Originally Posted By: raymb1
Short answer; Garage Band is a recording tool, BIAB is an accompaniment generator. Apples and oranges. Later, Ray


Generally speaking, Ray is correct. However, the latest flavor of Garageband for iOS devices blurs the lines between Apples and Oranges with the smart-instrument features. These allow one to generate accompaniment on the fly according to some pre-programmed patterns which in the end result in editable midi data.

What Garageband does not do is allow one to enter in a song structure, style, chord progression, etc. and generate an accompaniment directly from only that input.

I haven't tried Garageband on my sons Mac to see if it has the smart instrument features or not. I don't believe so.

Garageband is a pretty easy program to use in some respects, and frustrating in others. Some of the love that it gets is simply because of it's ubiquity on the Mac platform. That said, I think for $4.99, it's the best music program value on the iOS platform. Just the guitar amp simulations are worth $4.99. Also, the tonewheel organ simulation in all versions is a thing of sonic beauty. Ranks right up there with the NI B4 and GSi VB3 simulations, in my opinion. Same can be said for the included electric piano simulations. Very well done.

How you use either tool is probably the most important thing. Each will have it's pros and cons.

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