You can slow down audio in GarageBand on your Mac by changing the Tempo on the LCD and enabling time flex for the regions to match a slower tempo. You can do this on the iOS version of the app by going to track settings and adjusting the tempo.
My name is Donovan, and I’ve been an active musician and producer for over a decade. I have years of experience working with GarageBand and other audio production tools and know how to utilize all of the features and functions in the app.
This post will show you how to slow down audio in GarageBand. Whether you just want to slightly tweak the tempo or drastically slow down the feel of a project, I’ll provide instructions on how to make this happen on your Mac or iPhone.
Let’s get after it.
Contents
Key Takeaways
- Slowing down audio in GarageBand for Mac involves using the LCD menu in the top center of the project window. You can quickly and easily slow things down from here.
- You need to enable the Time Flex feature to make any audio you’ve already recorded in GarageBand for Mac match an adjusted tempo.
- In GarageBand iOS, you can slow down audio for software instruments recorded in the app, but it won’t slow down recorded audio like in the macOS version.
- Slowing down audio can distort the track, making it sound quite different from the original.
How to Slow Down Audio in GarageBand Mac
If you want to slow down the audio from a track in GarageBand, the easiest way to do this is on your Mac. The Mac version of the app will provide you with more tools and control over tempo.
If you want to slow down an audio track that you’ve recorded with a microphone or basically anything that isn’t a software instrument, using the Mac version of GarageBand is the only way to do it.
The iOS version will let you slow down software instruments and the metronome, but you can’t time flex audio tracks on your iPhone or iPad like you can on your Mac.
Follow these steps to slow down audio in GarageBand on your Mac.
1. Open the GarageBand app on your Mac.
2. Open up the project with the audio you want to slow down.
3. Double-click the track or region with the audio you want to slow down or select the Editor’s icon, which looks like a pair of scissors, from the top of the project window. This will open up the track editing window.
4. Click on the Flex icon on the top of the editor’s window. This will allow the selected region to follow any adjustments in the tempo you make.
5. Now, click on the arrow icon on the right side of the LCD window in the top center of the project view.
6. Select Beats & Project from the available options.
7. The tempo will now appear in the center of the LCD. You can click on this and slow the tempo down as much as you want. You can also make future adjustments to slow down or speed up the tempo from here.
How to Slow Down Audio in GarageBand iPhone
You can also slow down audio in GarageBand on your iPhone, but you don’t have as much control of this as you do in the Mac version. But if you want to slow down software instruments or midi tracks, follow the steps below.
1. Open the GarageBand app on your iPhone.
2. Open the project with the audio you want to slow down.
3. Tap the Settings icon in the top right of the project window.
4. Tap Tempo in the settings window.
5. Tap the tempo adjustment box to manually adjust the tempo to slow it down as much as you want. You can also tap the tempo you want to change it to with your finger in the Tap to set Tempo box.
6. Tap Done.
The tempo will now be adjusted in your project. Remember that this will only apply to prerecorded software instrument tracks and not any audio you’ve recorded using a microphone or real instrument.
And you also can’t slow down individual tracks in GarageBand for iPhone like you can on your Mac. Typically, you want to slow down an entire project anyway, but if for some reason you only want to slow one track in your project, you’ll need to use GarageBand for mac.
How to Slow Down a Loop in GarageBand
Adjusting the tempo of a loop in GarageBand is a needed skill if you plan on using Apple Loops in any of your audio projects. This gives you direct control over the speed of the loop, letting you work them seamlessly into your projects.
Once you have a loop in your project, you can slow it down the same way you slowed down audio tracks. Follow the steps in the sections above to do this on your Mac or iPhone. Just make sure to select the loops track you want to be slowed down when doing so.
How to Slow Down Individual Tracks in GarageBand
You can slow down individual tracks in GarageBand for your Mac by selecting that track and using the Enable Flex feature. This will match the track you have chosen to the tempo you set for the track.
You’ll want to ensure that Enable Flex is not checked on the tracks you don’t want to be slowed down in the project. If you leave it on for the entire project, all of the tracks you have recorded will slow down when you make tempo adjustments.
FAQs
Here are a few quick answers to some of the most commonly asked questions related to how to slow down audio in GarageBand.
Can you change speed of audio in GarageBand?
Yes, you can change the speed of audio in GarageBand by adjusting the tempo. Depending on your changes, this will either slow down or speed up the audio. You can’t change the speed of individual tracks or regions in the iOS version of GarageBand.
How do I change the speed of one track in GarageBand?
In GarageBand for Mac, you can change the speed of one track by selecting that track, going into the editor’s window, and checking the Enable Flex box. Then you can adjust the tempo that will affect that track only. You can’t do this in the iOS version of GarageBand.
Final Thoughts
Slowing down audio in GarageBand isn’t a feature you’ll use all the time, but it’s still a good one to know how to do, especially if you are using Apple Loops or Software instruments. And remember, you have more control over tempo in the Mac version of the app.
Adjusting the speed of your recorded audio by slowing it down or speeding it up can greatly impact how the music feels. It can also affect the clarity of any recorded audio. Be sure to take your time when making significant edits with the tempo.
Have you ever slowed down the tempo in a GarageBand project? What effect did it have on the track and the project in general? Let me know in the comments below.
