Apple Pro Training Series: GarageBand

This is a series of lessons with a digital download, and it is very effective when used as intended, which is like a textbook. Not so effective as a reference book because it is organized by "projects" rather than by tools or effects. The index will take you to the part of a project that involves the use of the tool or effect you're looking for, but then you have to follow along for a bit to find the specific information you're looking for. That being said, this book did serve as my gateway into Garageband and got me into it pretty quickly. I'd have absolutely given it five stars if it had a reference section in the back for quick lookups.

So excellent. So helpful. They should knight Mary Plummer. Buy this book & you can kiss Apple in-store classes goodbye; plus, you can teach yourself at your own convenience. You can even skip ahead to certain parts i.e. "Recording live instruments" as need be. I'm doing that.I'll say though, that each section has SO many killer insider tips, and only takes an hour, it's best if you do go back and learn them. You won't believe all the cool stuff she has in here.If you're planning on getting pro-tools certified, DEF. read this first, Brotien shake. There are so many wicked tricks and tools, and I've been working in a studio environment for years. But for the home studio person not switching to Cubebase, etc., doing simple demos, this is soooo helpful.

OK, I have to confess that I have been intimidated for years by GarageBand. In recent months I succeeded, through the help of some YouTube videos, in making a simple two-track recording, but I was still completely intimidated and afraid to even touch most of the controls. Then I bought Mary Plummer's book. She starts by walking you through the download of all the resources you'll be working with to complete the book's projects, and continues with very detailed explanations and screen shots as you dive right into recording, editing, working with loops, patches, software instruments, midi, and so much more. No need to be intimidated, and if you do something unintended, you can always hit Command-Z! Thanks for a great book that has freed me to have fun with the amazing recording studio that has been lurking in my laptop.

Simply put, this is without doubt the very best "how to" book I have ever seen. The author, Mary Plummer, doesn't just tell you that, " this button is for this and that button is for that". She then goes on to guide you through a project employing what you have just learned. By the time I had worked through the nine lessons in the book I had a much better understanding of the the workings and the possibilities of the excellent program.Ms Plummer and those who collaborated with her on this excellent book are to be congratulated. I would emphatically recommend that anyone who is interested in GarageBand buy this book. It is the best. If I could give it more stars I would.

A fairly thorough GarageBand dissection. Overall worth the exercise if you wish to familiarize yourself with this fairly complex program. It took me a couple of weeks to work through the author's exercises. Basic recording is not difficult on GarageBand. Remembering all of the nuances available to you is another story. To master the program requires considerable dedication and study. Mary's book will get you started better than most.

Wow. I am a complete novice to GarageBand. I got an audio keyboard for Christmas and thought it would be smart to learn how to use it with my Mac. What a course! Mary led me through some very complicated stuff in GarageBand, and kindled (pun intended) a new respect for people who mix music. GarageBand is truly powerful, and Mary's book allows you to harness that power. Highly recommended. It's also valuable after completing the training if you can't remember how to do something--just search for it.

I need something that addresses certain issues which this book does not. It walks you through the steps needed to record the specific type of project she covers. If you wNg to use loops she has you covered.Issues I encounter are not covered:Why does the click track record on subsequent tracks in a project.?Why do the effects and automation not work after following directions to a T?How do I erase unwanted and unused takes?Is there a multitrack recording mode?

I bought this book just before my Mac died. I went out and got an new computer w/ Yosemite installed. Despite a copyright date of 2015, the book was actually released in mid-2014, as I found out later. Altho' the book's intro states it was written on Maverick, it says you may use it with Maverick (10.9) or Yosemite (10.0). Well, that isn't the case; by p.17 the illustrations (which are so poorly printed, it's hard to make out detail) do not match up. Even poking around in the usually intuitive Apple Apps lead me down blind alleys (or created messes.)I'm surprised at the positive reviews, not because of my personal experience, but of how poorly it's written. Some authors suffer from explaining their subject so many times they can get sloppy, lazy, or just take readers' knowledge of the subject for granted. Don't get me wrong—I have used Apple Pro Training Series Books w/ much success before. I guess like all things these days, updates are hard to keep up with.

The approach - step by step ‘learning by doing’ - leads you at a steady pace through all aspects of the software. Downloadable lesson content helps you with clear examples, supporting the excellent text.A word of warning: this does not cover every aspect of the latest GarageBand (10.4). Some screens are now different, or missing, not all loops used in the Lessons are available in the Library, (but can be found in the DLC) and there there is no Tap Tempo any more (Why?)Despite these very minor quibbles, this is an amazing piece of work and excellent value for money.

Written in a style that makes things easy to understand this is a good reference book. I am thinking of installing Logic Pto-X on my Mac as soon as it is compatible with the Big Sur Operating System. The information gained from reading this book should make the transition a breeze. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

It is well written and a great introduction - it is the most recent guide that I could find but nevertheless does the job well. I am new to the Apple environment and it's my first experience of Garageband and amazed at its capabilities and needed something to get me started yet does not seem to much out there..

I found this to be a very good introduction to GarageBand. This is one of two Apple Pro Training publications I was glad to pay for (the other one was LogicPro10). IMHO, both purchases have each turned out to be a very good investment.

This is excellent, if you are tired of battling to understand Gband, or any other programs this series covers, buy these brilliantly written training books where you will learn them properly - highly recommend.