Exporting From Garageband On Ipad To A Daw

How to Export Files from GarageBand™

Now, send straight to Google Drive, Dropbox and others. As a side note, iPad OS now supports the direct connection of USB drives via the Files app, so if you are importing or exporting large audio files, say multiple GB in size, this can be a more efficient way than using the cloud. Keep it Reel: Make your iPad into a professional recording studio. Today's Best Tech Deals. The App Store features several decent applications that can serve as your basic DAW for the iPad.

Exporting from garageband on ipad to a daw download

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The Apple GarageBand application program is a wonderful, and complete, music production environment. For many users it is the only tool needed to record, edit, and publish music. And now that GarageBand is available as an iOS app for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch you have the option to start a project while “on the go”, then through the magic of iCloud, continue working on it on your Mac once you are back in the studio.

There are times, however, when you want to move a project that begins life in GarageBand into another music software application. Unfortunately GarageBand does not make this easy, unless you intend to continue the work in either Logic Express, Logic Pro 9, or Logic Pro X.

Here's an example of why this might be useful. GarageBand is a very efficient way to get musical ideas down fast, before your inspiration wanes. But when it comes time to do a final mix, or add that final production polish, some users prefer using a different tool, such as Cubase, Pro Tools, Digital Performer, or perhaps Ableton Live. Getting your project out of GarageBand and into another 'digital audio workstation' (DAW) is time consuming and error prone.

Another example: collaboration. You and your band mates are working on a new project. You prefer GarageBand but another member uses Pro Tools, on a PC! How can you share your work?

And here’s a final situation that you may want to adopt as the last step in any project: saving your tracks as a “future proof” project archive. Audio files are a kind of common denominator for all DAWs and audio software. If you save your project tracks as individual audio files, you enhance the chance that you will be able to access that project in the future, even if a future version of GarageBand no longer reads the original project file (or you no longer have access to GarageBand).

The full-featured (and much more expensive) DAWs have elaborate 'export' facilities that make it much easier to move a project from one DAW to another. Some can even do this with one simple action. GarageBand, however, cannot. Your only 'official' options are to move a project to Logic, or spend the time to 'share' each of your individual project parts one by one, a very time consuming (and boring!) process.

So what does it exactly mean to 'export a project'? The answer depends somewhat on where the project originated (here it would be GarageBand) and where it is headed. There are some official standards for this sort of thing, like OMF, but exporting essentially means creating a maximum resolution audio file for each part (a GarageBand track) and then bringing all of those audio files into a different DAW project.


GarageBand's standard export process

Let's look at an example. Suppose your GarageBand project has eight tracks (guitar, vocal, bass, etc.). To move this project into something like Pro Tools you need to get a best resolution audio file for each of the eight tracks. GarageBand only offers the 'Export song to disk.' command under the Share menu. This, however, is intended as a way of 'publishing' your final, “mixed down” project. The current version of GarageBand, GarageBand 10, provides good flexibility as you can export to an MP3, an AAC file, or either 16-bit or 24-bit AIFF files. These last two are intended for publishing in either CD quality (16-bit) or “mastering quality (24-bit), the later being what you use when you need the final mix in the highest resolution.

The previous version of GarageBand, GarageBand ’11, however lacks the 24-bit option. Teamview lan not working on mac. So exporting your project using the built-in export feature may not offer sufficient resolution for what you intend to do with the output.

Export quality though is only part of the picture, and in many cases is not even the biggest obstacle. The problem when using 'Export song to disk..' is that you have to perform all of those steps for each and every track, in this case eight times.

Here's a walk through of what is involved with GarageBand's standard export process:

  • First display the master track, select it, then open the inspector.
  • Disable all of the effects you see, including the two track effects, 'Master Echo' and 'Master Reverb'. If you neglect this step every export will be affected by those, which is normally not what you want!
  • Next ensure that none of the tracks have their 'solo' button engaged.

Then, for each track you have to perform the following steps:

  • Select the track, then click the solo button to turn it on.
  • If you do not want the tracks effects included with the export (for example you intend to use the new DAW's effects) open the inspector and disable all of the effects. Normally you do not need to do this step.
  • Finally use 'Export song to disk..' from the Share menu and save the export in an easy to find folder.
  • When it is done turn solo off on the track.

For an eight track project you do this procedure eight times; for a 24 track project you need to perform it 24 times. Did I mention tedious?

