Hi - It should be easy enough to add automation to a track in GarageBand.. - Hit 'A' to enable the Automation display - Make sure the Enable Automation button is on for the track [the little button next to the slider] - Choose the parameter to automate in the track header [track 'volume' is the default] - Double-click in a track to add automation points [aka nodes or breakpoints] - Drag the automation points or lines to adjust the automation - When you're done click 'A' again to hide the Automation display -- the automation will still play I've attached GarageBand course at the top of the thread [More Info] -- video #33 demonstrates GB automation [as described]..

At the top of this thread there should be a link to the GB course [GarageBand 101 Absolute Beginner's Guide] -- click on the 'More Info' button to go to the course page, where you can audition a few videos. If that doesn't get you there, here's the link itself.. https://www.macprovideo.com/course/garageband-101-absolute-beginners-guide?afid=E470KLQ7r9

Volume automation should only change the level of the audio, so I can't imagine how it could compromise the quality of the audio, [unless you applied gradual volume changes inappropriately and got unwanted fading in/out effects..?] Unless you're trying to use volume automation to compensate for a part that was played too hard or too soft? In that case the tone of the piano would also be different, and simply adjusting the volume wouldn't make it sound the same as if it was played at the proper level in the first place..

The Volume slider in the track header does not affect the recorded volume of the audio, it affects playback volume.To make the recorded volume louder [or softer] you'd have to adjust the Record Level slider down in the Smart Controls panel at the bottom [shortcut 'B', Track > Recording Settings]. However some sources/microphones don't allow for this -- in that case that Record Level slider will be greyed out. If you want to match the levels of two already-recorded takes, then you have two options: - Use automation, as above - Place the two different recordings on two different tracks and use the two Volume sliders [in the track headers] to match the playback levels by ear

Yes, as I said some interfaces don't allow you to set the record level there, in which case those controls may be greyed out -- you'd have to adjust the record level on the interface itself or at the source.

Ok.. - To adjust the recording level [gain] on the interface you'd adjust the input level knob[s] there, not the output level knob. AFAICT from a photo of it, your Roland interface labels the input level for each input SENS [for Sensitivity, I assume]. That will determine the actual level of the recording [and the size of the wave in the resulting GB Region[s]]. After a track has been recorded, you can adjust its playback level [against other tracks] in GarageBand with the track's Volume slider. - I assume the THRS knobs on the interface set the amount of compression or limiting applied, depending on which you choose around back -- exactly what the internal settings of those dynamic processors are [or whether they're user-adjustable beyond the THRS controls] I can't say, not being familiar with that interface. A thorough discussion of the general uses/applications of compression and limiting is really beyond the scope of short forum posts, but in brief: compression can be used to even out the levels of the quieter and louder parts of a dynamic signal, while limiting is a more extreme form of compression that may be used clamp down on level peaks.

You said 'the volume of the keyboard is lower than the volume on the garage-band' -- are you monitoring your keyboard through GarageBand during both recording & playback? I'd really need a more detailed description of the signal routing in your setup [piano->interface->GB for rec, GB->interface for playback] and the level settings [software & hardware] to be able to advise you more specifically. Without that, all I can really do from a distance is remind you of which controls you can use to adjust volume: - The Volume sliders in the GB track headers set playback volume per track - The input [gain] knobs on your interface set recording level. - The output knob on the interface should set the overall listening level of all signals. Assuming you're monitoring the piano signal through GB while recording [and not directly via the interface*], then between those controls you should be able to set a consistent level in recording & playback through GB. [There's also a Master Volume slider in GB [at the upper right], but normally that would be kept at its default setting of Unity Gain ±0.0 dB]. * Note: The track Volume sliders also affect the monitoring level of the incoming signal being recorded if you have the Input Monitoring button [the little orange button just to the left of the Volume slider/meter] on during recording. If you set the Direct Monitor knob[s] on the interface to Playback and turn on Input Monitoring in GB to hear the live piano signal during recording, then you should get consistent levels in recording & playback. But if you play around with those Direct Monitoring knobs on the interface, that may alter the level balance between the live piano [Input] and GB [Playback].

Unity Gain [±0.0dB] means no change in level -- no volume boost, no volume cut. It's normal to leave the Master Volume at that setting, and make volume adjustments on individual tracks, making sure that the combined levels of all the tracks together don't go into the red [on the Master Volume slider's meter]. To adjust listening level in the room, you'd use the Output knob on the interface. The setting of the Master Volume slider does not affect the recorded level of the tracks, only the overall playback level. Only the gain controls (the SENS knobs on the interface] affect the actual recorded level [the height of the wave]. As you know, as long as there are no red overload lights anywhere you should be fine.

>> What else influences the sound level of the tracks recorded? Nothing else, just those input gain controls [the SENS knobs on your interface]. >> Does the output level on the interface, affect the recorded volume level? No, only the listening level in the speakers/headphones. >> What about the level on the track that you record in? What about it? The Volume slider in the track header of each track sets the playback level of that track, but does not affect the recorded level [the height of the recorded wave] -- in your system, apparently only the input gain controls [the SENS knobs on your interface] affect the recorded level.