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Top 3 OS X Yosemite Garageband Rumours

Update: Yosemite is here – along with a huge update to Garageband! Did Apple redeem themselves this time around? Check out my overview right here

 

Slated for an Autumn 2014 release, Apple’s latest version of OS X – Yosemite – promises a massive visual overhaul, a host of new iCloud features and deeper integration with your iOS devices.

There sure are a ton of shiny new features on the horizon – a full run down can be found here – but what have we music minded Mac users got to look forward to?

Well, Apple aren’t giving much away in terms of details at the moment and their recent keynote didn’t reveal anything concrete, but the internet being the internet it didn’t take long for a few juicy morsels of information to surface.

What improvements and new features can Garageband users expect from OS 10.10?

 

Here are my top 3 OS X Yosemite Garageband rumours.

 

 MIDI Over Bluetooth LE

512px-Bluetooth.svgAll but 100% confirmed, Apple are apparently adding a Bluetooth option to the Audio/MIDI set up in OS X Yosemite. which will allow you to scan for and connect to enable devices in the vicinity of your Mac.

While this doesn’t sound particularly exciting on it’s own, it’s believed this functionality will allow you to connect to and use the huge number of third party MIDI controllers (think keyboards, drum pads etc.) made specifically for iOS devices.

It will be interesting to see how Apple get around some of the latency issues associated with Bluetooth connected instruments and MIDI controllers, but as this feature isn’t currently available in current beta versions of Yosemite, we will have to wait until the full release to find out…

 

 Audio Unit Overhaul

Apple is making some BIG improvements to Audio Units in Yosemite.

The word is that we will be able to tag Audio Units with specific tags, making them searchable in the same way other files are in the Finder.  After the confusion surrounding Audio Units in the Garageband 10 upgrade, any thing that makes them easier to find and use is a plus in my book…

 

audio-unit-tags - 9to5mac.com
Screenshot courtesy of http://9to5mac.com

Speaking of Audio Units…

 

 Audio Units in Garageband iOS?

Perhaps most exciting of all is the rumored ability to take some of your (freshly tagged) Audio Units and using the supposedly much improved Airdrop functionality, import and use them in your Garageband iOS projects!

Definitely the most ‘rumour-y’ of these three rumours,  the ability to use effects and plug ins in your Garageband iOS projects would be an incredible step forward.

Coupled with Apple’s much touted ‘Continuity’ feature we could very well see the ability to start putting a project together on say your iPad before seamlessly firing up your Mac and having instant access to the same project, allowing you to continue working on it and vice versa.

 

We’ll have to wait until the Autumn to find out if any of these rumours turn out to be 100% accurate, but until then share your own predictions in the comments below. What changes to Garageband would you like to see in OS X Yosemite?

Patrick
I've been a musician for longer than I care to remember and though I don't make a living in a recording studio, I have spent the last decade getting to know everything worth knowing about Apple's GarageBand on Mac and iOS!
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16 Comments

  1. Here’s hoping that the accessibility of Garageband will improve for people who need to use the Voiceover screen-reader. Right now it is very hacky and rather hit and miss when it comes to consistency in functionality. It would also be good if “from the keyboard” instructions were included in all instructional materials.

    Reply

    1. Definitely Tom. I’ve emailed Apple as per your email btw, just asking them specifically if they will be improving the feature. Fingers crossed they get back to me (They don’t answer my emails much anymore though… 😉 )

      Reply

      1. Hi Patrick,
        Well, that’s great! A lot of people think that Apple really pays aattention to consumer inut. I guess we’ll see,,, eh? :)Tom Dekker

        Reply

  2. I can’t wait to see what improvements they bring to garageband with Yosemite. Hopefully they will fix all the annoying little problems that are still present.

    Reply

    1. It is possible to record two tracks at a time – this feature is now hidden. From the Track menu, select Track Header ->Show Record Enable Button. You are able to record two different input types at the same time, i.e. software instrument and vocal.

      Reply

  4. I ask for one thing for the next iteration of GarageBand, and one thing only: FLEX PITCH! Add that, and I will be a happy monkey..! 😀

    Reply

  5. Putting support for Podcasts and spoken-word recording are an absolute must. It was a horrible thing to remove this functionality in the last iteration of GarageBand.

    Reply

  6. I would love to see GB using Busses to group tracks together…. oh wait… then it would be Logic! 😎 Seriously, though, I would love to see GB give me the ability to group an entire string section (for example) under one master volume slider…

    Reply

  7. I use to be able to change the GRID size in the edit window in GB from 1/4, 1 /16 , 1/32- and so on. Since upgrading my mac to 10.10.1 , I can’t seem to find how I can do this in this version of GB.

    Reply

    1. That is called the grid ruler and, yes for all practical purposes, it is gone. It makes a cameo appearance in the “score” mode of the hyper-edit window for software instrument tracks, but it seems to not work. Meaning, no change occurs to the grid division when you select different rhythmic subdivisions. A big loss of editing power for me because I am a musician first and a recording engineer second which means I look at recordings as captured musical performances and not as wave forms and regions. So, if I have to see them as such then I need the grid to be the musical representation of when and when things occur which is rhythmic placement. I have been with Garage Band form day one and I am seriously considering changing to something different. It has become a luxurious and vast sound kitchen and no longer a useful recording tool.

      Reply

      1. This is something I have just noticed and it is a ‘criminal’ oversight. Why would you remove the ability to view the grid ruler at 1/16, 1/32 and 1/64? This previously offered such a powerful means of editing, especially for crafting ghost hits on the drums or horns. A real shame if this feature is to be phased-out and not re-issued on an update

        Reply

  8. Since I installed El Capitan GarageBand has not worked on my iMac. Upon opening I don’t get a dialog box to choose which project to load, and the most recent project loads with a blank screen. When I choose a project from File>Open Recent I get a dark screen. Is there a way to reinstall GarageBand? Has anyone else had this problem?

    Reply

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