music, sound effects, etc.

In GarageBand, each track has a metered volume slider in the track header. Listen to your episode content and make sure the voice levels are triggering a healthy green on the meter. If they're reaching yellow or red, turn them down accordingly. Next, set any intro or outro music to a level that sounds consistent with the voice level – not significantly louder or softer. Do the same with any sound effects, narration, and so on. Balancing the volume of each track in this way will give you what's called a static mix.

Once you've set your static mix (overall volume for each track), you can leverage the power of automation. Add volume automation to music to dip it under your intro narration or to fade the level out smoothly and gradually. If there are any cuts in your audio that cause a pop or click, you can use the GarageBand automation 'crossfade' trick to eliminate them.

Next, you may want to use audio processing plugins like EQ or compression to shape the tone or dynamic range of your material. Don't go overboard – a 'less is more' approach is recommended in most cases. Make sure that any effects processing doesn't add or subtract volume from your static mix – those levels you liked at the outset are your true north. Some plugins include an output control to raise or lower the volume back to its unprocessed level, but you can also use Garageband's Gain plugin, located under the 'Utility' section of the plugin list.

If you're looking for even more mixing and mastering capabilities, consider upgrading to Logic Pro X, Apple's pro-level audio editing software (available in the app store).

Step 5 - Export your podcast

Before you export your final episode, hit the play button and listen to each segment of the episode to look for any mistakes you might have missed during the editing process. When you're pleased with the mix, the next step is to export it as a single audio file to upload to your podcast host for distribution.

How To Cut Music Together On A Mac Without Garageband Video

In the menu bar, click Share > Export Song to Disk. A dialog will open where you can name your file, choose a destination for it, and select your export format (wav, mp3, etc.) and file quality. Click 'Export,' and GarageBand will export your mixed file to disk.

It's worth noting that mp3s are a preferred format for podcasting because of their compressed file size. Smaller files = quicker downloads and a better listener experience. However, to ensure the best audio quality, you should still export an uncompressed .wav file. Your host and mastering services like Auphonic will automatically transcode your file to mp3 during their process, so if you're unsure of the ins and outs of file formats, it's best to upload at a higher quality and let them handle it.

With your file exported, go for a cup of coffee or a walk to refresh your ears. Come back when you're ready & listen through the episode for quality control. Once you're satisfied, upload to Auphonic or directly to your host for distribution and wait for the fan mail to hit your inbox.

Garageband is a mac exclusive software that lets you create some amazing music and special sound effects within your Mac Computer or even on your iPad. Garageband is such a capable software with best features on board. But what that is not interesting is the fact that it is not available for Windows. So, that’s why I compiled this list of Best Garageband alternatives for Windows that gets the job done.

It’s hard to find software like Garageband for Windows with all features that are available in the mac version. In fact, Garageband software is developed by Apple and is available on the App Store for Mac devices and iPad.

With Garageband, you could easily create some stunning music yourself without the help of anyone. Professional Music Makers and newbies use Garageband to kick start their Music production works. You have multiple options to create music with Garageband. The first one is by connecting your Guitar or Piano and then composing or else you can go with the second option for which you are not required to have any instruments, instead, you can use the built-in software features to create music and sound effects of your choice.

Contents

  • 1 Best Garageband Alternative for Windows
    • 1.5 StageLight

Best Garageband Alternative for Windows

Garageband is a premium level software with tons of features that are really hard to find in free software. We have managed to find some free software as well as paid software with exact features as the one in Garageband. If you are very much into music production or looking for Garageband Alternatives for PC for professional works then I will suggest you to purchase a paid software to make your production easy and good. You can also use Android Emulator software to run Digital Music Production Apps on your PC with ease.

Read: Best Media Players for Windows

The list is arranged in no particular order. Make sure that you try all the software before making the final decision. Some software might not have the feature that you are looking for while others might have that. So, only after trying everything make your final choice.

CUBASE

CUBASE is a professional music production software like Garageband with tons of features that you will need for your next project. It’s an award-winning software used by thousands of people all around the globe. If you are a simple home user then I won’t recommend CUBASE, but if you are someone who serious about Music or want an application for professional works then CUBASE is a must for you.

