How to Use Rock Band Instruments in GarageBand

This video tutorial will show you how to use a Rock Band drum kit to control the drums in Apple's GarageBand program. You can also do this with the Rock Band guitar. Since I might be a bit confusing in the video, here are the instructions.

To do this, you'll need:
-A Rock Band drum kit or a Rock Band guitar
-An Apple Macintosh with OS X 10.1 or later (I'm using 10.5.2, Leopard.)
-GarageBand for Mac OS X (I'm using GarageBand 08.)

1: Google "Gamepad Companion" (WITHOUT THE QUOTES). Click on the first link and download the software that's suitable for your operating system.

2: After installing Gamepad Companion, make sure the install was successful by opening System Preferences. There should be a Gamepad Companion button in the Other section.

3: Quit System Preferences and plug your Rock Band peripheral into your computer.

4: Relaunch System Preferences and open GarageBand. In System Preferences, open up the Gamepad Companion pane. In GarageBand, make a new track for either drums or guitar. Under Window, click Musical Typing.

5: By pressing stuff on your Rock Band instrument, Gamepad Companion says that you're pressing a certain button. In Musical Typing, make a note of the letters for the notes/sounds you want your instrument to play. Then, in Gamepad Companion, assign each button on your Rock Band instrument a key for Musical Typing. Keys can be assigned by clicking Single Key in the Action drop-down menu and pressing the key.

6: After your keys are assigned, press Start in Gamepad Companion. Go into GarageBand, make sure that Musical Typing is open, and mess around.

7: When you're done, click Stop in Gamepad Companion and quit System Preferences. It is now safe to unplug the Rock Band peripheral.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• rock
• band
• apple
• garageband
• osx
• leopard
• mac
• drums
• guitar
• gamepad
• companion
• tutorial

[Zombieman27]

can i just use the pedal?

[Prime1153]

@Zombieman27 I think the pedal works... I haven't done this in ages, but if I remember right, you can map out the pedal. You don't have to map out the other pads if you don't want to.

[Reneau3088]

k my macbook is like 1 week old, its the newest one out and i cant seem to get this too work, i tried with ps3 and ps2 rock band drum kits

[Prime1153]

@Reneau3088 Gamepad Companion doesn't appear to work with Snow Leopard... Sorry.

[xFaMoUs4LiFex]

doesent work on an intel based mac!

[Prime1153]

Wrong! My MacBook has a 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, and this worked fine.

...Note that I said WORKED fine. Are you running Snow Leopard? I recently tried doing this while running 10.6, and it didn't work.

[letsgomets2590]

this dude sounds like al gore

[2kreh]

google....google!

[davedbrave17]

when i plug in my drums, the light on them blinks once and then its off. then i cant find them in gamepad. Any suggestions?

[BubaZee]

it works and i have snow leopard. well is there anyway i can make a different key work for a different drum pad or color or whatever. if u know.

[wizzleman412]

google...gooogle... hahah

[InfomercialRemixer]

The demo runs out as soon as I download the gamepad thing wtf?

[PlainLazy77]

My demo ran out and when i re download it wont work i need a serial number :\ any advice

[Billbobjedi2]

my xbox 360 drums arent getting recognized by my iMac. when i plug it in the light blinks then goes off. any ideas? it recognizes my xbox 360 controller but not the drums.

[Billbobjedi2]

my xbox 360 drums arent getting recognized by my iMac. when i plug it in the light blinks then goes off. any ideas?

[Rob0Star]

-Thank you my dudee.!