Having spent a couple of hours enthralled by GarageBand on the iPad, it’s clear that it’s among the most incredible pieces of software Apple has ever produced. Too much hyperbole? Tough. In this case it’s easily justified.
Those of us who thought that it would only run smoothly on the iPad 2′s faster dual-core processor were wrong: it runs like a dream on the original model.
Whether you’re picking out arpeggios on the Grand Piano, re-creating old B-movie soundtracks on the Fifties Sci Fi synth, or setting up a rhythm track on Smart Drums, the experience is the same. It’s a joy to use.
Perhaps the biggest revelation is the on-screen piano keyboard. It’s velocity sensitive, so the harder you tap a key, the louder it plays. But more than that, the touch-screen interface responds to all sorts of subtle key strokes. Slide your finger from F# onto the F key and it sounds the same as it would if you did it on a real piano. With a little practice you can play boogie woogie, albeit one-handed.
The Smart Guitar fretboard too, is remarkable. Tap a string and it sounds the note that corresponds to the fret you finger, push up or down and the string bends realistically. To play a chord in Smart Guitar, select Chord and draw your fingers across the strings on the chord you want to play. Only the strings you touch ring out. And the sounds it produces from Acoustic to Hard Rock are remarkable.
Of course, GarageBand isn’t just about playing simulated instruments on-screen. You can plug a mic in and record vocals, or use it to create samples to include in tracks. Likewise, you can hook up a guitar and use the in-built amps and effects to recreate vintage tones in the same way as you can on the original GarageBand. You’ll need an adaptor to do that, of course, but they’re already available. Amplitube’s iRig or Apogee’s forthcoming Jam guitar interface and Mike microphone will do the trick.
We’ve only scratched the surface of GarageBand for iPad, but we’re already hooked. It’s every bit as stunning as we had hoped.
