Garageband

I bought an iMac last year to work on my documentary, and it has been quite an adjustment getting used to using a computer that isn't a PC.  I still have a PC and a laptop that I use most of the time, but I have the iMac for creative projects.  I have started and stopped my documentary work many times because iMovie can be a bit confusing, but now I have a book to help me through it.

Macs also come with a program called Garageband, and I have heard great things about it, but I hadn't gotten around to trying it until today.  Let me tell you, it is AWEsome.  I started working on an oil painting this afternoon, and I had the idea to record back up to a hip hop track by only using a canvas (for a painting) as the instrument other than my voice. 

You can layer different sounds to make the track, of course, so I did one layer of me just rhythmically scratching the canvas, which sounded like a record scratch, and then I used it as a few different drum sounds, and I also added a few layers of me beat boxing, and then I wrote the lyrics to go with it, and I recorded the chorus and the rap that goes along with it.  What fun! 

I'm going to re-record the whole thing another time because I know how to use the program better now that I played around with it, and then I'll post a link to the song.

You can record original sounds, vocals, instruments, etc...  You can also use the software instruments that are preloaded into the program, so I also recorded a dance/trance track that came out really cool.  You can actually use the keyboard as a piano, drum set, guitar, etc...

I know I'm going to have a LOT of fun with this program, and I'll probably record a full length album in my home office.  Unless I upgrade my equipment, it certainly wouldn't be professional quality, but I think it would be fun for friends and youtube at the very least.  :)

I also ended up finishing the oil painting I started, and I think it will look cool in the new movie theater nook we have. 

I absolutely love to create, and I am going to make a conscious effort to spend a little time each week working on creative projects.  That's my goal at least!