Using GarageBand
GarageBand is like a complete recording studio that can be used by the musically-inclined or the completely inexperienced. It's a great way to create an original soundtrack for your movie. And since you're the author you can do whatever you want with your song.
If you play guitar, plug in your guitar using a mono 1/4-inch phono to stereo 1/8-inch mini phono cable and use one of GarageBand's several guitar amps to record a song.
If you play another instrument you might be able to plug it into your iBook and record some notes. Or you can use one of GarageBand's software instruments and the onscreen keyboard to record.
But the best thing about GarageBand is that if you don't play any instruments you can work with any of over 1,000 pre-recorded loops to put together a song. Maybe start with some drums, add some guitar melody and record your own vocals.
Launching GarageBand
You can get into GarageBand by clicking its icon in the Dock (move your mouse to the bottom of the iBook's screen and the Dock will appear).
Learning how to use GarageBand
There are two good places to get a quick tutorial on GarageBand.
The first is on the Web in the .Mac Learning Center. Here you will be walked through the process of creating a song using the built-in instrument loops. The tutorial uses several movies so you can actually see how to build your song. Plus, you learn the basics of music composition.
The second is in GarageBand's built-in help. Open up GarageBand and choose "GarageBand Help" from the "Help" menu. Click on "Learn About GarageBand." Both the "Overview" and "Getting Started" sections are helpful.
iMovieFest is produced by the student staff of Residential Technology Services