Music

How to use or turn off the Metronome in GarageBand on Mac and iOS

Metronome

The Metronome in GarageBand offers a steady beat that helps you keep time when you’re recording or just listening to your song. The feature also uses a one-measure Count-in so that you can get ready when you’re recording a song, just like you hear live bands do when performing.

You can turn the Metronome and Count-in on and off as well as adjust the Count-in bars on both Mac and iOS, and this tutorial shows you how.

How to download and add Apple Loops to songs in GarageBand

Use Apple Loops in GarageBand

Whether you’ve used GarageBand before or are completely new and just learning, Apple Loops can help you build or enhance your creations. These handy little bits of music come in all forms, from drums to guitar to vocals, and beyond. Some loops are there waiting to be picked by you, while others may need to be downloaded. So depending on the type of song you’re composing, you might want to toss one in or start right off with one. Either way, we’re going to help you out.

This tutorial shows you how to download and add Apple Loops to your songs in GarageBand.

SpinThatRecord brings animated vinyl records to the Spotify Music app

Spotify has what I’ve come to appreciate as one of the nicest music players available for the iOS platform today, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things I’d do to make it even better. In fact, when I learned about the release of a new jailbreak tweak called SpinThatRecord by iOS developer Menuskha, I was immediately intrigued.

Just as the name implies, SpinThatRecord modifies the Spotify Music app’s native music player such that the album artwork appears as a spinning record rather than a standstill square image. You’ll notice in the screenshot examples above that the album artwork is now shaped like a vinyl record, and below, you’ll find an animated GIF that showcases how the tweak looks as the album rotates:

BellePlayer offers less intrusive Now Playing interfaces for the Lock screen

If you listen to music on your iOS device often, then you likely take advantage of the Lock screen’s Now Playing interface to manage music playback as you walk into the dynamics of different environments.

While the native Now Playing interface is adequate for most users, those who demand a more refined experience will do good to check out a newly-released jailbreak tweak dubbed BellePlayer by iOS developer Geometric Software.