First steps in digital composition
Our video “user interface of the app” provides an overview of the structure of the “Garage Band” app. Initial steps for recording using “Garage Band” are summarised in the next video.
Apps allow you to play and record virtual app (musical) instruments directly on a touchscreen device. A keyboard can also be used, however, if equipped with a USB or Bluetooth Midi connection.
To record instruments using a microphone, headphones should definitely be used. This will allow you to listen back to recorded tracks while recording, without these being recorded again via the microphone onto a new track in the background.
Most integrated microphones in smartphones and tablet devices these days offer sufficient recording quality. A good external microphone that can be connected to a computer, tablet or smartphone via an audio interface, however, allows for a more professional recording. A large diaphragm condenser microphone (available in shops from around 50 euros) for instance is certainly up to the job. The pop filtering this provides ensures that undesirable air noise is left unrecorded.
The last of the three videos above this text shows how to perform recording using an audio interface and the Garage Band app.
“Latency” is sometimes a problem. This is where some delay is experienced hearing recorded material while playing. This can be rectified in some Android apps by selecting a “low latency driver”. You can also reduce latency by setting the buffer size for recording as small as possible in a program’s audio settings. You should then set the buffer size as large as possible when it comes to editing with effects. Tips for avoiding latency on Windows PCs are available on the following page.