CUBASE comes with 32-bit floating point Steinberg Audio Engine with up to 192 Khz and 5.1 surrounding and full automatic delay compensation. You can connect various music instruments to the device and record it in your own style. It supports up 256 physical inputs and outputs, which is really great. Integrated Channel strip, VCA Faders, Loudness Meters, etc are some other important features of CUBASE Professional.

CUBASE Music Production software is available in three different variants. The first one is the Artist version, second is Elements and the third is the Professional version which is also the most expensive edition of CUBASE.

You can get the full version of the software from Amazon or from their official website, Click the link below to get more info on the same.

LMMS – FREE & Open Source

How To Cut Music Together On A Mac Without Garageband Version

If you are someone who can’t spend on music production software then LMMS is the perfect option for you. It’s a 100% Free and Open Source software that supports multiple instruments and comes with lots of built-in samples. If you are using your smartphone to make recording then you can easily import those files to LMMS for further editing. LMMS is lead forward by a group of volunteers who are passionate about music production.

With the Visual Mapping tool can create Drum sequencing, etc. The only problem with LMMS is that Live recording is not possible as of now. Maybe in the future updates, they might introduce a live recording feature which happens to be one of the much-awaited features in the software.

LMMS is a cross-platform software that is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. If you are someone who uses any of these two platforms simultaneously then this software will definitely come in handy for you.

Music Maker JAM

Music Maker JAM is more of an app like Music Production software that can be downloaded from the Windows Store and install it. It’s not for professional-level users who needs advanced control over things. But for casual users, to play around with musical stuff this would be more than enough. Before starting a project you can select the theme, genre and then start composing as per your choice.

You can record vocal tracks and then add loops to it to make it perfect. Music Maker JAM is also a multi-platform music maker app that is also available for Android and iOS. Even if you don’t have PC, the app will work on its own without any need for a PC or Laptop.

You can download Music Maker JAM for Windows from the Windows Store for FREE. This can be considered as a Garageband Alternative for Windows for causal users for mixing and tunning music.

Mixcraft 8 Home

If you are looking for that loops library that is available in Garageband then you should consider using Mixcraft. In Garageband, you have this cool option where you can go to the Loops library and create a basic center stone for your music by simply dragging and dropping different loops from different instruments one over the other. The same can be done with the help of Mixcraft 8 Home. You will get instant access to a library of amazing loops and that you can use right away to compose a cool tone.

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Mixcraft also supports Live Recording that is missing in LMMS, so you can add loops and at the same time record live vocals and edit it together and see how it sound in real-time. Mixcraft has both free as well as a paid option. With the free version, you only get access to just 16 tracks and less number of samples and instrument tones. If you are just getting started then this will be more than enough. After you have acquired enough knowledge on the same, you can purchase their premium version with full access to everything in at around $40.

Read: Download KineMaster for PC

StageLight

Stagelight is yet another cross-platform Garageband alternative that is available for Windows, Mac, and Android. Like Music Maker JAM, it is also somewhat similar to an App for digital music production. This software is also available for Windows as a standalone package that you can download and install for free. The software is free and comes with optional upgrades to level up your game on music production.

The free version without any upgrades will be more than enough for people who are just getting started. You get lot of features like addition of loops, realtime syncing with audio to see how it looks and it is even used for live performance on stages for mixing and tunning audio and music together.

You can get the software for your Windows 10, 8 or 7 based PC or Laptop. It’s one of the best Free Software like Garageband with all features you will need as a starter.

Final Words

These are our top picks for Free Garageband Alternatives for Windows. It’s really sad that Garageband is not available for Windows. It’s like Final Cut Pro which is exclusive for Apple computers only. If you really want Garageband itself then you should look for options like installing Virtual Box and then installing macOS on that and accessing Garageband via Virtual Box. Or the second option to convert your PC into a Hackintosh by installing macOS on your Windows PC and install Garageband from their App Store officially.