How to create your own software instrument in Garageband

Okay, maybe you are fed up with the limited bank of sounds that Garageband supplies with its software.  Or, maybe you just don't like the quality of the sounds.  If you have your own instrument, and you have recorded your own sounds into Garageband, you can turn them into a brand new software instrument.  For instance, if you have recorded a real guitar playing an A note - G note, you can assign those notes to the respective A-G keys on a midi controller, or your computer keyboard, and now you can play your guitar through a keyboard.  Nifty, isn't it?

The first thing you need to do to create a software instrument is make sure that all of the sound recordings of the instrument you want to create are on your computer.  Keep them stored in a safe file that will not be deleted or lost.

Next, open a new Garageband project.  When the project opens, it should have a software instrument already loaded into the project.  Usually, it is the Grand Piano, by default.  Now, change that instrument into one of the categories that closely resembles the software instrument you are going to create.  For example, if you are going to create a new guitar instrument, change the Piano to a Guitar. 

Now, this is the fun part.  At the top of the screen, select "Window" and then select "Musical Typing."  A window should pop up that allows you to assign certain keys on your computer keyboard to corresponding notes on a musical midi keyboard.  Now, just drag and drop your sounds from the Finder at the bottom of the screen to the corresponding key on the musical typing keyboard.  Continue to do this until you have assigned every key a sound as needed. 

Now all you have to do is save your instrument.  Click the button that looks like an "i" which is the track information button, and select "save instrument"  When the window pops up to name the instrument, give it a unique clever name, and hit save.  You now have an instrument programmed into Garageband that can be applied to Musical Typing, or a midi keyboard.  That was easy, wasn't it?