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Why Doesn't Metronome Turn Off?

Bizarre. I'm running Garageband on iPhone. In the Preferences tab there is a switch to turn the metronome off. But every time I record, the dawgone thing turns itself back on!


How do I permanently turn off the metronome??

Posted on Oct 10, 2014 2:48 PM

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Posted on Oct 10, 2014 3:31 PM

Is it the metronome or the count in you are hearing, when you are recording? Turn off both - metronome and count-in.


The Metronome should stay silent during the whole session. Only after closing the song by going to the "mySong" view will it automatically become active again.

15 replies

Oct 10, 2014 3:37 PM in response to léonie

Hi Léonie,


Actually, it's the count-in switch that is turned off. For metronome, I only have the option to chose the type of sound. I don't see a metronome switch anywhere other than the one above the tracks that, by default, always appears off. But when I start to record a new track, the silly thing turn itself back on, and I'm forced to scramble and shut-it off.


Is there not a simple metronome "off" switch that kills it for the whole session once and for all?

Oct 11, 2014 1:23 AM in response to léonie

léonie wrote:


Is it the metronome or the count in you are hearing, when you are recording? Turn off both - metronome and count-in.


The Metronome should stay silent during the whole session. Only after closing the song by going to the "mySong" view will it automatically become active again.

No, I haven't left the session, but it still comes on.


Also, there is only a switch in preferences for the count-in, not the metronome. This is very basic. Where is the metronome off switch to keep it off?

Oct 11, 2014 1:28 AM in response to marysplacestudio

There is supposed to be a Metronome off.

See: GarageBand for iOS 2.0.x (iPhone, iPod touch): Change song settings

Change the metronome settings

GarageBand has a metronome to help you play and record in time. The metronome includes a count-in that plays four beats before recording starts to help you get ready. You can turn the metronome or the count-in on or off anytime while you are working, and change the sound of the metronome.

  1. Open the song settings.
  2. To turn the metronome on or off, tap the Metronome switch.
  3. To turn the count-in on or off, tap the Count In switch.
  4. To change the sound for the metronome, tap Sound, then choose a new metronome sound.

If the switch is not visible or does not work - have you tried "Reset GarageBand" in the Settings > GarageBand?


Or reinstalling GarageBand? But caution: You will have to save your songs to a Mac or backup your device before you try that, because reinstalling GarageBand will delete the songs.

Oct 11, 2014 1:43 AM in response to léonie

léonie wrote:



If the switch is not visible or does not work - have you tried "Reset GarageBand" in the Settings > GarageBand?




Yes, I tried resetting and to no avail. What I find is that, if you flip between tracks and instruments, that's when the metronome automatically resets itself to come on the next time you hit Record. But this is a flaw or bug since, if I want the metronome off, I want it off.


The other thing is that, when it does come on, it requires me to hit the metronome symbol twice to turn it off.

Oct 11, 2014 2:00 AM in response to marysplacestudio

But this is a flaw or bug since, if I want the metronome off, I want it off.


The other thing is that, when it does come on, it requires me to hit the metronome symbol twice to turn it off.

😢

I tried again, and sadly, that is what is happening (version 2.0.2 on my iPad). Definitely a bug. I did not notice it in earlier versions.

You may want to send feedback to Apple to let the developers know. You can use this form: Apple - GarageBand IOS - Feedback

Or, if you have a developer account, use the Bug Reporter there.


Added:

The metronome switching the control bar has been introduced with GarageBand 2.0.2. Have you already updated to GarageBand 2.0.3? I have not tested with 2.0.3 on my iPad.

Oct 11, 2014 9:05 AM in response to léonie

léonie wrote:


But this is a flaw or bug since, if I want the metronome off, I want it off.


The other thing is that, when it does come on, it requires me to hit the metronome symbol twice to turn it off.

😢

I tried again, and sadly, that is what is happening (version 2.0.2 on my iPad). Definitely a bug. I did not notice it in earlier versions.

You may want to send feedback to Apple to let the developers know. You can use this form: Apple - GarageBand IOS - Feedback

Or, if you have a developer account, use the Bug Reporter there.


Added:

The metronome switching the control bar has been introduced with GarageBand 2.0.2. Have you already updated to GarageBand 2.0.3? I have not tested with 2.0.3 on my iPad.

Okay, thanks for confirming this. I knew it didn't seem right. I rarely use this app, but thought I'd give it a spin for recording a song idea with multi-tracks. Hard to believe this got by the beta testers since you can't record without running into the metronome all the time.

Jun 21, 2015 12:36 PM in response to marysplacestudio

8 months later this is still an issue in GarageBand 2.0.6 for iOS 8. I'm using a 4th Generation iPad with Retina Display which otherwise performs great. Turning off the count-in and the metronome has no effect - when you press record in multitrack GarageBand forces you into instrument view and turns on the disabled metronome. I would say this is a software bug but it's persisted in the different GarageBand versions, suggesting this is an attempt by Apple to force the user's behavior - do it our way or don't do it. It's sad to see an application with so much potential function on purpose in such a frustrating way. Eventually the marketers and user haters stepped aside and let the user specify that new songs would not be limited to 8 bars. On a long enough timeline this metronome nonsense will fall out of the design as well.


There is a bug though, as mentioned above: even after the application disrupts the user's work by turning on the metronome in defiance of the user turning the metronome off, the button to turn it off again doesn't work. I have to hit the metronome icon 2-4 times (it varies) to shut it back off. The system is so busy processing the unwanted metronome ticks that it temporarily stops receiving touch input for the metronome icon. A bit of salt on the wound.


Maybe I'll start using GarageBand again when this is fixed, but I'm done for now. I am not going to live with disruption for the sake of Apple opportunistically forcing my lifestyle - least of all in terms of my recording habits.

Oct 18, 2015 2:46 AM in response to DoobieBroQ

iPhone 6s with iOS 9.0.2 and GarageBand 2.0.7 and I have the same problem. Apple not resolving how to correctly turn the metronome off in a years time is absurd.

Nov 12, 2015 8:24 PM in response to Community User

Thank you! This dumb problem (that has been around for at least three garageband updates) is an annoying enough reason for me to not record using garageband. For a company as reputable and user friendly as Apple, i write this in shear amazement that this problem has not been fixed. I have spent hundreds of hours recording in studios in my past. Maybe one out of thirty musicians actually prefer to record to a click-in or a metronome. The fact that this is even an opt out option instead of an opt in is ridiculous. The fact that you cant turn it off with the off button is more so. I feel stuck in a solutionless quandry. I hope someone from Apple reads all these posts. All one has to do is google this problem to see how widespread it reaches.

Mar 12, 2016 9:55 PM in response to marysplacestudio

I dont know if you have figured this out yet or not but if you haven't its pretty easy. On top right hand corner tap on the lil wheel (settings) that look like a Mercedes sign and then click o metronome sound and from the options select visual only. so even though it may run there will be no sound and you dont have to worry about stopping and turning it off in the middle.


Hope I helped someone


Thanks

Why Doesn't Metronome Turn Off?

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