Category Archive: GarageBand

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GarageBand tips, tricks and hacks

GSi WatKat – Free AU (and VST)

  By glacial23 | 10/24/2008 - 12:15 pm | GarageBand, Software Leave a comment

Now that the UB AU is released (and I’ve tested it for myself), check out GSi’s WatKat – an emulation of the WEM Copicat – a tape echo that was first designed in 1958.

It’s awesome lo-fi goodness. I say touch the capstan ;-)

plugin news

  By glacial23 | 3/4/2008 - 3:55 pm | GarageBand, Software Leave a comment

So, not only did I release an album over the weekend, but I’ve got plugins to release today!

Shortwave Emulator has been updated – There were some minor bugs when the filters were set to zero (feedback is fun!) that have been fixed, and a new parameter (modulation!) has been added. I think it sounds closer to the real thing than the previous version, anyway.

And now a new effect – Imaginary Reality. This one is pretty simple. Sonicbirth’s FFT-based units take audio in, and convert it to a real and imaginary axis. This effect flips them around and lets you screw with them a little bit. I think it’s a neat sound, anyway.

Get ‘em on ye olde software page!

Long time no (real) update

  By glacial23 | 2/13/2008 - 1:55 pm | GarageBand, General, Software Leave a comment

I’ve been busy with various and sundry things – attempting an album for the RPM Challenge, working on some video projects and all kinds of other junk, thus no time to blog here outside of the semiautomatic podcast posts.

There will be some new Sonicbirth plugins posted soon (I just need to GUIfy them), and as the RPM challenge songs are done, they’ll be uploaded to NEOelectro.

In the meantime, here’s a cool AudioUnit I found today: bismark’s bs-0 – a free/donationware Soundfont/DLS player that probably works better than the one that comes with OS X (since it can find the individual patches within the soundfont), and likely needs less horsepower than Crystal. It’s also available as a VSTi for you Windows and/or Cubase types.

Whoa, new Logic(s)

  By glacial23 | 9/12/2007 - 1:54 pm | GarageBand, General, synthesizers Leave a comment

Looks like Apple shipped Logic Studio 8 and Logic Express 8.

    Some quick notes:

  • price drop? – looks like Express is now $199 (I think it was $299 before), and studio seems lower than it was before.
  • Soundtrack Pro 2 is now in Studio – this may be the single best new feature.
  • Five of the Garageband Jam Packs are now included in Studio
  • full ESX24 sampler in Express
  • Some kind of performance mode in Studio

I’m personally curious to know what the educational pricing is (I qualify due to my day job) – Express for $99? We can only hope ;-)

Update: looks like Academic Express is $179 and Academic Studio is $449.

iLife ’08 and GarageBand 4’08

  By glacial23 | 8/7/2007 - 6:40 pm | GarageBand, General Leave a comment

iLife ’08 was finally released today. This includes what should have been GarageBand 4, which seems to now be called GarageBand ’08. This was probably done to sync up the version numbers of all the iLife components – GB and iWeb being behind the others.

Let’s see how my wishlist from January panned out:

  • Multiple projects open: doesn’t look like it. Not 100% sure, though.
  • Automation: YES!
  • PPC workaround: Probably never coming. apulSoft is making progress on his ports collection (c’mon, daHornet!). SSL- Get to work on the LMC-1. I need those “In the Air Tonight” drums…
  • QC-style effect builder: Rendered moot by SonicBirth going OSS.
  • Asteroid: HAHAHAHA!

That said, It’s also got some other nice features listed: Visual EQ and Multi-take recording sound very nice, as does 24-bit recording. (note to self: stock up on external HDs…)

Now to find the $79 for it in the couch cushions…