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This document will explain how to use Garageband
to create a simple podcast with an audio track and still images.
If you have questions after reading these instructions, you can ask
for help from a student computer lab consultant, or visit Apple's GarageBand Tutorials or Support webpages.
Note: This document does not cover uploading your
podcast to iTunes U or any other server, but your exported file will
be ready for upload via your method of choice.
- Log into a Macintosh computer and open Garageband. It is located
in the Applications folder on the Macintosh HD. To get there,
double-click the Macintosh HD icon on your desktop and then double-click
the Applications folder. Scroll down to the Garageband icon and
double-click it to open the program.
- You may see a pop-up window that says Garageband '08. If
so, click the
"Create New Podcast Episode" button. If not, from the
File menu at the top of the screen, choose "New," then
click the "Create
New Podcast Episode" button.
- You will get another pop-up window that asks you where you want
to save your project. Title your project, choose a save location
and click Create. The default location is a folder called Garageband that is
located in your home directory/Music folder, but you can save your
project anywhere you'd like in your home directory, on Temporary_Storage,
or on a external flash disk or hard drive. You do not need to change
any of the tempo, time, or key settings.
- The main Garageband
window will now appear with four tracks.
These tracks are pre-prepared for your podcast, but you can add
new tracks or delete extraneous tracks as needed. The tracks are
labeled
as follows:
- Podcast Track - This is where you will
place still images like artwork, photographs, etc.
- Male/Female Voice - This is where you will
record your audio. These tracks are pre-configured for male
and female voices, but that effect can be easily changed.
- Jingles - This is where you will place background
audio, like sound effects, music clips, etc.
- To add a track, click the
 button
at the bottom of the Tracks column.
- To delete a track, highlight the track and select "Delete
Track"
from the Track menu in the menubar.
Aside from the tracks, there are five major areas of the GB
window you should be familiar with. Click the links to see screenshots
of each area.
- The control bar contains the playback controls, the record button,
the time clock, the volume control, and the toggle buttons for
the other four areas.
 The loop browser provides
access to the built-in audio clips provided with GB, such as sound
effects and jingles. The media browser provides
access to audio clips, photos, and movies stored in your Macintosh
home directory. The track editor allows
to you add chapter markers and URLs to your podcast's artwork track
and tweak settings on your audio tracks. The track info window
lets you see a preview of your podcast and adjust settings for each
of your audio tracks. When your Podcast track is selected, you can
use the track info window to enter metadata for your podcast, such
as the title, author, and a short description of the podcast.
- From the GarageBand menu, select Preferences, then click the
Audio/MIDI icon.
Make sure your Audio Output and Input are configured correctly for
the input (microphone) and output (speakers, headphone line out,
etc) that you are using. When you are finished, close the window.
- In the bottom of the track info
window, you will see your input source and a recording
level volume slider. Set
this to the halfway point for now.
Note: if the recording level slider is greyed out, Garageband
cannot control the recording level of the device. Use the Sound preference
pane to adjust the input level for the device instead.
- Click on the Record button
 in
the control bar and speak a few words into your microphone. You
should see the audio
waveform recording of
your voice. When you are finished, hit your spacebar to stop recording.
- Hit the rewind button
 ,
or drag the playhead back to the beginning of your recording. Now
hit the play button  and
listen to what you have recorded. If it's too quiet, increase your
recording level. If it's too loud or your voice sounds distorted,
lower your recording level or back away from your microphone.
- To delete and re-record, simply click on the waveform to select
it and hit the delete key (above the return key).
- When you are satisfied with your volume settings, you are ready
to record your track. Speak slowly and clearly as you record. Make
sure you listen to your track before you save it to make sure it's
what you want.
- If you need to crop sounds off the beginning or end of your recording,
move your mouse to the bottom corner of the end of the track you
want to crop. The icon will change to a bracket. You can then click
and drag towards the middle of the clip to crop.
- If you want to change the visual scale of your recording, so
you can see more or less of it in the Garageband window, use the scale slider in
the bottom left corner to adjust your view.
- For more thorough instructions, read our complete instructions
on GarageBand Voice Recording!
- Select the Podcast Track and show the Track
Editor and Media
Browser windows. In the Media Browser, click on the Photos tab.
- To add episode artwork - the "cover art" for your episode
- drag and drop an image from the
media brower or from the Finder into the "drag episode artwork
here" well on the left of the track editor.
- To insert a marker, drag your playhead (the red line)
to the point in the track where you want to add the marker and
click "add
marker"
in the track editor or hit the "P" key on the keyboard.
- To add artwork at the marker, drag and drop an image from the
media brower or from the Finder into the "drag artwork here" well.
- To make your marker a chapter marker, add a chapter title.
- To add a URL that your viewer can click on, type in a URL and
give it a title.
- To make an image to start at a certain point in the timeline,
enter the time in the Time column.
- Click to see a screenshot of
several completed chapter markers.
- Open the Loop Browser and
click on the Audio tab in the Media Browser.
- Select a sound effect, stinger, or jingle from the browser and
drag it into the Jingles Track.
- If you prefer to add an audio track from your personal library,
drag and drop it into the Jingles Track, or create a new Real Instrument
track and add it there. Note: please observe copyright laws
when adding audio tracks, especially if you plan to make your Podcast
publicly available!
- You can add as many tracks as you need for your vocals and background
sounds.
Garageband has a built-in feature
called "ducking" that
mixes sound levels between lead tracks and backing
tracks. With ducking turned on, the volume of the backing tracks
will automatically be lowered whenever there is sound on the lead
track. In other words, the background music will be quiet when you
are talking and loud when you're not. This can give your Podcast
a professional sound, especially if you add theme music at the beginning
and end.
- Ducking is turned on by default when using the Podcast preset.
To turn it on or off manually, select "Ducking" from
the Control menu. When active, you will see a √ mark beside
the Ducking menu option and you will see two small arrows in the
Mixer column of each track.
- A track can have three
states:
- Yellow up triangle - lead track
- Blue down triangle - backing track
- Both triangles grey - ducking is turned off for this track
- To adjust ducking settings:
- When you have finished
recording, save your Garageband project
by clicking "Save" from the File menu. This will save your
track in a format that you can edit again later.
- To export your podcast in an iTunes-friendly format, click "Export
Podcast to Disk" from the Share menu.
- You will see a pop-up window with some settings options.
- You may export as an AAC (required
if using images, otherwise recommended) or as an MP3
- Select the type of podcast from the Audio Settings menu.
Most users will select Spoken or Musical podcast, depending
on the primary content
- If you used images in your podcast, make sure the "Set
Artwork to recommended size" box is checked.
- You will now see a Save dialog box. Choose where you want to
save your finished track and click Save. You're all done!
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