So clearly GarageBand was not intended for this sort of thing. It limits the quality of the audio file produced to something not quite up to 'professional standards' for further mixing, and the process to get the audio files out of GarageBand is tedious, time-consuming, and error prone. (Why does my vocal track have so much reverb in Pro Tools? Oops, forgot to disable 'Master Reverb' in GarageBand when I did the export). There has to be a better way, right?

Yes there is. It involves only a few steps, and the resulting audio files are top-quality 32-bit without any 'lossy compression'. These are suitable for use in almost any DAW.


The 'secret' to easier exporting

The secret is a somewhat hidden feature called 'track lock' that you may not yet have used in your projects. Track lock is a way of reducing the burden placed on your computer when playing a GarageBand song. This is handy if you have a complex project with lots of tracks, effects, and software instruments all happening at the same time. But since today's computers are very good at handling a lot of these things you may not have even run into a situation that requires the use of track lock. Plus GarageBand keeps it pretty much hidden unless you specifically turn the feature on. iOS GarageBand users though have probably encountered track lock as it is the easiest way to squeeze more tracks out of your iPad or iPhone.

Track lock accomplishes its magic by processing each track in your song and writing a new audio file for that track. This audio file is an exact rendering of the track, including any track effects you might have active. If it is a software instrument track it has converted the note and other information (technically MIDI) into audio using the assigned software instrument. Track lock files are pretty much exactly the files you want when exporting a project as audio into another DAW. So the trick is to use track lock to create a single audio file for each track.

The only problem is where does one find those files? The answer is inside the GarageBand project file. What you may not know is that a GarageBand project file is not really a project but actually a folder that holds a number of files, including the lock files. Accessing the lock files is done using a simple Finder command.


How-to by example
Here's the project we are going to export for subsequent work using Pro Tools. It's not a complicated project but there are enough tracks to make manual 'track by track' export tedious.


The first step is to instruct GarageBand to show the track lock buttons on each track. This is slightly different between GarageBand 10 (below left) or GarageBand ‘11 (below right).



Each track now shows a new button with a lock icon like the one highlighted here. Click on the lock icon button for every track so that lock is on for every track in your project.



Your project should now look something like this. The lock feature creates the audio files with only the track effects applied; it does not include the master effects, which is how we want it. If you want to export without track effects, you will need to disable all of the effects on each track using the inspector.



Now you are ready to export. Except.. there's no button or menu item that seems to deal with the locked tracks. What exactly does GarageBand do, and when does it do it? GarageBand will create the audio files the next time you press 'Play'. Press it now and you should see something like this. Depending on your computer and your project this step can take a bit of time.



Once GarageBand finishes, all that is left is to locate the audio files and then you can import them into another DAW to continue work. Where did the files get placed? Open a Finder window and locate the project's GarageBand document. Right click (or control-click if you are using a one button mouse) and select 'Show Package Contents'.



The Finder will open another window that shows the 'insides' of your GarageBand project. If using GarageBand 10, you’ll see something like the image below left. GarageBand ’11 stores the freeze files in a slightly different place, so the lower right picture shows what you should see when you open up a GarageBand ’11 project.



The audio files we are looking for are located in the highlighted 'Freeze Files' folder. Open that folder to reveal its contents.

For the example project you will find one file per track. Notice that they have somewhat odd names. This is one disadvantage of this method - the audio files do not include the track names. (But once you import these into your other software it's usually pretty obvious what is what.)



Copy all of these files into an easy to find location. This step is necessary because most audio software does not let you 'look' inside the GarageBand project to locate the 'Freeze Files' folder. It's also good practice to do this since GarageBand considers these files somewhat temporary. These are rather large files (in this example the total size is just under a giga byte) so be sure you have enough free hard disk space! Once the files are copied you should rename them with meaningful names if you intend to send them on to someone else, or you are using this as a way of archiving the audio in your projects.

The last steps are to import into your other DAW, save the files to your archiving media of choice, or if you are collaborating, send the files so your partner can import them. The steps to perform an import depend on the software but Pro Tools LE 8 will be shown to highlight what to expect.

Open your DAW and select a new or existing project. Next select the 'import audio files' or equivalent command. One important detail: set the project tempo, and meter (like 4/4 time) identical to the GarageBand project. If you neglect this step your imported audio will not properly line up on bar and beat locations.



Furthermore some DAWs, like Pro Tools, will by default assume the important audio is at the current project tempo. If you then later change the tempo to the correct value, the DAW may 'time stretch' the important audio to fit the new tempo, thus altering the playback. Might be a cool effect but probably not what you had in mind!

