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i think it would be more accurate to say that this app CHANGED my life.
i’ve been a musician for most of my life, but didn’t start recording until 2015. i didn’t have the money for good recording equipment at the time, but i did have an ipad & earbuds w/ a built-in mic, so… garageband. most of what i know about mixing i taught myself on there. i figured out how to use effects, EQ, panning, etc. to make my songs sound the way i wanted them to, entirely on my own.
i released some songs a few years ago. even though i’d figured stuff out, i still had no clue what i was doing lol. but i was obviously doing something right, because professional musicians have reached out and asked about collaborating b/c they liked those songs! they’re always shocked to learn i recorded them entirely on garageband on my phone, using earbuds as a mic. 😅
the collabs didn’t work out, and my new solo project isn’t going as planned, but i now have so many friends and connections in various music scenes, and i’ve had a lot of really cool opportunities. if you’d told me three years ago that this is where i’d be now, i wouldn’t have believed you. i feel so lucky.
i use logic as my DAW now that i have better recording equipment, but having garageband on my phone is great for when i have ideas on the go!
i’ve been a musician for most of my life, but didn’t start recording until 2015. i didn’t have the money for good recording equipment at the time, but i did have an ipad & earbuds w/ a built-in mic, so… garageband. most of what i know about mixing i taught myself on there. i figured out how to use effects, EQ, panning, etc. to make my songs sound the way i wanted them to, entirely on my own.
i released some songs a few years ago. even though i’d figured stuff out, i still had no clue what i was doing lol. but i was obviously doing something right, because professional musicians have reached out and asked about collaborating b/c they liked those songs! they’re always shocked to learn i recorded them entirely on garageband on my phone, using earbuds as a mic. 😅
the collabs didn’t work out, and my new solo project isn’t going as planned, but i now have so many friends and connections in various music scenes, and i’ve had a lot of really cool opportunities. if you’d told me three years ago that this is where i’d be now, i wouldn’t have believed you. i feel so lucky.
i use logic as my DAW now that i have better recording equipment, but having garageband on my phone is great for when i have ideas on the go!
Jul 7, 2025
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🎵Throughout my whole life, I had awful music teachers. I had a piano teacher that made me sit on my hands because he was frustrated with the way I played scales and a music teacher in primary/middle school that gave me so many anxiety attacks that my doctor finally gave me a note so I didn’t have to go anymore.
I was told so many times throughout my life that I had no music talent, discouraged from going further than scales but all of those people (teachers!!!!) were wrong. They just couldnt fathom that I had a different musical brain than them.
When I was 23, I ended up having to move back home from LA after my job rescinded their promise to sponsor me for a visa. I was depressed and heartbroken and lonely. I went to school for writing but didn’t want to write anymore so I ended up opening GarageBand on my iPad.
I was inspired by all the things I could do on it. I suddenly felt like I was entering a new world. After making a couple beats, I started moving everything over to the laptop version of GarageBand. I bought big headphones, a cheap usb mic and a keyboard off of a guy from Craigslist and continued to tinker. One of my favorite things to do at the time was to download karaoke midi tracks of popular songs I loved, import them into GarageBand and change the instrument until I felt like I was making something new. I would then use my shitty mic to wail on top of it.
I used GarageBand for years after that to make tons of songs that I just uploaded to SoundCloud without thinking about it much. Eventually I got a controller/sampler and access to Ableton and thats when the fun really started.
My love for music making snowballed after that, I amassed more gear and skill and eventually made an album after a couple years. I was obsessed with making it and while I feel really whatever about it now, I don’t feel whatever about the experience.
Music has allowed me space to express parts of me that there are no words for. The best thing I can impart is to take advantage of this. There are some things that you can only explain with a kick drum or a sine wave or a really hard bassline.
Music is still a huge part of me! I made another album after that first and now I’m working on my next project. I recently reincarnated myself (everyone in the ~industry~ advised against this but I’m a different person now) and I’m excited to see what’s in store for me. I don’t expect to make money or become famous but music feeds my soul in a way nothing else can.
Have fun!!
I was told so many times throughout my life that I had no music talent, discouraged from going further than scales but all of those people (teachers!!!!) were wrong. They just couldnt fathom that I had a different musical brain than them.
When I was 23, I ended up having to move back home from LA after my job rescinded their promise to sponsor me for a visa. I was depressed and heartbroken and lonely. I went to school for writing but didn’t want to write anymore so I ended up opening GarageBand on my iPad.
I was inspired by all the things I could do on it. I suddenly felt like I was entering a new world. After making a couple beats, I started moving everything over to the laptop version of GarageBand. I bought big headphones, a cheap usb mic and a keyboard off of a guy from Craigslist and continued to tinker. One of my favorite things to do at the time was to download karaoke midi tracks of popular songs I loved, import them into GarageBand and change the instrument until I felt like I was making something new. I would then use my shitty mic to wail on top of it.
I used GarageBand for years after that to make tons of songs that I just uploaded to SoundCloud without thinking about it much. Eventually I got a controller/sampler and access to Ableton and thats when the fun really started.
