Can GarageBand replace Audacity?

Question

Can GarageBand replace Audacity?

From the outset I will state that I am far from an expert in audio recording technology. I have been recording live sermons and lessons for about 2 years using a MacPro and Sennheiser wireless mic with audio being brought into the Mac via a Presonus Firebox audio interface. I record a second track from a "conferrence room" type mic that hangs from the ceiling to pick up questions and comments.I have been using Audacity for the recording software. My results have been acceptable for my needs. I am still learning how to optimize post recording tweaking in Audacity.

My question is does GarageBand give me the same recording and processing capabilities as Audacity? I have had no experience with GB. Will GB allow me to record voice input from my mic and do some basic editing? I've been thinking that I might be better off using a native Mac application like GB if it will meet my needs. Maybe I would be better off spending the learning curve time with GB rather than Audacity.

Your comments and suggestions will be appreciated.

John

iPad

Posted on Sep 2, 2011 2:55 PM

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Answer 1

gjmnz

Level 3

858 points

Sep 2, 2011 5:20 PM in response to John Baughman

Yes, GB will give you recording and editing capabilities. I don't know that much about Audacity, but you can easily multi track record (up to 8 audio tracks simultaniously) and do editing in GB. You can burn to disk or convert to file formats that are web friendly etc.

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Answer 2

Sep 3, 2011 12:55 AM in response to John Baughman

For pure audio recording and editing, and audio editor like Audacity is the better choice, you have a finer control over your edits. Why change when you are already familiar with the program? GB surely won't give you better sound quality. And for longer recordings, I would always use an audio editor, since GB tends to act up sometimes, and then your recording session is lost forever. (There are other audio editors you can try too, I am using the shareware program Sound Studio and am very happy with it.)

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Answer 3

Sep 3, 2011 7:21 AM in response to Christoph Drösser

I think this is wise advice. Audacity has served my needs reasonably well. Since I posted the question I've investigated GarageBand '08 which is the version I own. There are some interesting features in GB. But in the '08 version the editing capabilities seem quite sparse compared to Audacity. I suspect the newest version has more capabilities. I think I'll take a look at Sound Studio and see how it compares wih Audacity. I also have version 3.1 of Soundtrack Pro. I've never spent a lot of time with this application because it seemed too complex.

John

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Answer 4

HangTime

Level 9

53,863 points

Sep 3, 2011 8:51 AM in response to John Baughman

John Baughman wrote:

I suspect the newest version has more capabilities.

the editing features have remained basically the same since version 1. GB is not an audio editor, even though it can be used to edit audio.

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Answer 5

Sep 3, 2011 11:16 PM in response to HangTime

The editing has rather become more confusing, because whenever you work in the Editor you run the risk of activating Flex Time and messing up your recording.

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