Quote:
Originally Posted by jpmist
There are some things about GB that drive me insane so I just wanted to run some questions by anyone who's proficient at it. Problem is that I don't know what anything is called so I'd be sharing a lot of screen shots.
Mainly the region bar (?) near the top of the window where you can name a section of a recording and cut sections out of a track so you can move them around. As you hover the cursor over it, there are about 4 icons with different functions that appear depending on what phase of the moon we're in and if you've shaved recently <grin> - just need some help on managing that part. I've been hoping there was a secret key to press when the cursor is in that area that I don't know about.
Secondly, the main trouble I have mixing is getting my guitar and vocal tracks balanced to my liking. I usually fail to notice until I've exported the track to a mp3 file to discover a vocal is way too loud and I can't hear my harmory vocal. Are there any plug-ins I can install that show a decent meter so I can compare the tracks? The 3/8" one GB shows for each channel is fairly useless.
TIA
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I don't use GB these days (Logic Pro X user) and it has changed enough that it would be helpful if you could include screenshots to highlight the areas of the screen you're asking about, and maybe describe the icons/cursors and what part you are hovering over, or if you have any keys pressed.
They layout is very much derived from Logic Pro X, and while some features are there, many are either not accessible or automated/dumbed-down with less control. Spending a couple hundred on Logic is a worthwhile upgrade if you are pretty happy with GarageBand. Otherwise something like Reaper is a bit more affordable way to get a full-featured DAW with all the meters and such.
One problem with GarageBand is that you cannot view multiple plugins at the same time (at least that's what I saw when I just tried it), and if you are trying to look at metering on multiple tracks, it will frustrate you.
But, as mentioned, metering is typically not how you adjust a mix. Now, I do make quick "clip gain" adjustments if I see I'm going to have to make a big move across a track or sizeable region, so that my fader movements (or automation) are minimized. This is another area where GB is lacking, and you have to use the Gain plugin, at least as far as I can see, if you have track balance issues that are pushing your faders is widely opposite directions.
You also might want to check out how to automate volume on a track, as mentioned, because sometimes it's just part of a track that need to get louder. GarageBand does support volume automation.
And, then, listening back to the final result on different devices is really part of the process. If you are trying to mix entirely on headphones, it's very easy for your brain to isolate something in one ear and make you think it's loud enough. Always mix on speakers if possible, or test your mix by playing back over just a phone speaker, in the car, etc.