Hi, Reader Two new videos for you this week, covering quite different corners of music making. Turn your GarageBand tracks into sheet music GarageBand for Mac’s Score Editor is easy to overlook. It lets you edit your MIDI notes as musical notation, then print your part or save it as a PDF. Handy if you read music or want to share a part with someone who does. Watch here: GarageBand Can Do THIS With Your MIDI Tracks? A closer look at VocAlign 7 If you record doubled vocals or harmonies, you’ll...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hi, Reader Apple’s latest updates are here. But if you use your Mac, iPhone or iPad to make music, I wouldn’t rush to install them just yet. The issue isn’t necessarily macOS 27, iOS 27 or iPadOS 27 themselves. It’s everything else in your setup. Third-party plugins, AUv3 instruments and effects, music apps, audio interfaces, MIDI controllers and even licence managers can all potentially run into compatibility problems after a major OS update. And while something being unsupported doesn’t...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hi, Reader If you use a Mac or iPad to make music, you’ve probably noticed that buying Apple hardware has become considerably more expensive recently. Price increases have hit Macs and iPads across the lineup, sometimes by hundreds of Dollars/Pounds. And that’s before you start looking at what Apple charges for additional RAM and storage… Now, there ARE legitimate reasons behind these increases. The global RAM and storage supply situation has affected the entire tech industry, so I don’t...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi, Reader Did you know GarageBand has a collection of Apple plugins hidden away in its settings? And I do mean hidden. You need to enable them in your iPad’s Settings first, then dig into the Audio Unit Extensions menu before you’ll even see them. It’s a shame, because there are some really useful effects in there. In my latest video, I show you how to unlock them and take a closer look at three of my favourites, including a much more powerful alternative to GarageBand’s usual compressor....
2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi, Reader Whether you’ve just opened GarageBand for the first time or you’ve finished a song and need to get it out of the app, I’ve got two new tutorials for you this week. First up, if you’re new to GarageBand for iPad, this is the place to start. I’ll show you how to navigate the Sound Browser, record Touch Instruments and real audio, adjust your project settings, add Apple Loops, download free sounds and import your own samples. WATCH: GarageBand for iPad Tutorial for Beginners And for...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Hi, Reader If you’re thinking about buying a new Mac, Apple’s current lineup is… a little confusing. There’s the new MacBook Neo. The M5 MacBook Air. The M5 MacBook Pro. On paper, it’s easy to get caught up comparing chips, RAM and benchmark scores. But what most people really want to know is: Which one should I actually buy? That’s exactly what I’ve tried to answer in my latest video. Rather than reading spec sheets, I’ve spent time using all three for the sort of work many of us do every...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, If you wanted an affordable way into the Apple Music making eco-system today, what would you buy? A MacBook Neo? Or an iPad A16? On paper, they're closer than you might think. Both use Apple's A-series chips. Both run GarageBand and Logic Pro. Both can edit video. Both are aimed at people who want an affordable way into the Apple ecosystem. So I spent some time testing them side-by-side to see which one makes the most sense for musicians and creators. Watch here: MacBook Neo vs...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader, Two new videos for you this week. First up: Open-back vs closed-back headphones. If you’re recording, mixing, or just trying to work out what you actually need, this one clears it up. I break down: When to use closed-back headphones and why they matter for recording Where open-back headphones really make a difference The common mistakes that can throw your mixes off What to do if you can only access one pair If you’ve ever finished a track and it sounds completely different...
6 months ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader, For years, if you wanted to make serious music on iPad, the answer was simple: Get the iPad Pro. But after testing the new M4 iPad Air this week… I’m not so sure anymore. I’ve been putting it through the usual stress test: Logic Pro projects AUv3 plugins bigger, more complex sessions And it’s getting very, very close to iPad Pro territory. Close enough that I think a lot of people are overpaying. I break it all down in this video, including a proper performance test and where the...
7 months ago • 1 min read