Learn to make music on your iPhone and iPad with our essential GarageBand tips
Learn to make music on your iPhone and iPad with our essential GarageBand tips
Publish Date: 2026-05-17 03:49:00
Source Domain: www.stuff.tv
GarageBand was one of the few pieces of software to make it into the Stuff top 50 Apple products. Why? Well, from its earliest days, GarageBand was something special: an approachable yet powerful app for making music. Which made it all the more staggering when the app arrived on iPhone. These GarageBand tips help you get started writing your own tunes. Just remember Stuff when you have your fifth top-ten album, eh?
Before you begin, download GarageBand (free) on iPhone or iPad. There’s also a Mac version (free), but its interface and features differ.
GarageBand tips: the basics
Get set
Tap ‘+’ to start a new song. Now select Tracks and choose an instrument from the sound browser; GarageBand will create a project. Adjust tempo and the metronome from settings (the cog button). To later access ‘My Songs’, tap the navigation button on iPhone (the triangle) or the document button at the top-left on iPad. Songs will auto-save.
Take control
Familiarise yourself with the control bar at the top of the screen. The first button pair is for the sound browser and a toggle for Tracks view and the current instrument. The one with sliders is Track Controls. The iPhone app has the Controls button (a dial) to view your instrument controls.
Plug in gear
It is possible to write an entire song just using an iPhone (see iSongs on YouTube for inspiration), but you’re better off adding a USB MIDI keyboard controller. Use an iRig or Apogee Jam as well to plug a guitar into the app’s virtual amps. You can add virtual gear too, via External in the sound browser, bringing in Audio Unit extensions from installed software synths.
Mix it up
In Tracks view, pull the drag handle right for volume sliders and mute/solo buttons. For ringtones, output must sound good through iPhone speakers. Creating a radio smash? Check the mix using a range of different speakers and headphones.
Save versions
If you nail a melody then decide to change it slightly, but later…
