Ultramods make album solely on GarageBand for iPad

Relative newcomer indie band The Ultramods reached an inevitable milestone on Monday by becoming the first known band to record entirely using GarageBand for iPad. Their new release Underwear Party ($10, iTunes) was composed and recorded entirely on the Apple tablet by the duo, Max Sparber and Coco Mault, over the course of two weeks. To fill in instruments they didn't have, they used both a Smart Drum for beats and a directly composed but virtual lead guitar.

Everything was recorded on the spot, including bass guitar and vocals over the iPad's microphone.

The ability to record entirely on the iPad was a "huge transformation," Sparber said. He noted that even in 2010, a basic album recording could cost thousands to make beyond just the equipment. GarageBand was part of an "ongoing democratization" that made it easy to publish on the cheap. Apple's decision to waive many of the up-front costs for being published on iTunes also helped.

While music making has been common on notebooks, it's been unheard of on tablets owing to the performance of tablets and the lack of software support, both of which were resolved this year. The iPad 2's dual-core processor is fast enough to handle eight-track recording, or enough to record fairly complex arrangements, and is also designed to fill in the gaps for those who either can't play every instrument or can't do it at the same time. It also notably has direct support for input from real-world instruments and can generate sounds that wouldn't be possible with a conventional instrument. [via The Loop and Wired]

By Electronista Staff

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industry, iTunes, audio, GarageBand, Apple, iPad, iPad apps, iPad 2