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« Why would a beginner buy Logic before he tries GarageBand!? »
Published on 07/14/11 at 07:30GarageBand was designed for the Mac OS, by the developer who made the Mac OS, so Apple's beautiful software homogeneity makes GarageBand painfully easy to start up. I don't own a Mac myself, but I've done my share of being around my friends when they first get Macs, so I can tell you right now that GarageBand is a cinch to get running.
For goodness sake, GarageBand comes installed on new Apple computers as it is, and if yours doesn't have it for some reason, iLife is almost criminally simple to set up, since it's designed to so perfectly integrate with Mac OS.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
Because of this, there should be no compatibility problems whatsoever, and it runs smoother than a new patent leather shoe.
It has the basic functionality needed for anyone to get started on anything. Basic recording and MIDI functions hold your hand into the world of audio recording as long as you're willing to get into it yourself. Presets are the name of the game in GarageBand, so you're not overwhelmed with parameters until you understand basic workflow.
It is possible, however, to overwhelm your machine. As long as you have a relatively modern computer, you should be fine. And being the beginner you probably are, you won't be running forty tracks at once because you want to comp all your takes.
OVERALL OPINION
I could see how GarageBand would be a great tool, even for professionals, when quick idea capture is all that's needed. Logic is a wonderful tool, as are all the other DAWs, but quite honestly, they can get rather unwieldy if all you want to do is record a guitar lick so you don't forget it later. GarageBand doesn't come with any bloat.
However, you can do some rudimentary projects on this as well! After all, we've heard of projects being done in Audacity, and GarageBand, I've found, is just quite a bit more comprehensive.
For goodness sake, GarageBand comes installed on new Apple computers as it is, and if yours doesn't have it for some reason, iLife is almost criminally simple to set up, since it's designed to so perfectly integrate with Mac OS.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
Because of this, there should be no compatibility problems whatsoever, and it runs smoother than a new patent leather shoe.
It has the basic functionality needed for anyone to get started on anything. Basic recording and MIDI functions hold your hand into the world of audio recording as long as you're willing to get into it yourself. Presets are the name of the game in GarageBand, so you're not overwhelmed with parameters until you understand basic workflow.
It is possible, however, to overwhelm your machine. As long as you have a relatively modern computer, you should be fine. And being the beginner you probably are, you won't be running forty tracks at once because you want to comp all your takes.
OVERALL OPINION
I could see how GarageBand would be a great tool, even for professionals, when quick idea capture is all that's needed. Logic is a wonderful tool, as are all the other DAWs, but quite honestly, they can get rather unwieldy if all you want to do is record a guitar lick so you don't forget it later. GarageBand doesn't come with any bloat.
However, you can do some rudimentary projects on this as well! After all, we've heard of projects being done in Audacity, and GarageBand, I've found, is just quite a bit more comprehensive.