How To Make Backing Tracks With Garageband 1) Create your riff, loop, or sample 2) Use Garageband’s Drummer Track 3) Fill out the song with arpeggiators, synths, and other instruments, using the copy/paste function.

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Home music production really took off with the introduction of Apple's GarageBand, included with all new Macs. The massive collection of Apple Loops and software instruments included with the program, as well as the huge variety of third-party content available, make it easy for even beginner users to produce professional-sounding songs.

Inevitably though, the time will come when you'll want to add your own vocals to a song you've created in GarageBand. Or perhaps you want to record a podcast or some other non-musical material. So, in this tutorial, we'll show you the basics of recording vocals into GarageBand '11.

Equipment

• The loops included in GarageBand are incredible, both in range of styles and in quality, and learning to use and edit them makes it easy to create your own backing tra.
• Garageband Karaoke Song Download Free GarageBand User Guide for iPhone JamStudio - create music beats - free online music mixing & songwriting tool - quickly create backing tracks, karaoke songs, soundtracks & demo songs with professional sounds.

Before you can begin recording your vocal track, you'll need something to record your voice with and a way to hear what you're doing. Now, you could record your voice through your Mac's built-in microphone and in some cases, like recording a podcast or a simple video voiceover, you could get useable results. However, for recording vocals for a song, unless you're going to be heavily processing the voice track or are looking for an intentionally raw sound, you'll want to use a reasonably professional vocal microphone.

There are a million different mics available that are appropriate for vocals, and we aren't going to recommend any specific ones here. But if you're looking to get a vocal sound that compares with professional recordings, one of the standard types of mics used in the recording industry is what's called a large-diaphragm condenser (LDC) microphone. There are many of these available too, with prices that can run into the thousands of dollars for a top-of-the-line model. But for home recording purposes, you can do well for under two hundred dollars.

The advantage of an LDC mic is that they're more sensitive than the standard dynamic mics you're more likely to see on a live stage, and they tend to 'warm up' a recorded voice, which is why they're favored for studio recording. Condenser mics do require an external power source, referred to as phantom power, so if you go for a standalone condenser mic, you'll need to be sure that your audio interface supplies phantom power.

However, there's a more recent development in the world of home recording that you should investigate also: the availability of a variety of USB-powered large diaphragm condensers. These are especially useful for beginner home recordists, because they combine an LDC and an audio interface in one device. Many of them even provide a headphone jack for monitoring. A USB LDC connects directly to the USB port on your Mac; the USB port supplies the phantom power for the condenser. In addition, the USB mic is its own audio interface, so you don't need to purchase a separate interface to plug the mic into. And, as mentioned, most USB mics also have a headphone output that you can use to monitor your GarageBand inputs and outputs.

This is important because if you listen (on external speakers) while you're recording your vocals, the mic will either feedback into itself, or you'll pick up your instrumental tracks through the mic along with your voice, and you won't be able to mix the final results properly.

By the same token, you'll ideally want to use closed-ear headphones rather than earbuds for monitoring; closed-ear phones generally sound better than earbuds, and also provide more insulation against audio leakage into your mic while recording. And because LDC mics tend to be more sensitive to picking up Ps and other popping sounds, a pop filter is also a good investment. Pop filters are small screens that you mount in front of the microphone to reduce the force of those 'P' vocal sounds (called plosives) without affecting the basic tone quality of the voice.

Step 1 - Create a New Track

OK, assuming you have all your vocal recording gear set up and that you already have an instrumental track in your GarageBand project to record over, you'll need to create a new track to record into. Choose Track > New Track... (Command-Option-N), then click Real Instrument. Under 'My instrument is connected with', choose your mic input (if you're using a USB mic, it will probably appear as USB Audio CODEC rather than the actual name of the mic). Under that, choose your input channel (which for a USB mic will probably default to Mono 1). Under 'I hear sound from', choose your monitoring output (again, choose USB Audio CODEC if you want to monitor through the mic's headphone output. Otherwise choose your available output device). Finally, click the 'I want to hear my instrument as I play and record' checkbox to hear your voice through your monitoring device as you sing:

Then click 'Create' to make the new track.

