
Using the timeline grid
GarageBand includes a timeline grid that lets you automatically align items in the timeline and the editor with measures, beats, and notes in the beat ruler.
When you turn on the timeline grid, the following actions snap to the nearest grid position in the timeline:
- Dragging loops to the timeline
- Moving regions
- Resizing regions
- Moving the playhead
- Moving the cycle region
- Moving control points on volume and controller curves
The grid also applies to items in the editor, if the editor is open. The grid applies to individual notes in Software Instrument tracks in the editor, as well.
You can set the grid to any of the following note values:
- 1/4 notes, 1/8 notes, 1/16 notes, 1/32 notes, and 1/64 notes
- 1/4 note triplets, 1/8 note triplets, 1/16 note triplets
- 1/8 note swing light, 1/8 note swing heavy, 1/16 note swing light, or 1/16 note swing heavy. (The heavy values accentuate the swing feeling more than the light values.)
You can set the editor to snap to a different grid value than the timeline, using the grid menu in the upper-right corner of the editor.
The timeline grid can also be set to Automatic. If you set the grid to Automatic, the grid value changes as you zoom in or zoom out. The grid value changes between measures, 1/4 notes, 1/8 notes, 1/16 notes, and 1/32 notes, depending on the zoom level.
To use the timeline grid, do any of the following:
- To turn the grid on or off, choose Control > Snap to Grid.
- To set the grid value for the timeline, click the Grid button in the upper-right corner of the timeline, then choose a grid value from the menu.
- To set the grid value for the editor, click the Grid button in the upper-right corner of the editor, then choose a grid value from the menu.
In notation view, the grid menu controls the note value to which notes are “rounded” for display.
