The Hills Are Alive With the Sound of Music!


Last January Apple released a program called GarageBand. It is, by far, one of the most incredible pieces of software that I have ever used. It is also one of the most addicting.

What is GarageBand?

GarageBand lets you create music of your very own. It is a full featured audio creation package. For professional musicians, GarageBand allows you to plug in your instruments, microphone and record your next hit. For the rest of us, it allows us to use prerecorded "loops" to make your musical masterpiece.

What is a Loop?

It is a prerecorded snippet of music. Loops are normally pretty short (10-15 seconds). They are meant for the background or beat of a song, but for amateurs like myself, you can create an entire instrumental masterpiece using loops. In GarageBand you will find both real and software instrument loops in a wide variety of instruments, styles, genres and moods (over 1,000 to be exact).

Apple and various other vendors have created thousands of additional loops for purchase and for free.

I Am Addicted

When I first started playing with GarageBand, I was entranced. Over the next few days, I basically ignored my family while I was enveloped in my musical odyssey. I could not get enough of adding loops to my creation and trying different tempos, instruments and beats. When I completed my first song, it was exhilarating.

My First Songs

My first song is called Caseadelic. It is dedicated to Casey, of course. I won't run through the entire song, but I'll give you a quick synopsis. It begins with a few piano riffs, soft and gentle, just like Casey. It gets a bit funky before its abrupt ending. It won't win me a Grammy, but I enjoy listening to it.

My second song is Quinnphonic, dedicated to Quinn as you suspected. It starts with a guitar solo and then gets a bit crazy, before ending very techno.

Both songs are pretty short and only first attempts. I made both of them last February, so I have not completed any GarageBand projects in a while. I do have four other unfinished masterpieces. One of these days I'll finish them.

Download the Songs

If you are interested in listening to my songs, you can download both of them below. By downloading the songs, you agree to my terms of use, which are pretty simple. Both songs are © 2004-2005 Bill Bates. all Rights Reserved. You may use the songs freely as long as they are for personal use. Using them for any other purpose with require advanced written permission from me (and usage fees may apply).

Okay, okay, you may be saying, "C'mon, get over yourself!" No, I don't expect anyone to ever want my songs, but since I am posting them on the Internet, I had to put some verbiage to cover myself.

Let me know what you think of them. Enjoy!

Bill

Track Artist Album Genre Duration Size
Caseadelic Bill Bates Kidz Groove Funk 1:49 2.1 MB
Quinnphonic Bill Bates Kidz Groove Techno 1:08 1.3 MB

Posted: Sat - January 15, 2005 at 12:00 AM        


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