Is Garageband too lo-tech?
Since I switched to the Mac OS X platform back in February 2006 I've used Garageband, the supplied audio production/creation tool supplied in the iLife suite. In the Podcastmatters offices we're all Mac, so Garageband is on all of our machines (Soundtrack Pro is there too).
Apple built in podcast support for Garageband in the iLife update that year, although many 1st generation podcasters were using Garageband back in 2004 for all of their podcasts.
The podcast support feature includes the ability to drag-n-drop create enhanced podcasts by adding the album art directly into the podcast area of the timeline, then lining it up with the relevant part of the audio. It's all very smooth.
But is Garageband a bit too lo-tech? Should podcasters be raising their sights to something a little more professional for their audio production? Does Garageband include the audio filters and effects needed to produce great sounding audio podcasts?
What are your thoughts?
Apple built in podcast support for Garageband in the iLife update that year, although many 1st generation podcasters were using Garageband back in 2004 for all of their podcasts.
The podcast support feature includes the ability to drag-n-drop create enhanced podcasts by adding the album art directly into the podcast area of the timeline, then lining it up with the relevant part of the audio. It's all very smooth.
But is Garageband a bit too lo-tech? Should podcasters be raising their sights to something a little more professional for their audio production? Does Garageband include the audio filters and effects needed to produce great sounding audio podcasts?
What are your thoughts?
Views: 1
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by paul nicholls on -
I'm using it, it's oooookk but not great. I wish there was an upgrade with some decent filters etc.
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Permalink Reply by paul nicholls on
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Just a few months ago Mark. I'm impressed, but not overwhelmed to be honest. I keep getting audio compatibility issues with my USB mixer, and it's driving me round the bend.
I love the video / graphics, but I'm not stunned by the audio.
Garageband is a more stable Audacity with a few less features as I see it.
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Permalink Reply by fatBuzz on -
You mention filters, have you played around with the presets? When you click the 'i' over on the right hand panel it gives you the chance to apply a whole range of preset audio filters to any given channel? There's a drop down arrow below that section allowing you add custom settings on top that.
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Permalink Reply by paul nicholls on
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I've seen those, but they're not great and a little gimmicky to be honest.
GB is still a good introductory level tool, but it's not great is it really?
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Permalink Reply by fatBuzz on
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It's not high-end, but I'd argue it's exactly what a podcaster needs. That being said, if you're having issues with the mixer it'll be a pain in the butt!
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Permalink Reply by Graham Holland on
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Just out of curiosity, have any Mac users tried Ubercaster for recording their podcasts?
Graham
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Permalink Reply by fatBuzz on
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Yes. I use Ubercaster extensively when producing podcasts that have telephone interviews. I almost always, though, export that resultant audio into Garageband. Quite often I'll run it through Levelator first, especially if the telephone conversation was a bit dodgy!
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Permalink Reply by Neil Fairbrother on -
There's a difference between easy to use and low tech. I think garageband is an excellent tool, though for sure we focus exclusively on video podcasts and use Final Cut Studio. None the less I have used garageband and think its an excellent audio podcast factory. I like the ability to drop in images and to make podcasts interactive by way of building in urls that you can click on to take you elsewhere. The filters sound OK to me, but I'm not a professional musician so they may not be as good as other ones. For the vast majority of folk, I'm sure Garageband hits the mark.
Cheers
N
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Permalink Reply by Bob Cartwright on -
I use Logic Express for mine as coming from a studio background I find the Garageband trendy approach far too confusing!!
I love Ubercaster, but the audio delay is just annoying even though I can turn it off. I've also lost count of the number of times I've finished a podcast only to find it hasn't recorded. I've used it on 3 different machines all with the same results, so I gave up.
However it is much more Radio Station in it's presentation and I do like it for that reason. However, most of my stuff are pre-edited clips which are compiled together and I can work very fast in Logic, faster than Ubercaster as I also have atendancy to make mistakes.
Ultimately I'm more of a studio producer than a live presenter, so hence my choice of gear.
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