Apple has just released iLife '09. With that comes a whole new level of creativity for musicians. Just to look at a few key features, the new Garage Band has been extended to better serve musicians!  Including interactive lessons and now some of the world's most famous artists to include Sting, Fallout Boy, Norah Jones, Colbie Caillat, John Fogerty and others are now included in Garage Band!

 

 

Garage Band '09: Basic Lessons

GarageBand
’09 introduces Basic Lessons: the easiest way to learn piano and
guitar, right on your Mac. Follow along at your own pace with
interactive lessons that teach you the fundamentals through HD video
instruction, synchronized notation, and animated onscreen instruments.

Play
your way through a series of nine piano or guitar lessons that get you
ready to play an entire song. Learn by repetition. Slow things down or
repeat any part to get it right. Basic Lessons give you complete
control over how you learn. And when you’re more comfortable, you can
practice your new skills with a complete backing band.

 

 

Garage Band '09: Artist Lessons

Sure,
music video games are fun. But nothing is more authentic than learning
to play a real song on a real instrument. And who better to teach you
that song than the artist who made it famous? Introducing Artist
Lessons in GarageBand ’09 (sold separately). Have Sting teach you how
to play “Roxanne,” Colbie Caillat teach you how to play “Bubbly,” Fall
Out Boy teach you how to play “I Don’t Care,” and many more. Browse,
preview, and purchase Artist Lessons from the Lesson Store inside
GarageBand. Then get step-by-step instructions for chords, finger
positions, and techniques from the people who know your favorite songs
best.

Play along with your artist/instructor or take your
skills to the next level and jam with the original band. You can even
select and listen to individual instruments from multitrack recordings
available only on GarageBand. Want to hear what Sting’s guitar sounds
like on its own? Think you’re ready to sit in for Colbie Caillat?
Artist Lessons let you control the mix and instrumentation, so you can
hear or play whatever you want — even slow things down to make learning
easier.

Artist Lessons also give you something you won’t
find anywhere else: the story behind the song. Sit back and listen to
each artist tell you how the song was written and what inspired it. The
Artist Lessons library keeps growing, so you’ll always have songs to
learn (and learn about).

 

 

 

 

Garage Band '09: New Guitar Features

GarageBand ’09 puts rock history
on display with new amps and stompbox effects that re-create the sound
of legendary guitar rigs — right on your Mac. Just plug in an electric
guitar and play through five new amps modeled after the most revered in
the world. Choose from over 30 complete rigs, including Brit Pop, Honky
Tonk, Lowdown Blues, Seattle Sound, Stadium Solo, and Woodstock Fuzz.
Add virtual stompboxes that reproduce classic foot pedals, including
Fuzz Machine, Blue Echo, and Auto-Funk. Then get a 3D view of your rig
— complete with amp, speaker cabinet, and stompboxes.

 

 

Garage Band '09: Magic GarageBand Jam

When it’s time to focus on
jamming, turn your Mac into a full-screen stage with Magic GarageBand
Jam. Assign instruments and styles to your guitarist, bassist, drummer,
and keyboard player. Shuffle instruments randomly to instantly hear a
new sound from your backing band. Create a custom mix using volume
sliders or by muting and soloing any instrument. Quickly navigate to
any part of the song using the new Arrangement Track, or just repeat
your favorite part. When you’re happy with rehearsals, you can record
right into Magic GarageBand.

 

More info on Garage Band 09: http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/

 

As well, iLife 09 now has a new version of iMovie 09 which has added in some effects which were missing in the iLife 08.  These include slowdown, fast forward, new titles and much more.  Here's a quick look at those features:

 

iMovie '09: Advanced Drag and Drop

iMovie ’08 introduced
drag-and-drop editing — a fun and easy way to make movies, even if
you’ve never edited a single frame. iMovie ’09 takes drag-and-drop
editing even further. For starters, it gives you more ways to add clips
to your project: Now you can replace or insert clips using a single
pop-up menu. Or edit just your audio. When you choose to show the
Advanced Tools menu in iMovie preferences, drag-and-drop editing
includes additional options such as cutaways, picture-in-picture, and
green-screen effects.

