Garageband

Perimeter Sound Arts has released 2 new loop sample CDs: Brain Danse, produced by Jeff Rhodes, and an upgraded reissue of the original Abstract World Fusion, which has been out of print for the last year.

Their sample CDs are available in both Acidized .wav format for Windows, and Apple Loop format for GarageBand, Soundtrack, Logic, etc. (having tempo and key information embedded, and in the filename for ease of use).

Perimeter Sound Arts has also made all 7 of their Acid & Apple loop cds available in downloadable loop packs on Tradebit, for immediate purchase, download, and use.

A free set of sample loops is available for each of the CDs for download and use.

The libraries are priced at $3.99 per 50+meg pack. The purchase price of $3.99 includes a royalty free license for commercial use.

More information and samples are available at the Perimeter Sound site.

Hal Leonard has introduced a line of TrackPaks, Apple Loops versions of classic songs.

These loop collections are very different than any others that we’ve seen previously. Instead of being royalty-free collections, like most loop libraries, these are faithfully recorded loop-based versions of classic tunes. That means that you can’t take these loops and use them in music that you intend to distribute, without arranging for licensing.

What You Get

Hal Leonard sent us the Classic Rock TrackPak, which has loops and GarageBand arrangements from 12 classic rock songs.

Each song includes full tracks for each instrument: bass, guitar, drums, keyboards and other instruments. Individual loops are provided, along with fully mixed projects. The Pak also includes a book with complete music notation and tablature for each loop, as well as lyrics for each song.

The loops are very nicely recorded, and do a great job of matching the original sounds. The mixed tracks sound very much like the original versions, minus the vocals.

In Use

The publisher suggests that the loops can be used “as a play-along or sing-along, remix your own version, use the loops in your own projects, and even change the tempo or key.”

This may confuse some users, because the loops aren’t royalty-free.

On the other hand, these would be great tools for anybody wanting to learn how to play classic tracks, learn about the arrangements of classic tracks, or interested in creating their own arrangements. For example, you could take the GarageBand arrangement, extend a section to allow for a couple of solos, and then export versions with the bass muted, guitar muted, or keyboards muted – sort of like Music Minus One practice tracks that you can customize.

It’s easy to see how this would be a great investment for anyone interested in learning these tracks.

We were able to create customized arrangements within a few minutes and export them to iTunes, and then sync them to an iPod. This was all very fast and easy, and this could make an iPod a great way to learn tracks. Because the arrangements are loop-based, it would also be easy to speed up or slow down the arrangement.

The one reservation we have about the TrackPak is its presentation. The packaging looks very similar to the packaging for Apple’s loop libraries, and we’d bet that there are a lot of users that may buy these packages thinking that they can use the riff from Another One Bites the Dust or Walk This Way in their next track or remix project.

In fact, the package states “The only limit is your creativity!” Only in the tiny type does it mention that the loops are from copyright-protected tracks and could require licensing from the copyright owner.

We’d prefer that Hal Leonard would create a unique identity for this type of product, which has the potential to be a new category of music libraries, and make sure that it was clear that there are limitations to how these loops can be used.

Summary

The Classic Rock TrackPak is a really interesting use of loops and GarageBand. It’s a very nicely done tool for learning and arranging classic rock tracks. Other TrackPaks are available for other styles of music.

We’d like Hal Leonard to make it clear that these loops are not for tracks that will be distributed. As long as that’s not your interest, the TrackPaks are a great deal at their list price of $29.95.

Tracks:

• Another One Bites the Dust
• Born to be Wild
• Brown-Eyed Girl
• Day Tripper
• Refugee
• Smoke on the Water
• Sunshine of Your Love
• Sweet home Alabama
• Takin’ Care of Business
• Tush
• Walk This Way
• You Really Got Me

Hal Leonard has released the first four Apple Loop products in their TrackPak series for Garage Band. Each release contains loops for 12 hit songs in a different genre: Classic Rock, Modern Rock, Hip Hop, and R&B.

In addition to loops for individual instruments from each song, each TrackPak comes with full audio tracks for those who like to make their own loops, plus fully mixed GarageBand projects for each song. Every TrackPak also comes with a book containing complete musical notation and guitar tablature for every loop.

TrackPak features professionally produced versions of well-known songs such as Nirvana’s “Smell’s Like Teen Spirit” (Modern Rock), 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” (Hip Hop), The Commodores’ “Brick House” (R&B), and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” (Classic Rock).

Retail price $29.95.

For more information, complete songlists, downloadable sample loops, and clips from full mix versions, visit the TrackPak website.

M-Audio has announced iControl, the first dedicated hardware controller specifically designed for Apple’s popular Apple GarageBand music software.

“M-Audio has a vision of empowering anyone interested in making music with the tools to do so easily,” says Tim Ryan, General Manager at M-Audio. “iControl represents M-Audio’s commitment to GarageBand as a creative platform. iControl provides a tactile, affordable, and professional experience when creating recordings, mixing, and producing in GarageBand.” Read more…

Zero-G has released World Pack for GarageBand, which comes in at over 9,000 samples and instruments. In addition to hand-picking the best loops and samples from a wide range of successful ‘world/ethnic’ products from their back-catalog Zero-G have added approximately 3,000 new unique loops and instrument samples from Africa and the Middle East.

All that content has been programmed into Apple Loops and Instruments format, making it all instantly usable and interchangeable in Apple’s superb new music powerhouses, GarageBand and SoundTrack, and also in the latest versions of Logic, Logic Express, and Final Cut Pro. Also, all of the 9,000+ samples are compatible with any software which can use samples in AIFF format. Read more…