GarageBand for PC

Whether you have used GarageBand or not, it’s doubtless that you’ve heard of it, which is why you are here! Many famous musicians use it at their musical notepad because of its simplicity and quick results. So what can you do if you only have a PC?

Well there are ways to get GarageBand installed on a PC, but they involve degrees from MIT to get it up and running, which pretty much negates the simple to use/does what it says on the box vibe. Luckily for you some pretty smart software engineers have recognized the appeal of GarageBand and have implemented its goodness into software for the PC.

There are a few, but by far the closest implementation is Mixcraft from Acoustica, so much so that it has already earned the nickname GarageBand for Windows in DAW circles. Of course it can’t be 100% identical for copyright reasons, but with just a few function name changes and a slightly different design it is as close as you can get without ending up in patent court!

But here’s a little secret, there are many things that Mixcraft can do that GarageBand can’t. Over the last few years Acoustica have worked tirelessly to incorporate many of the functions that you’d expect to find in high end DAW software like Logic or Protools at a fraction of the cost. In the last version (7), for example, they have fully implemented Midi so you can use Mixcraft with a huge array of controllers.

So, while it is easy to use Mixcraft as a musical notepad, when you need a little bit more meat with your potatoes then you aren’t stuck with buying more software to handle it. With GarageBand you need to buy Logic Pro to complete the full DAW experience. Mixcraft also works with all the VST plugins that the elder statesmen of DAWs run. If you think you might need more in the beginning, it’s probably a better idea to buy Mixcraft Pro as it comes with many extra plugins including mastering plugins (Ozone from isotope and industry standard) and some really cool virtual instruments like Acoustica’s own Pianissimo (a really cool grand piano) or their implementation of the Moog.