Choose genres and drummers in GarageBand on Mac

Each genre comes with a number of drummers who have their own drum kit, percussion instruments, and distinct playing style.

When you add a Drummer track to the project, a default genre and drummer is loaded, along with a default patch associated with the drummer. You can change the genre and the drummer, and these changes influence all regions on the track. If you change a drummer, a new patch is loaded, which means that the drum kit or percussion instruments as well as the kit mix is replaced with that of the new drummer. However, it’s possible to choose a new drummer without loading a new patch.

Note: Some drummers are available only after you download additional content.

Choose a genre and drummer

In GarageBand on Mac, open the Library (if it is not already open).
Choose a genre from the Drummer menu.
You can choose Rock, Alternative, Songwriter, R&B, Electronic, Hip Hop, or Percussion.
The available drummers for the chosen genre appear. If you hold the pointer over the name of a drummer, a description of the drummer’s playing style appears.
Click a drummer.
The default patch for that drummer is loaded into the Drummer Editor.
Do any of the following:
- Choose another drummer: Choose another drummer in the Drummer menu.
- Choose another genre: Choose a different genre from the Drummer menu.

Helpful?

GarageBand User Guide

Choose genres and drummers in GarageBand on Mac

Choose a genre and drummer