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#5 in Music ProductionUdemyMusic ProductionPaid courseBeginner level

GarageBand 101- Learn How To Write & Record Your First Song! (Udemy.com)

Start making great music right away with the only free GarageBand course on Udemy! (Unofficial)

Created by: Dean Davis

Last updated September 2020

Our take

Based on the ratings of 1,115 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in September 2020. No course pays to be reviewed.

Dean Davis, a songwriter and producer who runs The Songwriting Studio, made this as a free, 29 minute mini course. It has nine short lectures in one section and walks through the basic route in GarageBand: writing with software instruments and the session drummer, recording, editing, then polishing a mix. It is built for musicians who have never opened the program. One reviewer calls it a taster for Dean's larger GarageBand course, and that is a fair way to think of it. About 23,000 students have signed up.

Reviewers say Dean explains things simply and takes the fear out of starting. The MIDI section gets a specific mention, and the YouTube songs he made in GarageBand show what a finished result can sound like. One reviewer found the intro videos padded and wanted menus shown and narrated more specifically. Another wanted to see his mics and hardware. Another called it very basic, and one expected iPad or iPhone coverage but has no Mac, so could not follow along. It was last updated in September 2020, though a 2024 reviewer says it still worked with the latest version.

At no cost and 29 minutes, the risk is tiny, and 1,115 ratings average 4.5 stars, with most at four or five. This is a sampler, not a replacement for a full course. Watch it if you own a Mac and want a feel for GarageBand before committing. If you need depth on mixing, hardware or iOS, move on to a full course.

Best forAbsolute beginners with a Mac who want a quick, free tour of GarageBand before paying for anything longer.
Skip it ifYou want GarageBand on iPad or iPhone, mic and hardware advice, or real depth on mixing.

Pros

  • Free and only 29 minutes, so trying it costs almost nothing
  • Reviewers with no GarageBand experience say it removes the fear of getting started
  • Covers MIDI, software instruments, the session drummer, editing and mixing in one pass
  • Dean's finished YouTube songs show what GarageBand can produce

Cons

  • Very short and basic, so it stays at overview level
  • Reviewers say the intro videos are padded and menu clicks are not narrated closely
  • Mac only in practice; one iPad and iPhone user could not follow along
Dean had put in great effort to make this short course easy to understand. He had demonstrated the various features of GarageBand. Highly recommended!!
Charles Ling, a student

Truly beginner. No music software experience is needed, just a Mac with a current version of GarageBand installed.

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What you will learn

  • Master the basic functions of GarageBand
  • Write & record origional songs from scratch
  • Edit & polish your songs so they're ready to share!
  • Have a blast making great music in GarageBand!

Course content

1 section · 9 lectures · 29 min of video 2 articles

  1. 1Lesson Proper 1 free preview9 lectures · 29 min

Who it is for

The instructor says it suits

  • Anyone musician or hobbyist who wants to learn how to start making music in GarageBand
  • Beginners who want to write and record music for the first time!

What you need before you start

  • Update to the latest version of GarageBand!
  • No prior experience needed!

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Course Description

This course is designed to help you start making great music in GarageBand fast!  Video lessons show you how to write, record, edit, and polish your songs step-by-step.  You'll learn how to use the tools GarageBand offers for creative songwriting (including software instruments & the session drummer) as well how to use its powerful tools for editing & mixing (cleaning and polishing) your songs!  The videos in this course are content rich and get straight to the point so that you can start making high quality music in GarageBand without wasting any time!  And don't worry, we are going to make this easy and fun! 

If you are a songwriter or musician who wants to record your own music in GarageBand but you have no idea where to start... this course is made for you!

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Instructor Details

Dean Davis

Firstly, Dean is a songwriter/producer who loves making original music in his home studio!  Beyond making original music, Dean is the director of The Songwriting Studio, a resource and community aimed at training songwriters how to write and produce meaningful, high quality music from home through weekly video blogs, in-depth courses, and studio production services.  Dean has a passion for passing on what he has learned through songwriting for more than a decade, working with clients in the studio, and teaching more than 100 students in private and group lessons.

Dean is also a follower of Jesus, a husband, a father, and a worship pastor at his home church.  He loves to pray, spend time with his wife, wrestle his four children, pour into his church community, and ride bikes!  Dean has served as a music director in three churches, helping grow leadership and musicianship among worship team members and helping develop training materials on the heart of worship and the practical skills of musicianship.

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Reviews

4.5

1,115 ratings on Udemy

Select a bar to show only those reviews.Select the bar again to show every rating.

By John E1 on 1/25/2021

Fantastic overview! Dean shows you the various steps of song production in GarageBand. Included are Youtube videos of songs he’s written and produced in GarageBand. They are excellent songs that really show off how good of a finished product you can get from GarageBand. Thank you, Dean! ENJOY Dean’s Free Mini Course!!

By Manfred Müller on 12/5/2020

Hervorragend. Ich kenne Deans YouTube-Videos schon länger, aber dieser Schnupperkurs zeigt schon allerhand, macht aber auch richtig Appetit auf mehr. Zum Angebotspreis ist der große GrageBand-Kurs definitiv eine Überlegung wert. Damit bekommt man alles am Stück, ohne sich die einzelnen Beträge mühsam zusammensuchen und vielleicht auch noch mit ständigen Werbeunterbrechungen ansehen zu müssen. Both thumbs up, Dean :)

By Kara Berger on 10/16/2020

I'd like to see him actually show how he is recording- what mics or hardware. And I am interested in editing next. But it's definitely good overview!

By Morgan Burgess on 8/24/2020

Yes, although this course is probably a little bit too "101" for me, I was interested in seeing how someone else might introduce the principles and basics of GarageBand to a first-timer as I have a lot of friends who seem eluded by the ins and outs of the app. I feel like it does a great job of laying out the basics as well as sharing a few helpful advanced techniques.

By Sam Crane on 4/27/2020

I’ve watched a lot of tutorials from Dean Davis. He’s clearly very knowledgeable about this subject. What I love about the way he teaches is his enthusiasm, and the clear and fun way he explains things. I always feel that it is possible to do it myself after watching his sessions.

By Jason Grover on 4/11/2020

I've watched countless YouTube videos on how to use GarageBand, with little or no results. All it was doing was frustrating me because I was confusing myself on how to do things. I found udemy and this course has shown me more in the 30 min then I ever knew before. It's awesome.

By Mark Robertson on 2/21/2020

I thought I already had a bit of knowledge of Garageband, but this course points out some great proper ways of doing the songs the right way and using the taught information correctly, very basic to some, but very informative, thanks very much, l am learning a lot, and best of all, l have it permanently to go back to at any time I need it.

By Annupamaa k on 9/19/2019

its not what I expected it to be..its a very very basic overview..think you need to go for a full course ..this is free so obviously not comprehensive

By Venus Ortua on 2/28/2019

What I really love about this is that although it is a beginner's course, lots of things mentioned here are not even discussed in tutorials anywhere, not even on YT. This course answered a lot of questions in my mind when it comes to using Garageband. I used to dislike Garageband, but big thanks to Dean for explaining many points well! You made me fall in love with Garageband.

By Andrew May on 9/23/2017

This course provided me with a high-level overview of GarageBand and now that I have a sense of what the software is capable of I will enroll in the more advanced GarageBand program. I am a songwriter and have been apprehensive about getting into production but upon completing this course I have more confidence and am ready to move forward.

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Overall Score : 90 / 100