I’ve been watching Steve Jobs’ keynote address at the recent 2006 MacWorld Expo in San Francisco. As always, there are a lot of great new enhancements to Apple products.

Of special interest to me was the new Podcast studio, an addition to Apple’s GarageBand software .

The new GarageBand includes a built-in Speech Enhancer which optimizes sound for your gender and vocal range, improving the sound of your voice and simulating a professional microphone, even when you’re not using one. And a dynamic “ducking” effect automatically reduces music volume when you speak, so your listeners always hear the talk above the tunes. These are features common in radio stations and radio production studios so it’s quite a nice addition to the package.

If you are a PC user or if you’d like to view another similar product, check out M-Audio’s Podcast Factory. M-Audio is a company that creates professional music studio products. Though I have not used Podcast Factory, I personally use and recommend many M-Audio products.

UniqueTracks royalty free music is fully compatible with either of these products.

I’m wondering if any of you use GarageBand for podcasting. It does seem very easy to get up and running with a podcast very fast.

One thing about GarageBand that has always bothered me is its name.

A true garage band really is something that emerges spontaneously from a group of friends’ love of music - it’s not a software package - it’s a bunch of people who learn to make music together the old fashioned way, by actually rehearsing and playing it, trying things over and over, arguing, learning what works, learning to cooperate - becoming musicans in the process. There is a rawness, honesty and authenticity to the sound of a real garage band.

In fact Steve Van Zant (Springsteen E Street member) has a critically acclaimed radio show devoted solely to “garage” music. Little Steven’s Underground Garage. You can bet none of the music broadcast on this show was made using Apple’s GarageBand.

Instead of the garage, Apple should have turned to areas of the home where this product actually gets used - like the bedroom or the kitchen table or the den.
If you have experience with GarageBand, please post it here. Let me know if you have created a successful podcast or any other project.

Podcaster
Music & Sound Effects for Podcasting

apple, garageband software, garage band, macworld, m audio, podcast, podcasting, professional microphone, professional music, radio production, royalty free music, sound of your voice, steve jobs keynote