Step 2 - Set Your Monitor Source

When you create the new track, the Track Info Pane will automatically open to the right of your tracks. You've already set your input source, so don't worry about that. But you do want to set your monitor source in the Monitor pop-up menu: choose 'Off' to disable monitoring, choose 'On' to monitor your mic and the instrumental track through speakers, or choose 'On (no feedback protection)', which is specifically designed for headphone monitoring, which is what we want here:

Step 3 - Set Your Record Level

Next, sing or speak into your mic and look up in the track name area at the record level meters for your new track (it's located above the slider). Note that this slider doesn't affect the input level, just the playback level. For a USB mic, the recording level is probably set on the mic itself; otherwise you set it in the Track Info area where we just set the Monitor source.

So, while singing or speaking, adjust your recording level so the meters read, on average, in the upper end of the green area. It's OK if the meters go into the amber range occasionally, but don't hit the red marks at the ends of the meters otherwise you'll get distortion in your track.

Step 4 - Set Effects for the Track

At this point, you can just start recording your vocals, but many people like to hear what vocal effects will sound like on the track as they record it, so they can respond to the effect while singing. This is strictly a matter of taste but for now, let's apply effects while recording.

So, with the track selected, click on Vocals in the right side of the Browse tab in the Track Info Pane, then choose different vocal effects settings while singing and listening to the results. Again, this is a matter of taste and you can always change the effects setting after recording. For now, choose Pop Vocals from the list:

Step 5 - Record!

Garageband Karaoke Tracks 1

Alright, let's record: with your new track selected, drag the playhead to the location in the track where you want to start recording (or click the 'Go to the beginning of the song' button in the Transport), then click the Record button to begin recording. You'll hear your instrumental track playing back (adjust its playback level with the Set the track volume slider if necessary) and as you sing, you'll see your vocal track appear in red in track window. When you're done recording, hit the Spacebar to stop, after which your track will appear in purple:

Rewind back to the beginning and hit Spacebar again to hear your recording, adjusting the relative track volumes as needed. If you don't like what you just recorded, simply undo to remove the recording and record again.

And those are the basics. From here you can, for example, try applying different vocal effects to your vocal track by just choosing them from the browser, or you can add another vocal track by recording into a new track.

Did you know there are plenty more tricks on recording audio in GarageBand? Learn more in Garageband'11 101.

Recording vocals over music in Garageband is actually pretty simple, and I’ll show you a few ways of doing it.

What we’re going to do first is run through the simple summarized step-by-step guide in addition to some necessary gear, and then we’ll explore each aspect of the process in detail. The simplest way to record vocals over music in Garageband is to use a USB mic like the Samson Q2U, however, you can also use an audio interface and an XLR microphone. After selecting the USB mic as the input in the Preferences, you just have to hit record with the monitoring button turned off.

To record vocals over music in Garageband:
1) Open a New Project and choose the Microphone Audio Track
2) Drag and drop the audio file into the Workspace
3) Hook up a USB mic to the computer
4) Select the USB mic as the input in Preferences
5) Choose the “Natural Vocal” preset
5) Hit Record

If you’re hoping to do this without much gear, then I have to say that you’re out of luck. There are some necessary pieces of equipment to record quality vocals in Garageband, or any software for that matter. However, as I just pointed out, a simple USB mic like the Samson Q2U from Amazon is enough for most people to get started, and it actually sounds great.

This tutorial will explore how to do it with an audio interface and an XLR mic, because this is the way that’s going to give you more options in the future. It is possible to record vocals over music in Garageband just using the built-in speaker, but it’s not going to be optimal quality.

Necessary Gear For Recording Vocals

• Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Audio Interface on Amazon

• Audio Technica AT 2035 Condenser Microphone also on Amazon

***Audio Technica ATH-M50x Headphones (not 100% necessary but definitely helpful) on Amazon as well

For recording vocals, you need at least a microphone as well as an audio interface. It helps to have noise-canceling headphones as well.

