GarageBand 2.0 - Getting Started
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Introduction

Beginning a New Song

Interface

Using Loops

Exporting & iLife Integration

Expanding GarageBand

Helpful Links

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Adding Loops to Your Song

Once you've chosen a loop that you like, add it to your song.   Click and drag the loop up to the track area of the GarageBand window.   Release the loop in an unoccupied part of the track area, and it will create its own track.   The loop will appear as a green, blue, or orange box on that track's line.

Click on the loop in the main window (the cursor should remain the usual arrow) and drag it left and right to the measure where you'd like the loop to start playing.   For example, if I want "Edgy Rock Guitar 15" to come in at the beginning of measure three, I drag the box to where the front edge aligns with the beginning of measure three.

What if I want "Edgy Rock Guitar 15" to last for more than eight beats?   I want it to repeat an additional time, for a total of 16 beats.   To do this, I'll place the cursor at the right end of the blue loop box.   As you move the cursor up and down along the edge of the box, the arrow should turn into two new cursors:
The loop pointer extends the loop and repeats it.
The resize pointer resizes the loop but does not make it repeat.

Since I want to extend the loop and have it repeat, I'll move the cursor to where it turns into the loop pointer.   Now, I can click and drag to extend the loop as far as I'd like.   Here, I've added an additional 8 beats.

The resize pointer can shorten or lengthen loops.   If you only want to use the first few beats of a loop, move the cursor to where it becomes the straight arrow.   Click the right edge of the loop and drag it back until you only have the amount of the loop that you want to use.

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Part 3.4: Adding Loops to Your Song
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© 2006 Darby Tober | iSchool | UT Austin | webmaster