Run Garageband on Ipad or Mac book? I am a singer/songwriter, multi instrumentalist, wanting to make very good quality demos.

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Level 1

8 points

Run Garageband on Ipad or Mac book? I am a singer/songwriter, multi instrumentalist, wanting to make very good quality demos.

I am going to buy an apple device to run Garageband.

Garageband on Ipad looks, feels and seems really creative, intuitive and fast for putting down ideas, but people around me are telling me to get a Macbook instead, citing things like Ipad is no good without Wifi, Ipad is very limited, and the program is not as good as on Macbook, among other things.

I really love the touch sensitive Ipad screen interface, and feel that I would really enjoy inputting information in this way, but I know that I would want to use other sounds on the device, and am afraid that the Ipad wouldnt be up to the job.

I'd hugely appreciate your opinion / experience / advice.

Thanks Kindly,

Applaido

Posted on Nov 15, 2017 2:51 AM

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Answer 1

léonie

Level 10

194,767 points

Nov 17, 2017 2:29 AM in response to Applaido

You will be on the safe side, if your iPad model can run iOS 11 and the Mac you get can run macOS 10.13 High Sierra.

Otherwise it will be tricky to get compatible GarageBand versions for the devices.

The current versions of GarageBand 2.3.1 on the iPad needs iOS 11, see this for a list of compatible devices: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/garageband/id408709785?mt=8
The current version GarageBand 10.2 for Mac needs OS X 10.11 El Capitan or newer, see: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/garageband/id682658836?mt=12

But try to get a Mac that will be able to run macOS 10.13 High Sierra,

GarageBand on the iPad can open GarageBand Mac projects, if you share the project on your Mac to iCloud Drive, downgraded to GarageBand for iOS, but it will mix the song as one single track. https://support.apple.com/kb/PH26570?viewlocale=en_ZA&locale=en_ZA
GarageBand on the Mac can open GarageBand iPad projects, with all tracks separate, if you share the project to iCloud Drive and you can continue on your Mac to work on the single tracks. http://help.apple.com/garageband/ipad/2.0/index.html#chsdfe5c2c2

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Answer 2

léonie

Level 10

194,767 points

Nov 15, 2017 2:08 PM in response to Applaido

The iPad is great for playing touch instruments and using it as a musical instrument, but I vastly prefer GarageBand on my Mac for creating song arrangements and mix tracks. On the iPad I cannot even change the tempo locally for some measures to create a ritardando or similar. The automation curves in GarageBand on the Mac allow me to make selected measures slower or faster, and to change edit the articulation of instruments locally.

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Answer 3

léonie

Level 10

194,767 points

Nov 16, 2017 10:36 AM in response to Applaido

Thanks Leonie,

I didn't know it was possible,

that while playing the ipad as an instrument (which I really love), that one can record it onto a Mac!? If that's the case, I'm gonna save up and try to get both an ipad and a used mac.

You can always record the audio from the iPad on the Mac, but if you create a GarageBand project on the iPad, you can transfer the iPad GarageBand project to a Mac and import it as a GarageBand Mac project and finish the project on the Mac.

And you can use the iPad as a kind of remote control for GarageBand on the Mac with the Logic remote.app (I never tried that yet).

You may want to compare the GarageBand 10 Help for the Mac (http://help.apple.com/garageband/mac/10.1/#/gbnde4c4dcd6) to the GarageBand 2 Help for the iPad (http://help.apple.com/garageband/ipad/2.0/index.html)

A Mac plus an iPad would be perfect 🙂

But try to get models that will be able to run the current system versions.

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Answer 4

Applaido Author

Level 1

8 points

Nov 15, 2017 2:26 PM in response to léonie

Thanks so much for sharing your experience Leonie, I appreciate your input.

Can I ask if you are aware of other features that cannot be tweaked on an ipad, but that are possible on a Mac?

I guess I love the idea of working on the ipad, as you say, It's like an instrument in itself, but I need to figure out if it's gonna be adequate for the job.

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Answer 5

léonie

Level 10

194,767 points

Nov 16, 2017 9:31 AM in response to Applaido

I don't use the iPad much for creating projects, I just use it to record music or to play one of the touch instruments. It is probably but my personal taste, but having to deal with the song sections is making it clumsy for me. I find it easier to connect a midi keyboard to my Mac, or to plug in my guitar and to be able to see the sheet music or song lyrics on the display of my Mac together with the GarageBand window.

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Answer 6

Applaido Author

Level 1

8 points

Nov 16, 2017 9:38 AM in response to léonie

Thanks Leonie,

I didn't know it was possible,

that while playing the ipad as an instrument (which I really love), that one can record it onto a Mac!? If that's the case, I'm gonna save up and try to get both an ipad and a used mac.

Reply

Answer 7

Applaido Author

Level 1

8 points

Nov 16, 2017 1:58 PM in response to léonie

This is so helpful leonie, thank you so much.

This sounds like a system that will help me stay creative and hopefully be intuitive enough to begin with basic recording and not having to wear an engineers hat.

When u say get a Mac plus an iPad, models that would be able to run the current system versions,

Can i ask, Where would I get info on

the specs of used ipad & Mac models, in terms of which version of operating systems they can run?

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Answer 8

Applaido Author

Level 1

8 points

Nov 17, 2017 11:06 AM in response to léonie

Thank you so much Leonie, Wow you're a wealth of information!

I'm just starting again after selling my old gear, (which didn't work great) 15 years ago, and 10 years before that I had an atari 520 with a time code generator, and loads of head wrecking problems which would grind my musical creativity to a halt.

So happy to be starting again with technology hopefully a lot smarter now, so I'm told, and very appreciative to hear your advice, so that I'll hopefully start on the right foot equipment wise this time, for more creativity and less head wreck!

Thanks so much again Leonie,

I know what to look for now

:)

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Answer 9

léonie

Level 10

194,767 points

Nov 17, 2017 11:11 AM in response to Applaido

My pleasure, Applaido.

Have fun with GarageBand 😁

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