"Is there a version of GarageBand for iPad? I'd really like to make music with my iPad and I love GarageBand on my Mac."
Apple currently does not make a GarageBand for iPad or for the iPhone either. If I were to guess at why this isn't on their radar yet, it would be because all that music sampling material they provide in GarageBand takes up a ton of space and would quickly eat up available storage on even the 64GB iPad. Depending on the type of music you want to make on your iPad, there are a couple of solid options to choose from in the music recording space, although nothing quite as elegant as GarageBand for Mac OS X.
If you're a musician who wants to create quick scratch tracks using your iPad and the built-in microphone, StudioMini XL Recording Studio may be exactly what you're looking for. It includes some built-in drum beats coupled with faders that allow you to control various components of your song as you build it. Up to 8 tracks, including the drum track, are supported for building your songs. A metronome and count-in will help keep time. If you decide your recording is a keeper, there's a convenient copy to Mac or PC via WiFi feature. While not perfect, it's StudioMini XL is a great way to get started for $4.99.
Download Studio Mini XL Recording Studio from iTunes Music Store
A second, slightly more expensive, alternative to getting a GarageBand app on your iPad is Harmonicdog MultiTrack DAW. It includes 8 tracks, but can be upgraded to 24-track recording. You can bring in external audio to work with MultiTrack DAW either via WiFi, by copying from the iPod library, using iTunes File Sharing, or copy/paste from another app. Looping is supported. Time signature manipulation. Maybe the most important feature is access to USB audio by way of the Camera Connection Kit. Output can be compressed to OGG for easier portability.
