I am often asked if I know of any programs for windows that are similar to Garageband. Well, if you have the luxury of a small budget then I would recommend mixcraft at the moment.

The screen feels just as streamlined as Garageband. They have taken out a lot of the ‘clutter’ of other sequencers and so it ‘feels’ easy to use. As well as your standard transport controls, mute solo effects record they have also included a sound library (loops and effects), loop editor, virtual instruments, piano roll, vst effects, and the facility to mix to CD as well as wav and mp3. The more demanding user may not be entirely convinced by the screen layout (it can feel like windows software for ‘playing mac’ rather than a good resource in its own right). Still, this may be what you want from a ‘Garageband for windows’.

A really nice feature is the time stretch. They call it FlexAudio™, and it allows you to easily change the duration of audio samples without affecting the pitch. This wins me over because it’s so simple; unlike several competitors that just make things too difficult for it to be useful in the classroom. My biggest complaint is that some of the loops are just terrible and lack variety. If you are going to provide royalty free loops then great…but students may get frustrated looking through for something they can use. Quantity certainly trumps quality in this case. However, there is a quick solution to this as you can import Garageband and acid loops.

My eldest son Reuben who is 7 has had a go with this and thinks it’s great. With very little instruction he was off and running in 10 minutes so I think there is a lot of scope for use in the classroom.

Mixcraft currently retails at $65 per unit (about £40 today).

For a free substitute try Acid express but be ready for a 10 track limit and a more complicated feeling bland ‘windows 2000 like’ experience.

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