This workflow provides a good starting point. However, there is a traditional order of effects widely adapted. The order you insert your plugins depends on the source material, what you’re trying to achieve, and what sounds best to your ears. What’s the correct order for plugins in an effects chain? This topic is confusing because there is no absolute rule. Knowing how the order of plugins influence sound can help you make mix decisions and troubleshoot problems. A plugin will affect the sound differently depending on its position along the effects chain. You can adjust the EQ bands while you watch the frequency curve.Ĭlick the Analyzer button again to turn it off.The order of your plugins in an effects chain does matter. While playing an instrument or a region, the frequency curve for the track appears in the EQ display, showing which frequencies are louder or softer. Use the Analyzer: Click the Analyzer button, then play an instrument or a region on the selected track.
Raise or lower the overall gain: Drag the Gain slider on the right up or down. Drag left or right to change the frequency for that band.ĭouble-tap the puck to move it to its original position. Tap the Track Controls button in the control bar, tap Plug-ins & EQ, then tap Visual EQ.Īdjust an EQ band: Tap the colored puck for an EQ band to activate it, then drag up or down to raise or lower the level for that band. You can use the Visual EQ plug-in to optimize the sound of your tracks and songs by adjusting the level of three ranges, or bands, of frequencies: bass, mid, and treble. Vocal Transformer: The Vocal Transformer changes the pitch and tone of your voice. Tremolo: Tremolo raises and lowers the volume of a sound at regular intervals, creating a wobble effect. It can add definition and presence to voices and instruments, add ambience to a sound, or simulate different rooms and other acoustic environments. Reverb: Reverb simulates the natural reflections of a sound in a surrounding space. The result is often a shimmery or swirly effect on voices and instruments. Modulation: Modulation effects, such as chorus, flanger, and phaser, repeat the sound along with the original, but they shift or modulate the repeated sound during playback. You can use EQ to make both subtle and dramatic changes to your songs. It can add a subtle sense of space to a sound, or create the impression that a voice or an instrument is in a large room or cavern.ĭistortion: Distortion and overdrive effects change the tone of the original sound, making it sound “dirty” or “fuzzy.”ĮQ: EQ (short for equalization) lets you change the level of selected frequencies in a sound. Compressors can add punch and definition to a track making it stand out from the rest of the mix.ĭelay: Delay effect repeats a sound like an echo.
The result is a lo-fi digital sound similar to old video games or drum machines.Ĭompressor: A compressor adjusts the volume of the sound to smooth out sudden level changes. GarageBand includes a variety of effect plug-ins that you can use on the tracks in your songs:īitcrusher: A bitcrusher creates distortion by reducing the sampling rate and bit depth of the signal. Use the control bar and the track headers.