How to Add Echo in GarageBand

Just like you don’t need a record label anymore to promote your music, you don’t need tons of expensive, bulky equipment to create music. GarageBand for Mac has participated in this massive shift. Best of all, this amazing software has a streamlined and professional interface.

There’s also a lot of built-in loop libraries that Apple keeps making bigger. In addition, it can help you learn how to play an instrument. There’s a plethora of features and effects – one of which is echo. If you’re looking to add echo or reverb in GarageBand, here’s how you do it.

Adding Echo

The secret to creating a perfect tune is knowing what effects to add to the mix. A little adjustment can make a huge difference. You get a polished and professional sound to whatever you’re working on. Follow these steps to add an echo effect in GarageBand:

1. Open GarageBand on your Mac.
2. Click on the track (or a preset loop) you’re trying to edit.
3. Go to the right corner at the bottom of the screen and select “i” (info). That will open up the track info.
4. It opens on the “Browse” tab. Change it to the “Edit” tab.
5. On the very bottom left of the editing window, you’ll see the “Master Echo” controller.
6. You’ll see the blue button which means that it’s on. There is also a slider that goes from 0 to 100.
7. Select how much echo you want to add to your track.
8. Go to your track and hot “Play”.

You can go back and re-adjust the echo effect until it sounds just the way you need it to. There are all kinds of different echo plug-ins that you can use, including the ones you find on the internet. All of which you can install and use in GarageBand.

Adding Reverb

Echo and Reverb go hand in hand. And it’s obvious when you’re editing a track in GarageBand. Reverb is probably used even more frequently than echo. It’s pretty easy to add reverb in GarageBand. Just follow the same route as with the echo. Only instead of selecting “Master Echo”, just go for “Master Reverb”, which is right next to it.

There’s a slider that goes from 0 to 100, but you can also add a custom reverb effect.

1. Just click on the empty insert slot on the editing window and then select “Track Reverb”.
2. By clicking on the Settings, you’ll get a pop-up window that lists all of the sounds of the reverb and in which way it will affect your track.
3. You can adjust reverb time, color, and volume of both the reverb signal, and volume of the original track.
   

But What Are Echo and Reverb Anyway?

There are so many things you can do with a track. GarageBand, like a lot of similar software, has so many options; sometimes too many to choose from! It can make things harder when you’re trying to select the right one. That’s why it’s important to know a little more about them.

Echo

Echo, or more commonly known and Delay, is an audio effect that records an audio signal for playback after the original signal. Echo is often the foundation for other effects, including chorus and reverb. You can hear a very pronounced echo effect in dub and reggae. It’s also used for filling out a performance, especially for a guitar or vocals.

Reverb

Reverb means reverberation. It’s something people hear all the time, but don’t always notice it. Basically, reverb is a bunch of echoes all happening at the same time. You just hear them as a single effect. The purpose of reverb is to bring more substance to the sound and make it stick around longer. It also makes things sound like they’re farther away. It adds fullness, space, and depth to a sound as well.

What Are Live Loops?

When you first open the GarageBand app, you’ll be prompted to select which instrument you want to use. You’ll see two options: Live Loops and Tracks. Live Loops are relatively new to GarageBand and they allow you to use existing recordings in real-time.

You can select the genre of music you want to use and that will take you to a grid with different colored squares. Each of these squares represents a loop. Select a square and start playback. You can add more whenever you want. This is a fun way to play around with sounds.

Touch Instruments

In case you want a more direct approach, you can always use the Touch Instruments option. There you can find pianos, virtual guitars, strings, and other kinds of instruments. Just choose the Track option and then start a new project. You’ll see a selection you can scroll through. Every instrument has different controls, naturally. For example, if you go for the piano, you’ll just see the piano keys.

Mix Your Way to the Perfect Track

If you’re someone who has a talent for producing music, GarageBand can be a powerful tool. It’s also great for someone who wants to play around with different sound effects. It’s good to know it’s not difficult to add echo to GarageBand. And that if you use echo right, it can make your track sound really professional.

You can start with live loops and touch instruments in the iOS app, but the real musical magic is created in the Mac built-in software.

Have you tried GarageBand? And do you like the echo and reverb effects in a song? Let us know in the comments section below.