Many DAWs support direct dragging of audio files onto existing tracks. If you decide to use this approach make sure to line up the start of the exported audio file with the exact beginning of each track. Otherwise your project will no longer play with correct timing!

Exporting From Garageband On Ipad To A Daw Video

Pro Tools, like many DAWs, has its own preferred audio file format that is not the same as what GarageBand created. So the import operation may involve an additional step, or settings, to perform the required conversion. Select all of the track files and start the import operation. This can take awhile if your DAW converts the files.



What happens next depends on the DAW. Pro Tools, for example, asks if you would like to place the imported audio on its own tracks (one per file). This is usually the best choice; if you are starting with a new project you will end up with the same number of tracks you had in GarageBand.


And that’s it, except one small detail: name those tracks! Your DAW probably automatically assigned track names and they may not be appropriate since the exported files had strange names. One hint is to solo each track and listen to it so that you don't incorrectly name the track.

You now have all of your GarageBand project in your other DAW ready for work. Now dive in and add those final touches that will make it the next number one hit!


Interested in controlling GarageBand on your Mac with an iPhone or iPad? Check out the Delora gbXRemote iPhone app or the Delora gbTouch iPad app. (Note: gbTouch ONLY works with the older versions of GarageBand - prior to the 2013 GarageBand X for Mac version.)


Tips & Techniques

Exporting a project from one DAW to another can be frustrating — but there are ways and means..

We're often asked how to transfer projects from one software DAW to another. It might not be an everyday need, but sooner or later most of us will wish we could do exactly this, with the minimum of pain and inconvenience — so let's explore the benefits, limitations and idiosyncrasies of the protocols and tools that aim to help you.

Why Aren't DAW Files Interchangeable?

DAWs do pretty much the same job, but they all work slightly differently: they may use different plug‑in protocols (TDM and RTAS plug‑ins for Pro Tools, Audio Units, VST or even Direct X for others); they may offer different amounts of gain above unity; and the implementation of audio and MIDI routing, of automation, VCA grouping, or the way they handle multi‑output virtual instruments or crossfades may also differ.

Even with different versions of the same DAW 'family', you may find that an 'LE' or 'lite' version can't open a project created in the 'full‑fat' product, simply because the full version includes functionality that's missing or disabled in others. Newer versions of a DAW may include additional functionality, and different plug‑ins from previous versions, as plug‑ins have been updated, or licensing deals with third‑party suppliers of older plug‑ins expire.

That said, there are several areas of commonality, so it's always possible to transfer at least some data: all use a timeline, and offer multiple mono or stereo audio tracks; they support plug‑in effects, processors and instruments; they generate automation data, probably using MIDI, to control effects and virtual instruments; the job of summing signals together on a bus is a simple mathematical process.. and so on.

Media Savvy

Before exporting a project, consider what media you plan to use for the transfer. Assuming you're not just switching between DAWs on the same machine, it's easy and inexpensive to use an external hard drive, and even USB pen drives are now typically large enough to hold a full project (just don't try to run the project directly from it!).

By default, Macs and PCs use different drive formats (NTFS on Windows; HFS+ on a Mac) and without additional software, neither OS can write to the other's drives. To get around this, you have two options, the first of which is to use a FAT32‑formatted drive (which is read/writable on both operating systems), and the second to install software (freebies are available) that enables your OS to read drives of the other format. If you're working with very large files, such as HD video, or audio projects in a single ZIP file, you'll need to use the latter approach, as FAT32 can't deal with single files over 4GB in size. If you're planning to transfer via the web instead, none of this matters, though there are some further considerations that I'll discuss later.

MIDI

Let's start by looking at MIDI file transfers, because that's the easiest element of any project to export. MIDI files are read and written in the same way by every DAW, and by a good many hardware machines too. So if you have several tracks of programmed drum beats, piano and string parts, it's a straightforward affair to save the MIDI file and re‑open it in another piece of software. You'll only be sending the standard MIDI information, of course, such as note on, note off, program changes and controller data; you're not exporting any virtual instruments or audio files themselves.

Exporting From Garageband On Ipad To A Daw Free

However, if the same instruments and patches are available in the second DAW, you'll be able to use the MIDI files to get those instruments to play the same things back — although you won't have any effects or level automation on the virtual instrument output channels. It's for this reason that I tend to bounce virtual instruments as audio, which can be edited and processed in the usual way, and only use MIDI as a backup.