Granted, you can choose whatever type of audio interface and microphone you want, but you won’t go wrong with the models I just mentioned.

1) Plug Your Audio Interface and Microphone into Your Computer

As the sub-title suggests, you want to plug your audio interface into your computer first. What gear you need for this depends on the model of the computer you’re using. For instance, if you’re using the brand new MacBook Pro that I recommended from Amazon, then you’re going to need a USB to USB-C adaptor which can be found at the same place.

However, if you have an older model, you don’t have to worry about the adaptor.

Let’s assume that you do have a newer computer.

a) Plug the adaptor into the port on the left side of the computer.

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b) Grab your audio interface, and using the Firewire cable, connect to the back of the machine and then connect the audio interface’s firewire cable to the USB to USB-C adaptor.

It’s not a bad idea to have your computer’s power adaptor plugged in for this because the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 runs on phantom power.

c) Now that the audio interface is plugged in, connect your microphone to the audio interface’s XLR input, which are the two inputs on the front of the machine.

d) Assuming you’re using the Shure SM58 that I recommended to you, which is a dynamic microphone, you won’t need any more phantom power. The microphone should be good to go and ready to record.

However, if you chose the Audio-Technica AT2035, it does use phantom power because all condenser microphones use phantom power.

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Alright, at this phase, your audio interface and microphone are hooked up and ready to go. Great.

Now you’ve got to set up the other aspect of it. Don’t worry, this stuff really isn’t that complicated, with a few tries, you’ll be able to set everything up in no time without a problem.

2) Drag and Drop the Music into Your DAW.

a) Open up iTunes – or whatever software containing the song you want to use.

Assuming you’re getting your track from iTunes, all you really have to do is open up your iTunes, select the beat or track you want to sing over, and then drag and drop the file on to your desktop, which makes it easier to find later.

b) Open up Garageband.

c) Select “Software Instrument” track.

d) Drag and drop the file from your desktop into Garageband’s workspace.

e) What I do from here, is I double click (right-click) the software instrument track, and then I select the option, “New Audio Track.”

You can also use (Option + Command + A).

f) From here, you’ll notice that you have an audio track and a collection of settings to choose from on the left-hand side.

Typically, it says something like, “User Patches,” “Voice,” “Acoustic Guitar,” and “Electric Guitar And Bass.”

g) Obviously, you want to choose the option, “Voice,” and then a bunch of different presets and settings will appear, including “Bright Vocal,” “Compressed Vocal,” and so on and so forth.

From here, it’s really up to you to decide which one you want to use, but I like to use either “Bright Vocal,” “Compressed Vocal,” or “Natural Vocal.”

It really depends on what kind of sound you’re going for.

h) You’ve got your vocal track selected, and now you just want to make sure the monitoring button is turned on so you can actually hear yourself recording.

Also, turn on the Automatic Level Control, that way you’re not coming in the system with too much power and signal. If you’re using the Focusrite audio interface, the level control, however, is done with the audio interface itself.

***Ensure that the gain isn’t turned up too much on the audio interface. On the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, in particular, the machine notifies you if the signal is too hot by flashing red around the gain knob.

i) Select Input, and make sure that you’ve selected the audio interface as the input because you won’t be able to hear anything or record anything if this input hasn’t been selected.

3) Figure out Key Signature and BPM of the Song

This step is somewhat optional, in the sense that it isn’t 100% necessary to figure out the song’s tempo or the key signature. However, knowing these two things will help you a lot in a number of ways, including informing you of the manner in which you could sing over the track.

Additionally, as I mentioned above and in my other article, it helps a lot with using pitch-correction and auto-tune later on. There are a number of ways for figuring out a song’s key-signature, and mine is probably the most unorthodox.

As I’ve explained before on my other site, Traveling Guitarist, what I do is I move scale positions around the neck until I’ve figured out the key, after having memorized the seven mode shapes of the major scale, in addition to the name of all the major and minor key signatures. It takes a few seconds normally, and the same method can be used on any other instrument.

