How to change the tempo in GarageBand on Mac and iOS

The tempo in GarageBand is expressed in beats per minute and is set to 120 by default. But you can change it to match the tempo you need for your song. On iOS, you can change the tempo for your song to a specific value. And on Mac, you also adjust it for the entire song or add tempo points to the Tempo Track so that the tempo changes throughout the song.

This tutorial shows you how to change the tempo for a song in GarageBand.

Change Tempo in GarageBand

Change the song tempo in GarageBand on Mac

As mentioned, when you start a new project, the tempo is set to 120 BPM. But this is super easy to change. So, open your project in GarageBand on Mac and follow these steps:

1) Go to the top of the GarageBand window.

2) Click the Tempo box and drag up or down to change it when you see the arrows. Alternatively, you can double-click it and type in an exact value.

GarageBand Change Tempo Mac

Adjust the Tempo Track on Mac

If you want the tempo to change throughout your song, you can add tempo points to the Tempo Track by doing the following:

1) Select Track > Show Tempo Track from the menu bar.

2) When the Tempo Track appears at the top of your track list, you can drag to change the tempo for the entire piece or set the tempo points.

GarageBand Change Tempo Track Mac

3) To set a tempo point, double-click where you want it and then drag to set the value. To set another tempo point, double-click the next spot and drag to set its value. You can add many tempo points to the Tempo Track.

GarageBand Add Tempo Point Mac

Change the song tempo in GarageBand on iPhone and iPad

Like on Mac, the default tempo for a new GarageBand project is 120 BPM. So to change this on iPhone or iPad, just open your song and follow these steps:

1) Open the Song Settings. On iPhone, tap the gear icon. On iPad, tap the wrench icon on the top right.

2) Select Tempo.

3) Use the arrows to adjust the number of beats per minute in the Tempo box and then hit Tap to set Tempo. (On iPhone, tap Done.)

GarageBand Change Tempo iPad

Setting the tempo for your song in GarageBand is easy to do. Plus you can vary that tempo throughout your song if you use the app on your Mac.

Are you working on a musical creation in GarageBand have tips of your own you’d like to share? If so, feel free to comment below!

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