There are a few quirks to watch out for, such as identical instruments having different presets on each machine, or how multitrack MIDI files are exploded on to different tracks, but exporting and importing MIDI files is generally a pretty painless process.

Audio

The most basic, and still the most reliable (if not the most flexible) way to transfer audio and virtual instrument tracks is to bounce each down as a continuous audio file, with all tracks starting at the same point (eg. bar 1, beat 1). That way, when you import the files into the other DAW, all tracks will line up as they should. That's the way we usually work at SOS with our Mix Rescue projects, for example.

If your DAW allows you to bounce all tracks simultaneously, it can save a lot of time and nervous energy!

As long as you use a standard, uncompressed audio file type such as WAV, BWF or AIFF, any DAW will be able to read these files — so even if you don't plan to transfer your projects, it's a good practice to archive them in this way after you've completed the project. I prefer to bounce two versions: one pre‑fader (pre effects and level automation); and another post‑fader, with effects and processors 'printed'. That way, whatever changes in technology come along, you'll be able to re‑open the project in any multitrack software.

Depending on which DAW (and version) you use, bouncing the files may appear a daunting process. Previous versions of Cubase, for example, required you to bounce each track separately, which could take an eternity with a large project; and if you're working with analogue gear, or on Pro Tools, you'll be limited to bouncing tracks in real time — which can be frustrating with long projects (a 20‑minute radio drama, for example).

Many DAWs also offer some form of 'consolidate' function (as it's called in Pro Tools). The facility varies from DAW to DAW, but it's essentially a means of merging the various clips/regions on each audio track into a single audio file. At its most basic, your edits will be intact, but you won't get the results of any plug‑in processing. This is perfect if you've tracked and comped some parts in a studio using Pro Tools, but want to export the session for mixing in another DAW at home.

In some DAWs, the process is a little more fiddly than in Pro Tools. In Cubase, for example, you may need to draw a new region at the beginning of each track, then select all clips in the track and join them with the glue tool, before using the Events To Part command. In Logic, the process is done per track, so you need more user input than in Pro Tools — but on the plus side, it presents several options, including whether to bounce the parts with the effects in place. Remember that consolidation typically only applies to the audio tracks, and not to any send or group channels. So depending on what DAW you're using, and what stage the project has reached, bouncing each track down or consolidating might, or might not, be the right way to go.

Broadcast Wave Files

Another audio‑only option is to export time‑stamped broadcast wave files (BWAV or BWF), which are 'time‑stamped'. Many sequencers are able to automatically line them up at the correct point on their timeline, such that the basic edits and arrangement changes remain intact.

This approach is suitable in the same scenarios as bouncing or consolidating, and the pros and cons are largely the same, although not all DAWs will be able to read the time‑stamp (most can, but check the target DAW's manual to be sure). There's another benefit, though: you don't end up creating huge, continuous audio files that take up storage space. OK, hard drive real‑estate isn't that costly now, but if you're planning to transfer projects via a web‑based delivery system (an FTP site, Dropbox or Yousendit, for example), file storage and upload/download speeds are a real issue.

When bouncing tracks down as audio, try to make use of options for organising the naming. Adding an incremental number at the front means that your tracks will be imported to a new DAW in the correct order.

OMF (Open Media Framework)

The Open Media Framework (OMF) protocol was developed as a means of transferring audio clips, along with a basic amount of information (see box), between different audio and video software. Most (not all) full versions of the leading DAWs include the option to import and export OMF files, although many 'lite' versions don't. (Be aware that OMF support is a cost option for any versions of Pro Tools below HD.)

OMF is a great idea, but I've found it less great in practice: sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and different DAWs seem to require you to prepare a 'target project' in different ways. I've had different results exporting from Pro Tools to Logic, Logic to Cubase, Cubase to Pro Tools, and so on. So, while you can get results from OMF, I'd prefer not to rely on it for critical projects or tight deadlines. Even if you manage to read and write OMF files, there's still no provision for transferring information about level and pan automation, or any information relating to plug‑in instruments or effects, or MIDI. So, other than enabling you to bundle everything into a single file, and putting the clips on the right track numbers, it offers little more than time‑stamped WAVs.

Many DAWs can create OMF files, which allow you to transfer audio tracks, with a bit of information about levels, between different pieces of audio and video software.