Other people approach it a lot differently. They either pay attention to the first and last note of the song, which is commonly the key signature, or they look for what’s called the “tonal center,” which is the note the song revolves around.

To figure out the song’s BPM, you can either go to SongBPM or you can adjust the tempo in the top center of the interface until it sounds right like I explored in my tempo article.

4) Set the noise gate to around (-55dB) or (-70dB)

At this stage, you can go ahead and set-up the noise gate, however, it’s worth mentioning that you can go overboard with this. In fact, using too much gating will do a number of things, including eliminating quieter sounds, depending on the noise gate setting, or making them sound choppy and weird.

Normally, I set it to around -55dB and -70dB that way it gets rid of at least some extraneous noise.

5) Use noise-canceling headphones so you don’t record the music in addition to your vocals.

This is one of the more important parts of this process because if you don’t use headphones, especially noise-canceling headphones, the microphone or built-in speaker will pick up on the music in addition to your voice which you don’t want at all.

Don’t use headphones like the iPod headphones, because the music bleeds out of the pods and can be heard in the recording. It’s difficult to eliminate these sounds from the recording afterward unless you have something like Pro Tools.

However, in Garageband, you can spot-remove certain sounds by using the (Command + V) function. You just cut out the undesired pieces of the audio file and then use the (Command + J) function to merge the new pieces together to create a non-contiguous audio-file.

As I explained in my article on eliminating background noise, this is very useful for eliminating sounds such as the breaths a singer takes before he or she starts singing. With that said, there are even better ways of controlling ambient noises via Melodyne 5 from Plugin Boutique which is easily the best editing tool that can be used in Garageband.

6) Hit record (Red Button) with your audio-interface and microphone hooked up, and start singing.

Now you’re ready to start recording.

I like to have the count-in button turned on because then it gives you a nice 4 beat warning before the song actually starts.

Make sure your headphones are plugged in and then hit the red Record button on the left-hand side of the DAW.

If you don’t have your headphones plugged in, the music will be playing through your speakers or laptop speakers and the microphone will be picking up the background music as well as the vocals, which we don’t want.

Highlight the Vocal Track, and not the other one because you want to record on the Vocal Track, and not the music track because then you’ll just overwrite the song that you’ve imported into the DAW.

Let’s say hypothetically, this does happen, then you can just hit the (Command + Z) option, and then it’ll just go back to the way that it was before. It’s worth noting that you can hit this button repeatedly. It’s incredibly useful.

Once you’ve recorded the vocals, you can start mixing them using my guide to make everything sound a lot better. It’s important to mention that setting up your gear properly, understanding microphone technique, and knowing common singing pitfalls is half the battle, the last of which is explored very well in Singorama on their website, arguably one of the best tools for aspiring singers.

For this next section, I’m going to explore the alternative option for recording music over vocals in Garageband, which is definitely not the best one. This option is lesser quality, but it’s good for recording ideas if that’s what you’re using it for.

Recording Vocals With Laptop Microphone

Now let’s say you want to go about this really cheap because you don’t want to spend any money at all. I’m fine with that, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.

Essentially, it’s the same process. Make sure your headphones are plugged into the computer. Select all the same usual functions, and just hit record and start rapping/singing into your Laptop.

Funnily enough, a lot can actually be done with this. With some compression and EQ, the vocals can end up sounding alright, which I find kind of surprising, to be honest.

If you want to read about compression and EQ, check out the relevant links below:

My article on compression and my article on the channel EQ.

Just use the “Studio Vocal” preset in the compressor as well as the “Male Vocal” or “Female Vocal” for the EQ, and that should increase the quality of the recording a little bit.

I would say this method is better served for a different purpose, for instance, documenting an idea you have, rather than being the final product itself.

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If you just hit record on your laptop with nothing plugged in, you’ll at least have the idea down, and then at a later date, you can actually use a proper set-up and then go through a more sophisticated mixing process that’ll really improve the sound of everything.

YouTube Video Tutorial

Conclusion

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Anyway, I hope this was helpful to you. Make sure to share this on social media with your producer friends, I would appreciate that a lot.