Recording with GarageBand ‘08

Getting Started

Click on the GarageBand icon in your Dock. (It can also be found in Macintosh HD/Applications)

You will be prompted to select a new GarageBand Project. Select Create New Podcast Episode.

A Save As dialog will appear. Give your project a title. (e.g. My Great Podcast)

Recording

To begin recording, select the appropriate voice track.

When ready, click the Record button to begin.

When finished, press the Play button to stop recording.

GarageBand creates a visualization of the audio, this is called a soundwave. The thin lines represent low sounds, where as the higher peak represent louder audio.

Editing the Podcast

GarageBand’s Track Editor offers a precise editing tool to remove unwanted audio.

To remove any unwanted audio, click on beginning of the unwanted audio and drag the mouse to the end of the unwanted audio as if you were selecting text.

The unwanted area is now highlighted, press Delete on your keyboard to remove the audio.

To create Fade Ins and Fade Outs click on the down arrow to reveal the track volume.

In the track volume we see a horizontal line representing the volume of our recording.

Click on the area of the line where you want stop the fade in. A blue marker will appear.

Click on the beginning of the track to create another blue marker. Click and drag the blue marker to create an incline.

The fade in gradually increases the volume.

To create a Fade Out, click on the beginning of the area you want to decrease, a blue marker will appear.

Click on the area you want to end the fade out. A blue marker appears, click and drag the blue marker down to create a decline.

Adding Jingles

Jingles offer an entertaining way to lead into your Podcast. GarageBand comes preloaded with hundreds of jingles, sound effects, and more.

To add a Jingle, Select the Jingles Track.

Next, click on the Loop Browser icon.

In the Jingles section select a loop that you like and drag it to the Jingles Track.

The Loop can be lengthened to fit your audio recording. Do this by hovering your mouse on the right end of the loop. The Mouse will turn into a circular arrow, click on the track and drag to the right to expand.

Pictures

To add Podcast artwork, click on the Podcast Track.

Select the Track Editor. This gives us an area to drag a photo into the Album Artwork. Album artwork will show up in media players like iTunes.

Find a picture you wish to add and drag it into the Episode Artwork

Exporting

Once the Podcast is complete you can export it.

In the Menu Bar select Share and choose Export Podcast to Disk.

You will be prompted to choose the appropriate settings for your Podcast.

If you are creating a spoken word podcast choose MP3 (mono/32 bit)

Once selected, you will be prompted for a file name.

Hit save and your Podcast will be exported.

Saving Project

If you wish to continue working on a Podcast at a later time choose File from the Menu Bar and Select Save As. Give your Podcast and Save. Once the file is reopened you can start where you left off.