GarageBand is a freebie that comes with every Mac, yet it rivals many professional DAWs in terms of intuitiveness. With its easy-to-use interface, GarageBand is the perfect starting point for aspiring beatmakers looking to make music on a budget. But even seasoned pros can squeeze some serious juice out of it. Let’s not forget that the beats for Kendrick Lamar’s Pride and Usher’s Love in This Club were created in GarageBand.
Despite being as easy to use as a garage door remote, GarageBand doesn’t skimp on features. Apple’s free beat software is an excellent tool for recording music and editing your audio recordings. It also includes a selection of virtual instruments, guitar amps, and stompbox effects to add depth and character to your beats. The Drummer track is an excellent tool for beat producers who want a virtual percussionist in their studio (minus the drumsticks).
However, MIDI editing is somewhat limited, and the app lacks the advanced mixing console found in Garageband’s big brother, Logic Pro. Still, for the whopping price of zero dollars, we can’t really complain. Apple’s GarageBand is a fantastic entry-level beat-making software that helps budding producers get started.