Pro Convert

OMF is about as far as DAW manufacturers have travelled towards any sort of interoperability standard, but there have been attempts to create more flexible and reliable conversion software, the most successful and best‑known of which is Solid State Logic's Pro Convert (a more recent incarnation of Cui Bono Soft's EDL‑Convert). It aims to allow you to transfer project information between a vast array of different DAW and NLE (video) packages. There are too many to list here (around 40 at the last count, including the different versions — check www.solidstatelogic.com for details) but it covers the usual suspects such as Logic, Sonar, Pro Tools, Cubase and Nuendo, and Digital Performer, as well as catering for OMF and other standards.

Pro Convert costs about £250$390 on the street, and is currently a stand-alone application for Mac or PC. It allows you to open DAW projects, refine a few options, and (hopefully) spew them out as a different DAW's project or XML file. So, for example, it can open a Pro Tools PTF file, and convert it to a Cubase XML file. Like OMF, it can only act as an interpreter for a certain amount of information — it still doesn't 'do' MIDI, static fader positions, or plug‑ins — but there are several advantages over OMF. It translates level and pan automation, for example, so as long as automation is enabled on the original project's tracks, you'll get the same levels in the target DAW. Also, as the recipient of a file, if a studio sends you the Pro Tools file, you don't have to ask them to re‑export it as OMF: you have the power to open and convert the project yourself. Or, if you use Pro Tools, you can open a Logic file with interleaved stereo files and convert it to Pro Tools with split‑stereo files.

My own tests threw up similar results to those I've read in reviews: for the most part, it works remarkably well, though there are occasional glitches. There were a few timing issues with the odd clip, and a few issues with warped (like Acidised) audio files in Cubase. But generally, it does the job very well. Unfortunately, Pro Convert doesn't yet run on 64‑bit operating systems, though SSL say that the application is most definitely still being developed.

SSL's Pro Convert software is about as good as it gets for transferring project information between different DAWs.

Virtual Instruments & Effects

Exporting From Garageband On Ipad To A Daw Youtube

What Pro Convert does not do is transfer any details about plug‑ins — and I'm afraid that this is an area where you'll keep drawing a blank. For the time being, all you can do is to save presets and reload the plug‑ins in the new DAW, then reload the presets (don't forget to transfer any samples used by your samplers, too!).

You may think that the holy grail is to be able to transmit all the information about the plug‑ins contained within a project. To a certain extent, I'd agree, but even if you are able to transfer all this information, you'll still be relying on both DAWs/machines to have the same plug‑ins installed. If you're switching between DAW software on your own machine, that's less of a problem than if transferring to someone else's; but even then you won't be able to transfer a DAW's in‑built plug‑ins (say, a Pro Tools EQ to a Cubase Channel EQ or vice‑versa).

Closing The DAW

Exporting From Garageband On Ipad To A Daw

That, in a nut shell, is it. There is currently no magic‑wand to make everything you've done in one DAW readable by another, without committing at least some of it to audio. If you're planning to start collaborating with someone, and have yet to decide which software to work with, it really does make sense to invest in the same setup. That way, you can be sure that you'll be able to read each other's files. I suppose that this is one of the reasons why Pro Tools remains so prevalent in the professional world, too — people just know that they can open projects from other studios if they need to.

Perhaps we'll see the likes of Pro Convert evolve: I'd love to see it incorporated into leading DAWs, just like OMF in the past — and knowing that SSL are still developing this software gets my hopes up — but in the meantime, your options remain limited.

Exporting From Garageband On Ipad To A Daw Computer

Whichever transfer method you're contemplating, it's probably still a good idea to bounce everything as audio files as a back‑up — and as far as I'm concerned, you might as well work with those if they'll do the job for you: at least bouncing things down as audio in this way will force you to commit to edits and mix decisions and get on with things, just as printing to tape used to do!

Open Media Framework (OMF)

OMF files save the following information:

  • Tracks and track numbers.
  • Clip positions.
  • Slip edits.
  • Fades and crossfades (as destructive edits).

Exporting From Garageband On Ipad To A Daw Iphone

Some important things are discarded:

  • Volume & Pan
  • Automation
  • Effects

OMF files can include the audio as part of the file, or save the media files separately and create an OMF file that references them. If you plan to use OMF, it's wise to experiment before using it on critical projects, so that you can be confident it works, and that you know you've properly prepared your target session — for example, by setting the correct tempo in a Logic session into which you plan to import the OMF file.