The Sound Library is a trove of built‑in sounds and instruments — from ordinary to exotic — that you can use to create and record music in GarageBand. Use world instruments to explore the music of different cultures and time periods, or create an eerie sci‑fi soundtrack using an array of synthesizers.
Pick a new instrument. Click the track header of an existing software instrument track. In the Library panel, navigate through the categories — such as Synthesizer — to find an instrument sound, called a patch in GarageBand.
Try the new instrument sound. Click the patch to load it into the track and click Play .
Search for a sound by name. Type “Rising Waves” in the search field of the Library, then click Rising Waves in the results list to load it.
Tweak the instrument. Click Play so you can hear changes as you make them. Adjust any of the Smart Controls in the panel at the bottom of the screen until you have the sound you want. Experiment with how Cutoff, Resonance, and Attack affect the sound.
Explore world instruments to create a mood or theme that matches an area of study.
Choose an instrument that evokes a desired emotion and use it to record a soundtrack for a video scene.
Once you’ve customized the sound of an instrument using Smart Controls, you can save the modified patch for future use. Click the Save button in the bottom right of the Library, then enter a name for your saved patch.
Learn more about saving custom patchesShare what you learned and help others discover the Apple Teacher Program.
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