
Snare drums, Kick drums and certain vocals (hip hop/rap) all traditionally have a fast attack setting, whereas pianos, guitars and other instruments – where preserving the dynamics and the need to sound natural are important – generally have a slower attack speed. How much attack you use depends entirely on what it is that you’re compressing. The Attack governs the speed at which compression kicks in. If you select a ratio of 30:1, the volume will be reduced by 30db for every 1 db over your threshold setting (and sound majorly squashed)! So for example, if you select a ratio of 2:1 for every 1db that your audio goes over your threshold setting, it’s volume will be reduced by 2db. The higher the ratio, the more volume is reduced and squished, while a lower ratio will reduce less volume. The ratio determines how much volume to reduce. Any sound above this db level will be compressed.ĭo you only want the louder sounds in your track compressed? Or do you want to really ‘level out’ your sound by setting the threshold at a lower volume? When you click on the up/down arrows or adjust the slider a decibel (db) level is displayed. The threshold controls the point at which the compression kicks in. There are 4 main settings for you to fiddle with: You can find it in the plug-ins drop down menu within Garageband’s Smart Controls window. Much like the version found in earlier iterations of Apple’s entry level DAW, Garageband 10.0.3’s built in compressor is intuitive and simple to use. You wouldn’t use the same compression settings on a face melting guitar solo as you would a violin melody, or the same set up on a drum track as you would on a vocal track…īy far the most important thing to remember – especially if you’re just getting to grips with compression – is make sure you don’t over-compress and leave your tracks or project sounding squashed or lifeless. How much compression you’ll want to apply depends entirely on the type of instrument or genre of music you’re working with. You can then raise the gain of your compressed track, having reduced any peaks or troughs in the volume. In a nut-shell, applying compression to a track in Garageband lowers the volume of loud sounds to the same level as the quieter sounds.
HOW TO CHANGE RHYTHM GARAGEBAND 10.1.4 HOW TO
In this tutorial, we’ll look at how to get to grips with Garageband’s built in compressor as well as how it works on different instruments.
HOW TO CHANGE RHYTHM GARAGEBAND 10.1.4 UPDATE
Seeing that it’s back in action, I thought it a good time to update that original article. It wasn’t until the latest 10.0.3 update that Apple added their good old built in compressor Audio Unit back into Garageband ( along with a ton of cool other stuff too). I noted that while it wasn’t the most feature rich of compressors out there, it did a sterling job of getting the basics right.Īfter Apple made the frankly bizarre decision to remove the built in compressor plug in from Garageband 10, we were left with a single incredibly vague Smart Control compressor ‘dial'( I wasn’t a fan of it…) Way back in 2012 I put together a definitive guide on how to get the most from Garageband’s built in compressor. It may not be the most glamorous, flashy or exciting effect in Garageband’s AU plug-in arsenal, but rest assured – the built in compressor is one of the most useful available to you.
