Why does GarageBand suck?

H

helloimage

New member
Hi Guys,

I have been playing and recording music for about 10 years, however, only in the past, say, 3, have I really sought after doing it myself etc. I know how to use both Logic & GarageBand. However, now my computer is falling apart and I can't afford a new one yet. So I have been using GarageBand for the sake of using something as its less heavy. But there is something I am noticing in the quality of my recordings that I am really not liking.

After I record all my tracks, and start to mix etc, when I am finally done, I just notice something slightly weird about the sound. It sounds closed and narrow. As if the compression is off or bad or something. But I just use basic compression plugins etc. I also record strong signals into an SM57/condenser mic etc, with varying tones, in various spaces, so it's none of that. It just doesn't feel like it breathes very much, and I can't figure out why. Is it in my head? Are the plugins really poor and hence ruin the quality? ie reverb, eqing, compression etc?

Other issues I have are the computer getting too slow when I run too many tracks, or limited plugins, but that doesn't bother me. I'm wondering if sound in/sound out is far worse on GB than it is on others like Logic or PT.

So I am curious, why in particular GarageBand gets such a bad rap, and maybe I can fix my problem etc. I'm not looking for people's egos to just be all like "it sucks cuz it sucks" because I know very well how uncool it is to say you use GarageBand, and I don't give a shit. I know how to use tape, Logic, PT, and that is not what I am asking.

I'm asking particularly why people don't like GarageBand, and if they understand what I am talking about with my songs etc. If it would help, I can send a link to a bunch of songs I've recorded with GB. Here for example: soundcloud.com/helloimage .. Songs like Et Cetera / Undiagnosed .. they have that closed sound I am talking about.

I'm not looking for critiques on the Digital Drums, or the off timings at places (computer gets slow), but more in the overall sound. Can anyone hear if I am compressing songs badly or mixing poorly or something? Help! :)

Thanks!
 
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GarageBand is not the most powerful of DAWs, but it is unlikely that it is GarageBand itself that is causing you grief. Though DAWS differ in their workflows, flexibility and so on, they tend not to have a direct impact on quality.

Whether you have a dedicated interface or not, whether you have a good recording environment, whether you have a dependable monitoring system, whether you have the skills and experience to identify and resolve audio problems in mixing . . . these are things that are much more likely to contribute to recording problems than the DAW itself. The system you use has an influence on how well everything works. So if you have plenty of CPU, plenty of RAM and plenty of disk space, the more responsive your system will be to the demands you place on it.
 
Thanks for your reply.

I totally hear you. My computer is very slow, I need to replace it.

Most of my gear is pretty solid, though I use quite a cheap M-Audio Fast Track device. Not sure if that affects input, I can't tell.

I'm thinking it might have to do with my monitors, and the way I compress things etc on GarageBand.

I was just wondering that maybe the fixed 44.1khz sampling rate on GB had any negative effect etc.

Would anyone know? If not. Thanks for the reply anyhow!
 
helloimage said:
Thanks for your reply.

I totally hear you. My computer is very slow, I need to replace it.
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While slowness is not necessarily a limitation on quality, it is annoying to deal with, and having to wait for things to happen, or figure out how to do complicated things, can mess around with your head, and that can create problems.

helloimage said:
Most of my gear is pretty solid, though I use quite a cheap M-Audio Fast Track device. Not sure if that affects input, I can't tell.
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It might be cheap, but it gets good reviews. It is unlikely to be a cause of your pain

helloimage said:
I'm thinking it might have to do with my monitors, and the way I compress things etc on GarageBand.
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If your monitors, and the space in which they are placed are not telling you to the truth about the sound, you will have problems. If you overdo compression, this will cause you problems. It is possible that you are overdoing compression because your monitors are lying.

helloimage said:
I was just wondering that maybe the fixed 44.1khz sampling rate on GB had any negative effect etc.
Click to expand...
No. 44.1 will not have any negative effect. Any possible effect it might have would be well and truly overwhelmed by other factors.
 
I must say i have the same problem as u have with garageband. it sounds nice until i actually put it as a mp3 or something, then it lacks a lot of "sounds" and might even change some tracks so they are not synced after...
 
Yep. All of those kinds of things. Weird glitchy things. If I just record two or three tracks and pan them without any effects or plugins or anything, it's usually fine. Once I start to add more instrumentation and compression etc, something goes bonkers in the sound. And it never used to happen when I used Logic or something.

I was just curious if there was something in the way that these plugins worked. Are there cheap plugins? Like there are cheap speakers and equipment? And if so, is that what Garageband has?

But yeah. Sync issues and what not, all the time. I just thought that was my slow macbook though.
 
Got it..

Okay guys.. So now, I've gone back to using Logic, and I've figured out what I'm talking about..

It's simply that Garageband has really shit plugins. The reverb, the effects, all of it, are really low quality.. So it gives everything a tacky spin if you combine effects or put too much.. I transfered the same recorded tracks into Logic and tried playing around there and stuff sounds excellent there.. GB compressors and everything are really bad.. That's my conslusion..

Seems obvious I guess, but oh well..
 
A few of the GB plugins aren't too bad, but the Logic ones are very nice. I would miss those a lot.
 
Surely GarageBand is what it is? Perfect for people new to recording, and usually people outgrow it and move on up? You can't really expect ultimate quality, that's why people use logic, quality, performance, features and access to excellent quality plugins, or ones written by a 14 year old in their bedroom as part of their school homework? You choose. Between iffy free ones, good free ones, the occasional excellent free ones, then the same with paid for ones!
 
As long as you don't commit any plugins to audio before flying it into Logic, I don't really find any difference between logic and GB. Your mic, room, quality of subject being recorded and sound card will make WAY more difference.
 
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