Oct 09, 2019 Whether you’ve completed music mastery or are seeking some help with your song, you can share a tune that you create in GarageBand easily and in a variety of ways. Share a song in GarageBand on iPhone or iPad. Choose from hundreds of Apple Loops to add to your song, add a drummer that plays along to the music you recorded, and mix your song with effect plug-ins. Create music like a DJ Use Live Loops to create electronic music by simply tapping cells and columns in the grid to trigger musical loops.
In iOS 11, the My Songs browser in GarageBand works together with the Files app to keep your songs up to date across all your iOS devices. To browse your songs when you have a song open:
- On your iPhone, tap , then tap My Songs.
- On your iPad, tap My Songs.
Browse songs
To browse locations where you've stored songs, tap Browse in the My Songs browser—you might have to tap more than once. In the Browse menu, tap a location to open it in the browser. Locations can include your device and iCloud Drive.
You can also browse your songs by doing any of the following:
- To see songs you’ve opened recently, tap Recents.
- To look for a specific song, tap in the Search field at the top of the window, then enter all or part of the name of the song.
- To sort songs by different criteria, tap Name, Date, Size, or Tag.
- To view the documents as thumbails or a list, tap .
- To see the documents that share a tag, tap a tag in the Browse menu.
Organize your songs with folders and tags
You can keep your songs organized by creating folders and storing songs in them. To create a folder:
- Tap Browse in the My Songs browser then tap a location.
- Swipe down, then tap .
- Name the new folder, then tap Done.
- To create a new song in that folder, open the folder, then tap Create Document. GarageBand automatically saves the song in that location until you move it.
You can also use tags to organize your songs and audio files. Tags make it easy to quickly find the song or other file you need.
Tag a song
- Tap Select, then tap the document thumbnail so a checkmark appears on it.
- Tap Share on your iPad, or tap on your iPhone, then tap .
- You can select an existing tag, or create your own. To create your own tag:
- Tap Add New Tag.
- Enter a name for the tag and select a color.
- Tap Add Tag. You can tag documents with the new tag, and the tag also appears in the Browse menu.
Manage tags
- Tap Browse to open the Browse menu, then tap Edit.
- Tap the name of an existing tag.
- Then enter the name of your new tag.
- Tap Done.
Manage songs
You can share, move, copy, and delete songs in the My Songs browser or the Files app. Tap Select, tap the document thumbnail so a checkmark appears on it, then tap the option you want at the bottom of the screen.
- To share a song, tap Share on your iPad, or tap on your iPhone, then choose how you want to share the song.
- To copy or move the song to another folder or location, tap Move on your iPad, or tap on your iPhone, select the new location, then tap Copy or Move. If you’re copying songs between locations from iCloud Drive to your device, a copy of the song remains in the original location.
- To delete a song, tap Delete on your iPad, or on your iPhone.
Work with audio files
If you want to use audio files in GarageBand for iOS 2.3, use iTunes File Sharing on your Mac or PC to add them to your iOS device. Then, access the files from the GarageBand File Transfer folder on your iOS device.
To add audio files to your device using iTunes File Transfer:
How To Make Music With Garageband Iphone
- Open iTunes on your Mac or PC.
- Connect your iPad or iPhone to your computer using the USB cable that came with your device.
- Click your device in iTunes. Get help if you can't find it.
- In the left sidebar, click File Sharing.
- Select GarageBand, then drag files from a folder or window onto the Documents list to copy them to your device.
If you’re upgrading to GarageBand for iOS 2.3 and have existing audio files on your device, GarageBand automatically moves the files to the GarageBand File Transfer folder after upgrading.
Add audio files to your song
After you've added the audio file to the GarageBand File Transfer folder, you can them add the audio file to your song.
- Open GarageBand on your iOS device, and open the song you want to add an audio file to.
- If necessary, tap to open the song in Tracks view.
- Tap to open the Loops browser. If a dialog appears asking if you want the files moved to the GarageBand File Transfer, tap Move Files.
- Tap Audio Files, then drag the file to the Tracks area in GarageBand.
Add audio files from a third-party cloud service
If you want to add audio files saved in a third-party cloud service or another location, copy them to the GarageBand File Transfer folder using the Files app.
- Open Files app, then tap Browse.
- In the Browse menu, tap the location where the file is stored, then locate the file.
- Tap Select, then tap the file so a checkmark appears on the file.
- Tap Move, tap On My [device], then tap the GarageBand folder.
- Tap the GarageBand File Transfer folder, then tap Copy. You can now add the file to your song using the Loops browser in GarageBand.
Learn more
- Learn more about using third-party cloud services with GarageBand for iOS.
GarageBand User Guide for iPad
Using the Audio Recorder, you can record your voice, an instrument, or any other sound using the microphone on your iPad, and play it back in GarageBand. You can also record sounds using an external microphone connected to your iPad.
The Audio Recorder has two sets of controls you can use to change the sound. Fun view lets you quickly change the sound of your recording, while Studio view gives you more options to enhance your recording.
Switch between Fun and Studio view
Tap the Fun or Studio button at the top of the Audio Recorder.
Record a sound
Tap the Record button in the control bar.
Play, sing, or make sound into the microphone.
When you are finish, tap the Play button in the control bar to stop recording. Tap the Play button again to hear your recording.
Adjust the microphone input level
While you record, the In level slider on the left shows the input level from the microphone. If the level turns red, drag the slider down (or record the part again more softly) to prevent distortion.
Drag the In level slider up or down to set the input level.
The In level slider is available if your iPad or input source supports input level control.
If the input device supports left and right channels, tap Channel button under the In level slider, tap Input 1 or Input 2 to select the input channel, or tap Stereo to record in stereo.
Set the input level automatically
When an external microphone or other audio device (such as a headset or an audio interface) is connected to your iPad, the input level can be set automatically.
Tap the Input Settings button , then tap the Automatic switch.
Reduce unwanted noise
You can use a noise gate to reduce low-level input noise when you record. A noise gate cuts off the sound when it falls below a certain minimum level.
Tap the Input Settings button , then turn Noise Gate on.
Drag the Noise Gate slider until the noise stops or decreases to an acceptable level.
Turn on monitoring for an external microphone
Garageband Music App
When an external microphone or other audio device (such as a headset or an audio interface) is connected to your iPad, the Monitor button under the Out level slider becomes active.
Tap the Monitor button to turn monitoring on. Tap the button again to turn monitoring off.
Change the sound using a preset
The Audio Recorder includes presets that appear after you record a sound. Each preset adds an interesting character to the recorded sound.
Do one of the following:
In Fun view, tap or turn the dial to select one of the presets.
In Studio view, tap the icon in the middle of the screen and choose a preset from the list.
Turn the knobs to change the sound of the preset.
You can try out different presets by tapping them and turning the knobs.
Set the key and scale for Extreme Tuning
The Extreme Tuning preset is a popular vocal effect that changes the pitch of your recording based on your song’s key and scale settings.
Tap the Settings button , tap Key Signature, then tap a new key or a different scale (major or minor).
If the actual key or scale of your song differs from the key or scale setting, the effect might be less pronounced, or might change the pitch of individual notes in undesirable ways.