In GarageBand, is it possible to change the key at any given point in the timeline?

Albee41 wrote:

I remember in the older, 2005, version, I could drop a loop into the timeline, change the key at 4 bars etc., and create a 16 bar blues.

GB has never supported more than a single key per project.

you could, however, use the Pitch Automation on the master track, or the pitch slider in the Track Editor to change the picth of as region

Albee41 wrote:

Is it possible to do that with the more recent versions of garageband?

that has been possible in every version of GB since version 1, just as i described using the Track Editor (but the key of the project is still limited to only 1)

Albee41 wrote:

When I use the track editor as in the pitch slider, the entire track or region changes pitch.

you have to select only the region within the track for which you wish the pitch changed.

if it's one long region you have to split it up so you can select the part(s) you want to affect:

http://www.bulletsandbones.com/GB/GBFAQ.html#split

(Let the page FULLY load. The link to your answer is at the top of your screen)

Only the tracks that you want to transpose - e.g. not the drums. Normally it would be the instruments of the rhythm section, i.e. rhythm guitar, piano, bass.

When I only want a progression of chords for an accompanyment I use the Pitch Automation on the master track (⌘-B, Show Master Track). That will locally change the key of the whole project - all tracks in parallel. For the chord progression C-G-F-C in the example below I raised the master pitch to 0-7-5-0.

To add vocals and drums without transposing them as well, I render the accompanyment with an audio preview, so it can be imported into a second project (using the Media Browser) where I record the vocals and drums. Any updates to the first project will be updated in the second project too, if you import using the audio preview.

Okay, thanks. Can you tell me how to adjust the pitch of a track from say a C to an F and then back to C?

Christoph Drösser and Hangtime already told you: you select only the region of the track that should be transposed from C to F, and then (in the Track Editor) set the pitch slider to +5; the region will be transposed to F and all other regions will stay at C.

Regards

Léonie

Just adding: to go from C to F, e.g., you can transpose +5 semitones or -7. Judge your ears to see what sounds better. (E.g., if the original loop was recorded in A, it probably sounds better in the lowered version since the C version had already be raised by 3 semitones.)

And when you put a pitch curve on the master track, the drum track isn't affected, so there's no need to treat it separately!

And when you put a pitch curve on the master track, the drum track isn't affected, so there's no need to treat it separately!

Christoph, good to know that - Is that a recent change? I remember that I had a lot of trouble with some drum kit from the "world music" jam pack, where the sound kept changing after transposition.

IIs there a key slider in GB for iPad? I'm interested in recording a backup for a bluegrass tune, 8 bars, then going 8 bars in a different key, same tune.

Maybe I have to record two projects in different keys, export to MP3, then stitch back together for Soundcloud.