My love for music making snowballed after that, I amassed more gear and skill and eventually made an album after a couple years. I was obsessed with making it and while I feel really whatever about it now, I don’t feel whatever about the experience.
Music has allowed me space to express parts of me that there are no words for. The best thing I can impart is to take advantage of this. There are some things that you can only explain with a kick drum or a sine wave or a really hard bassline.
Music is still a huge part of me! I made another album after that first and now I’m working on my next project. I recently reincarnated myself (everyone in the ~industry~ advised against this but I’m a different person now) and I’m excited to see what’s in store for me. I don’t expect to make money or become famous but music feeds my soul in a way nothing else can.
Have fun!!
May 4, 2024
Rec
This thing is my pride and joy 😭
The last few months I’ve been on a little journey to reconnect with myself. I’d killed too many months in the algorithmic voids of TikTok and Instagram. I accredited this (largely) to the accessibility of it all. I mean, why NOT scroll through your feed at every minor inconvenience when it’s right there in your pocket?
Part of this journey meant stripping back the technology I rely on, without compromising the things I enjoy. The only thing holding me back was my music.
I’m the breed of ‘insufferable man’ that has over 100k minutes streamed every year, and a budding vinyl collection on his wall. Losing the social media would be easy, but the music not so much 😂
I picked up this iPod about a month ago now, and it’s been a total game-changer. I love to critique the growth-through-consumerism mindset plaguing the self-help spheres of the internet, but picking this up genuinely changed my relationship with my phone.
I’m not looking down to skip a song every few minutes, which means less time to spot notifications, open apps, and mindlessly scroll. Having all of my music locally on this thing has cut my screen time while I’m out by half.
Buying shit won’t fix your problems, I attest, but sometimes it’s fun 😂 if you’re a big music listener and your screen time is through the roof, try putting your music on its own device. Listening this way makes me appreciate the music more. I listen to full albums, not hand-plucked singles. I’m conscious about what I choose without having a shuffle feature or a playlist do it for me. It’s changed my relationship with the art I loved, and helped make me a *little* more present in the moment.
Give it a try! And if you have, how have you liked it? Would love to hear your thoughts :))
The last few months I’ve been on a little journey to reconnect with myself. I’d killed too many months in the algorithmic voids of TikTok and Instagram. I accredited this (largely) to the accessibility of it all. I mean, why NOT scroll through your feed at every minor inconvenience when it’s right there in your pocket?
Part of this journey meant stripping back the technology I rely on, without compromising the things I enjoy. The only thing holding me back was my music.
I’m the breed of ‘insufferable man’ that has over 100k minutes streamed every year, and a budding vinyl collection on his wall. Losing the social media would be easy, but the music not so much 😂
I picked up this iPod about a month ago now, and it’s been a total game-changer. I love to critique the growth-through-consumerism mindset plaguing the self-help spheres of the internet, but picking this up genuinely changed my relationship with my phone.
I’m not looking down to skip a song every few minutes, which means less time to spot notifications, open apps, and mindlessly scroll. Having all of my music locally on this thing has cut my screen time while I’m out by half.
Buying shit won’t fix your problems, I attest, but sometimes it’s fun 😂 if you’re a big music listener and your screen time is through the roof, try putting your music on its own device. Listening this way makes me appreciate the music more. I listen to full albums, not hand-plucked singles. I’m conscious about what I choose without having a shuffle feature or a playlist do it for me. It’s changed my relationship with the art I loved, and helped make me a *little* more present in the moment.
Give it a try! And if you have, how have you liked it? Would love to hear your thoughts :))
Jan 27, 2025
Rec
💻I’m a self taught singer/songwriter, when I first started out it was super daunting! trying to figure out how to record and use a DAW was a real challenge for me but I found watching YouTube tutorials to be really useful. I’m always reaching out to ask others for help and advice and I find that most musicians are really open to sharing their expertise.
I’d recommend starting out with GarageBand and watching some tutorials or reach out to a producer you like and ask to collaborate.
I believe in you and I really hope I get to hear your music someday :)
Apr 25, 2024
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on new year’s eve, my dad had a major cardiac event, and was in the hospital for nearly the entire month of january. he’s continuing to deal with the repercussions of the physical and emotional trauma he experienced during his hospital stay.
my dad has been a musician for over forty years. a few months ago, he told me he wasn’t feeling connected to music anymore. he wasn’t feeling connected to anything. it made me sad to hear, but i also completely understood why he felt that way after everything that happened.
well, he and i are happy to announce that he recently released a new electronic/ambient album! if you’re into the berlin school style of music, you’ll like this album. :)
i’m so glad he’s making music again. 🤍
my dad has been a musician for over forty years. a few months ago, he told me he wasn’t feeling connected to music anymore. he wasn’t feeling connected to anything. it made me sad to hear, but i also completely understood why he felt that way after everything that happened.
well, he and i are happy to announce that he recently released a new electronic/ambient album! if you’re into the berlin school style of music, you’ll like this album. :)
i’m so glad he’s making music again. 🤍
