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Chapter 4 Using Apple Loops 31
To display loops from a specific Jam Pack or folder:
m
Choose the Jam Pack or folder with the loops you want to see from the loop library
pop-up menu, located to the right of the word “Loops” at the top of the loop browser.
Searching by Scale Type
Most loops other than drum loops are recorded using a particular musical scale. In
most cases, when you arrange several loops so that they play together, you’ll want to
use loops with the same scale type. The Scale pop-up menu lets you narrow the loops
shown in the results list to those using either the major or minor scale, those using
neither scale, or those good for both.
To display only loops with a particular scale type:
m
Choose the scale type from the Scale pop-up menu.
Drum loops don’t usually have a scale type, so try refining the bass loops you found
earlier to show only those using the major scale.
Limiting Searches to Nearby Keys
Loops with melody and harmony instruments are recorded in a specific musical key.
When you add a loop to a song, GarageBand matches the loop’s key with the key of the
song. The closer the loop’s original key is to the key of the song, the more natural the
loop will sound when transposed to the song’s key. When a loop is transposed by a
large number of semitones, the result can sometimes sound unnatural or distorted.
To display loops only in keys near the song’s key:
1 Choose GarageBand > Preferences, then click the General tab.
2 In the General pane, click the “Filter for more relevant results” checkbox.
Note: The “Filter for more relevant results” checkbox is turned on by default. To see
loops in keys farther away from the song’s key, turn off the checkbox.
Searching for Specific Text
You can quickly find loops with specific text in their file name or path using the search
field. This makes it easy to find a loop by name, or to find all loops in a specific folder.
To perform text searches for loops:
m
Type the text you want to search for in the search field, then press Return. Loops with
the text in either their file name or path will be shown in the results list.
Try refining the drum loops you found earlier by typing “acoustic”, “club”, or “funk” in the
search field. You can try typing other words to see what results you get.
Choose a scale
type here.
Enter search
text here.