Apple’s GarageBand is a well-known digital audio workstation that comes free with Apple devices. Available for MacOS, iOS, and iPadOS, GarageBand offers an impressive list of features for musicians looking for a user-friendly system to execute their sonic ideas.
Among the various tools available, GarageBand’s Pedalboard and Amp Designer plugins are two feature-rich plugins you can use to shape the tone of your guitar. The Pedalboard features 23 effect pedals covering the essentials, including reverb, delay, chorus, overdrive, and tremolo. Moreover, the Amp Designer gives you access to over 25 amps (each with adjustable parameters), 26 cabinets, and seven microphones to simulate a real studio environment.
One of the advantages of GarageBand’s stock plugins is the variety of sound you can create within the digital audio workstation. With all of those effects and amp options, GarageBand’s stock plugins give you much more flexibility than most other options on this list. Moreover, since these are native plugins, they are significantly more CPU-efficient compared to third-party alternatives.
On the other hand, the obvious downside of GarageBand is that it is exclusive to Apple’s ecosystem. So, if you’re a Windows or Android user, you can’t take advantage of this free-to-use DAW. Also, while the clean and overdriven presets sound impressively dynamic and fill out the stereo spectrum decently, distorted effects sound flat and boxy. To plug your guitar or bass into your iPhone, you can use an iRig 2 guitar interface.