 

 

iMovie '09: Precision Editor

Perfectionists, rejoice. iMovie ’09
introduces a new feature that makes it easy to fine-tune every edit.
It’s called the Precision Editor, and it displays a magnified filmstrip
that shows exactly where one clip ends and the next begins so you can
precisely edit your video. Skim each clip up close and identify how
much to keep and where to cut. Edit audio and video independently, so
you can use the sound from one clip with the video from another.
Reposition and adjust the duration of titles and transitions — without
leaving the Precision Editor.

 

 

iMovie '09: Dynamic Themes

More of an instant-gratification type?
Enhance your movie in minutes with new dynamic themes. Choose a theme
such as Bulletin Board, Filmstrip, or Comic Book and apply it to your
project instantly. iMovie ’09 does the rest, adding animated titles and
sophisticated transitions automatically. Your themed project plays
right away, so you don’t have to wait to see the results. Choose a
theme at the start of a project or apply a theme to an existing
project. iMovie themes look great without help, but you can easily add,
swap, or delete elements to customize your project. Try a different
transition. Swap a clip or two. Even change the theme altogether.
iMovie remembers text you typed into title placeholders and changes
only the theme.

 

 

iMovie '09: Animated Travel Maps

iMovie ’09 is ideal for making
movies that document your vacations, holidays, and adventures. Enhance
those video travelogues with eye-catching, animated travel maps. Choose
from four different 3D globe or flat map styles and select your
location (or locations) — from country to city to points of interest.
iMovie builds an animated map that flies from point A to point B. If
you want to change its look, drag another map on top of your current
one to change the style without affecting your locations.

 

 

iMovie '09: Video Stabilization

Even the steadiest hand can
jostle a camera. But now those perfect — if slightly wobbly — moments
won’t be left on the cutting-room floor. New video stabilization in
iMovie ’09 analyzes how much your camera was moving while you were
recording, then automatically reduces camera shake. Stabilize on a
clip-by-clip basis or analyze all your video for stabilization (the
latter may take a while, but it’s worth it). The results look
surprisingly smooth and professional.

iMovie ’09 lets you
adjust smoothness with a simple slider, so you can bring back some
natural camera movement for effect where you need it. iMovie also
identifies moments when the camera was so shaky that the footage can’t
be fixed. It marks those clips with a squiggly red line, so you can
choose to hide them.

 

iMovie '09: New Titles, Transitions, and Effects

Put the finishing
touches on your movie with new titles, transitions, and video effects.
iMovie ’09 introduces 18 new animated titles, and the Title Browser
gives you a sneak peek at every one. Find a title you like and drag it
onto any video clip. Or drag a title to an empty spot in your movie to
open the Preview Palette and choose an animated background.

iMovie
’09 also features eight new transitions. Preview them by skimming over
the transitions in the Preview Palette. One click picks the perfect
transition and applies it instantly.

To change the look of your movie, choose from 19 new one-click video effects, including Aged Film, Dream, Sci-Fi, and Cartoon.

Fast
or slow motion adds comic relief or dramatic depth. Both are just a
slide away in iMovie ’09. Drag a slider to adjust the speed of any
clip. Or reverse it with a click. All your adjustments happen in real
time.

 

 

iMovie '09: Full-Screen Library Browser

iMovie ’09 makes it easy
to enjoy your footage, even if you don’t want to make a movie. The new,
full-screen Library Browser puts your entire video library at your
fingertips. Flip through video just as you flip through music in your
iTunes library — using full-screen Cover Flow. Toggle between Events
and projects, or browse clips from your library and play them full
screen. Even the clip-skimming feature works in full-screen mode: Roll
over a filmstrip to display the related clip full screen.

 

 

 

More info on iMovie '09: http://www.apple.com/ilife/imovie/new-features.html

More info on iLife 09: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB966?mco=MzA3MDc5Mg#overview

 

If you are running a Mac OSX with Leopard, the cost for this upgrade is $79.95 per single computer, or you can buy a Family Pack for $99.95 which allows you to install it on 5(or more..) macs.