How to Slow Down a Song in GarageBand (Mac/iPad/iPhone)🎸

How to slow down a song in GarageBand on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad? You can change the tempo in GarageBand to do that. But how exactly?

Slow Down a Song in GarageBand

How to Change Tempo in GarageBand Mac in 3 Ways

Each song has a tempo measured as the number of beats per minute, which can also be defined as the speed of a track. So, when someone changes the tempo, the speed of a song will be modified as well.

Generally, GarageBand provides three internal ways to slow down the tempo:

• #1 Using the Tempo Track
• #2 Time Stretching an Audio Region
• #3 Flex Time

1. Using the Tempo Track

This method involves adjusting the overall tempo if the project. It changes the tempo uniformly and changes the pitch of a song as well. But the tempo track isn't precise for specific sections, and can affect the entire song if multiple tracks are present.

Here's how to use the Tempo Track:

Step 1. Open GarageBand and load your project.

Step 2. Go to the "Track" menu and select "Show Tempo Track." Or click ⇧ + ⌘ + T.

Step 3. Click on the tempo line to create a point, and drag it down to reduce the tempo. Adjust the tempo points to control where the tempo changes.

Step 4. Play and export the slow-down song.

2. Time Stretching an Audio Region

By stretching or shrinking an audio region, you can slow down specific sections of a song, so it is ideal for individual adjustments. Although, note that it can degrade audio quality if stretched too much and the only audio region GarageBand stretches without altering its pitch is with Apple loops.

Step 1. Select the flex marker at your edit point.

Step 2. Drag the flex marker to the left, stopping before the previous transient.

This action will compress the audio between your flex marker and the preceding transient while expanding the audio from your flex marker to the following transient.

3. Flex Time

Unlike time stretching, enabling flex time allows for more sophisticated time stretching and compressing of audio, especially for specific parts of a track. However, you need to experiment with the adjustment and fine-tune the result.

Step 1. Launch GarageBand on your Mac and import the song. Double-click the track.

Step 2. Click the Flex icon, select "Track," and check "Enable Flex." This will allow you to edit the audio tracks.

Step 3. Go to the tempo settings and enter a higher value than the current one to increase the speed of the entire track.

Step 4. Enable "Follow Tempo & Pitch."

Slow Down Songs in GarageBand iPad/iPhone

GarageBand also allows users to change the playback speed of a track to slow down the song. This is simple and quick for practice purposes, but it affects the pitch.

Step 1. Open GarageBand and load your project.

Step 2. Open the song settings and tap on Tempo to display the tempo controls.

Step 3. Adjust the "Tempo" slider to a lower value to slow down the playback speed.

Slow Down Individual Tracks in GarageBand iPad/iPhone/Mac

The last method is manually adjusting the loop to slow down specific parts. This is good for precise adjustments in specific areas but is also time-consuming for larger projects.

Step 1. Open GarageBand, create a project, record audio, enable Flex and "Follow Tempo and Pitch," and trim the audio to full measure.

Step 2. Save the audio region as a loop.

Save the region to the Loop Library by tapping the region to select it, tapping the share icon (box with an arrow pointing up), and selecting "Add Region to Loop Library." Name your loop and confirm that it's saved.

Step 3. Change the tempo in a new project and use the loop.

Create a new project or open an existing one with a different tempo. Set the new tempo by opening the song settings (wrench icon), tapping "Tempo," and adjusting the tempo to the desired value. Open the Loop Browser by tapping the loop icon (looping arrow) and find and add your saved loop by searching for it by name, then dragging it into your project.

The loop will automatically conform to the new project's tempo, stretching or shrinking to match the project's current tempo.

Share these methods with GarageBand users!

Slow Down a Song/Video Online for Free

Another easier choice is to use an online speed changer like EaseUS. This tool speeds up a song or video clip to slow it down without changing its pitch. One can change the speed from 0.5 to 1.5 without installing any software.

Upload unlimited files of MP3, WAV, MP4, FLAC, and more to EaseUS online audio editor to remove vocals from a song, find the key of a song, change the pitch and volume, and extract noise from media.

Key Features

• Adjust playback speed from 0.5x to 1.5x.
• Boost the MP3 volume and find the key.
• Supports various audio formats.
• Remove vocals, unwanted noise, and instrument tracks.

Powered by advanced AI, the process is quick and easy. Access it safely here.

Slow down a song online for free:

Step 1. Enter the main interface of EaseUS Online Speed Changer. The left sidebar shows new functions of this online tool. Find "Pitch changer" and click it. 

Step 2. Then, drop the audio/video file in the blank. It supports multiple file formats, including MP3, MP4, WAV, M4A, and FLAC. 

Step 3. The website will analyze your file with AI. You can drag the little dot in the "Speed" section to slow down or speed up with a range of 0.5X to 1.5X. 

Step 4. Click "Save and Export" to download the processed file to your local file location. 

Summary

Each method has its specific use cases and limitations, so the best approach depends on your specific needs and the complexity of the project.

• Tempo Track: Best for whole project tempo adjustments. Simple but affects all tracks.
• Time Stretching: Good for specific sections but can degrade quality.
• Flex Time: High-quality and precise but complex.
• Playback Speed: Easy for quick practice, affects pitch.
• Loop Manipulation: Precise for loops but time-consuming.

For users looking for a simple alternative, try EaseUS online speed changer to slow down a song in few clicks without additional setup.

How to Slow Down a Track in GarageBand FAQs

1. Where is the speed slider in GarageBand?

GarageBand does not have a simple speed slider for changing the overall tempo of a project. However, you can change the tempo of a project by adjusting the BPM (beats per minute). Open GarageBand and your project, and find the tempo display at the top center of the screen, which usually shows the current BPM.

2. How to I slow songs down?

You can slow songs down using desktop software or online tools, like Audacity, EaseUS online speed changer, or Logic Pro. Import your songs and change its speed by changing the tempo, time-stretching, or adjusting the speed directly.

3. How to pitch down a track in GarageBand?

To change the pitch in GarageBand, follow these steps:

• Open GarageBand and select the track.
• Click the "Edit" tab in the toolbar.
• Choose "Time and Pitch" from the menu.
• Adjust the "Pitch" slider to the desired pitch.
• Use the "Fine Tune" slider for precise adjustments.
• Adjust the "Time" slider to change track speed.
• Click "Done" to save changes.