| Cult of Mac

Free new GarageBand sessions teach you to remix tunes by Katy Perry and Seventeen

By

Using GarageBand on iPhone and iPad, aspiring musicians can learn how to remix hit songs from Katy Perry and K-pop supergroup Seventeen.
Using GarageBand on iPhone and iPad, you can learn how to remix hit songs from Katy Perry and K-pop supergroup Seventeen.
Photo: Apple

Apple released two new GarageBand in-app Remix Sessions Wednesday for iOS and iPadOS featuring Katy Perry and K-pop phenom Seventeen.

So now’s your chance to learn how to remix hit songs by superstars on your iPhone or iPad (and you don’t need to be any sort of music pro to do it).

Apple shows off sound artists’ use of Macs for Star Wars Day

By

At Skywalker Ranch, Skywalker Sound’s world-class artists create the world’s most recognizable sounds for films like the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises.
At Skywalker Ranch, Skywalker Sound’s world-class artists create the world’s most recognizable sounds for films like the "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" franchises.
Photo: Apple

Happy Star Wars Day — even if you didn’t know that was a thing. Apple is celebrating the nerdy holiday by showcasing the widespread use of Macs and iOS devices at Skywalker Sound.

Festivities include the release of a “Behind the Mac” YouTube video and feature article about the audio artists at George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch, along with a special online “Today at Apple” session about creating Star Wars sound effects.

In-person ‘Today at Apple’ events resume after 2-year COVID-19 stop

By

Today at Apple resumes after COVID-19 stop
Today at Apple is back with Lady Gaga.
Photo: Apple

Apple today confirmed that it will resume in-person “Today at Apple” events in the United States. Beginning March 7, customers will be able to visit their local Apple Store to “explore the art of remixing with GarageBand” — and Lady Gaga.

The events were stopped two years ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which also forced most Apple stores to close. “We can’t wait to welcome more of our communities back to our stores,” said Apple retail chief Deirdre O’Brien.

GarageBand teaches music remixing with Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa songs

By

Apple’s GarageBand teaches music remixing with Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa songs
GarageBand now includes an expanded Sound Library with new Sound Packs from top artists and music producers.
Graphic: Apple

Apple wants to help people get over the hump of learning art of music remixing with its free GarageBand application for iPad and iPhone. Two new Remix Sessions offer step-by-step video instruction in the app itself. Thy use hit songs from Grammy-winning artists Dua Lipa and Lady Gaga.

Musicians can also now create tracks with seven new Producer Packs full of beats, loops and instruments.

Mood-lit musician isn’t grooving to M1 Mac mini’s sound [Setups]

By

It's amazing what some light strips and display wallpaper can do for ambiance.
It's amazing what some light strips and display wallpaper can do for ambiance.
Photo: skylar_schutz@Reddit

Redditor skylar_schutz makes music on keyboard and guitar, but their Mac mini M1’s sound quality doesn’t do it for them. That’s not a huge shock. Many mini owners, past and present — if they’re even close to identifying as audiophiles — use AirPlay 2, Bluetooth or USB-wired speakers with their setups.

“The sound coming out from the M1 mac mini is just so-so … wouldn’t recommend it if you aim to enjoy listening to music from it, more so if you intend to do music production,” skylar_schutz wrote in reply to a question.

RodeCaster Pro powers Chicago trio’s Bums of Manarchy podcast [Setups]

By

Rocky Lira works his day job and podcast production here.
Rocky Lira works his day job and podcast production here.
Photo: Rocky Lira

Rocky Lira, aka “Rocky Bandit,” and his “knucklehead” friends Eddie and Paddy went big into podcasting on a moderate budget recently. And they have the gear and the podcasts in circulation to show for it.

He and his Chicago pals started the weekly show Bums of Manarchy for fun, recording more than a dozen episodes so far. Lira got off to a fast start handling the podcast editing and production. He said he uses an M1 MacBook Pro and an older model, along with two iPad Pros and his iPhone 12 Pro — in concert with a Rode RodeCaster Pro Integrated Podcast Production Studio console.

5 Ableton Live tips for GarageBand users

By

ableton live at home
Who needs to leave the house any more?
Photo: Ableton

If you’re a stuck-at-home musician, or just someone who would like to learn to make music with their Mac, then maybe you’ve just downloaded the generous, lockdown-era, three-month free trial of Ableton Live. And if you’re a GarageBand (or Logic Pro X) user, you may be feeling a little lost.

Fear not. I did the same thing last year. At first I was overwhelmed just trying to do basic stuff, like routing my guitar into Ableton or trying to work out why the app offers at least three record buttons.

So, as a relatively fresh Ableton user, I thought I’d make a list of handy tips for new users coming from Apple’s music apps.

iPad Pro is a Swiss Army knife, not a surgeon’s scalpel [Opinion]

By

The iPad Pro is the perfect tool for many people.
The iPad Pro is the perfect tool for many people.
Photo: DP Spender/Cult of Mac

By DP Spender

The launch of the new 2020 iPad Pro brought a plethora of articles from tech journalists asking, “Is this Apple’s laptop replacement?” That question is so open-ended, it might as well be an infinite loop. It’s like asking a toolmaker, “Is your new hammer a suitable replacement for last year’s wrench?”

It is in many ways a pointless question — and one that in my opinion totally misses the point. The question should be, “Does the 2020 iPad Pro get your job done?” To which my answer is yes, but then so did the 2018 model.

This app puts a multitrack recorder inside almost any music app

By

MultiTrack Recorder Plugin
This is how we recorded multiple tracks in the olden days, kids.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

4Pockets’ MultiTrack Recorder Plugin is an audio-recording app that can be loaded inside other music apps. If you’ve ever seen an app like GarageBand or Logic in action, you’ll be familiar with the layout of multiple tracks on a horizontal timeline. MultiTrack Recorder Plugin offers exactly that, only it’s designed to be used inside other music apps. Apps that don’t have their own recording functions.