Mix & Export Checklist

Before you record

• Quiet room, soft surfaces (a closet full of clothes works great)
• Headphones on, so the music doesn't leak into the mic
• Mouth about one hand-width from the mic
• Warm up: hum, lip trills, sing the chorus once quietly
• Save a new version first (-v2, -v3…)

Recording

• Record the chorus first (you know it best)
• 3 takes per section, no stopping to judge
• Listen back and keep the best take (or best phrases)
• Optional: sing the chorus a second time on a new track (a "double") and pan the two slightly apart

The four mix moves

1. Balance

• The lead (vocal or melody) is the loudest thing
• Drums next
• Everything else sits just under the lead
• Trick: turn everything down, then bring the lead up first, then add the others one at a time

2. Pan

• Center: kick, snare, bass, lead vocal
• Slightly left: chords (or one guitar)
• Slightly right: extra instrument (or second guitar)

3. Reverb

• A little reverb on the vocal so it sounds like it's in a room
• Too much = sounds far away. Back it off.

4. Headroom

• Nothing hits the red on the meters
• If something does, turn that track down (not the whole song up)

Level 2 mix moves (Song 2)

• Muddy? Turn down the bass/low end on everything except kick and bass
• Dull vocal? Add a little treble
• Some words disappear? Use a vocal preset with compression, or add a little more
• Low-volume test: still balanced when very quiet? Then it's a good mix

Check on more than one speaker

• Headphones
• iPad or phone speaker
• A car or a regular speaker, if you can

If the vocal disappears on the small speaker, turn it up.

Ending

• Ends on a big final chord, or
• Fades out over the last 2–4 bars (volume automation on the master track)

Export

GarageBand on iPad

1. Go to My Songs (the song browser).
2. Press and hold your song → Share.
3. Choose Song, pick Highest Quality, add the title and your name as artist.
4. Save to Files or send it.

GarageBand on Mac

1. Menu: Share → Export Song to Disk.
2. Choose AAC or MP3, Highest Quality.
3. Name it S1-[title]-FINAL.

• Exported file saved
• GarageBand project saved separately (so you can remix later)
• Lead sheet made: melody PDF from おんぷノート, with chord names, lyrics, title, and your name added in Files → Markup