How to export multi-track audio files from GarageBand

There’s no option from the GarageBand menus to export the individual files from your multi-track recording. You can only save the entire GarageBand file or a stereo version of the song. But there is a way to do it manually.

Firstly save your GarageBand file.

Navigate to your GarageBand song file and right-click it, then select ‘Show Package Contents.’ (See the picture below).

Now the Finder will open a folder that contains the individual parts of your Garage Band song. Find the folder called ‘Media’ then ‘Audio Files’ and in there you will find each original track from your GarageBand file as a wav file.

You can import these files into a different audio editing program such as Ableton live or ProTools etc.

If you don’t know where to find this GarageBand file just right click in the name of your project in the top of the GarageBand window and you will be able to see where the file is on your hard drive.

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Comments

7 responses to “How to export multi-track audio files from GarageBand”

  1. Chessley D. Sexton

    Seems it has been a while since this was a live topic. I looked all over for an answer to the question of how to save individual track for stems that are to be remixed by others, and, this one came close — but, not close enough. After creating a piece in GB, with all the pans, effects, and fades, I needed to save the fished tracks. I tried the method listed above just showed me snippets. If I had used a loop, all I got was a single loop, not the track I had warped and twisted. The answer to my situation was simple enough (some labor required.) Turn off all of your tacks but one, share with iTunes the mix of that one track. iTunes will label it your pieces name and a time stamp. repeat this for each track, turning them off after they have mixed to iTunes. When you are done, go to iTunes and right click “Show in Finder” There are all of your tracks, just as you mixed them. There are many apps that will convert them to whatever you need them to be for collaborative projects like mine. I hope this helps someone.

    1. Great tip Chessley thanks for posting.

  2. Ken Ellis.

    Very Nice tip; well needed. Thank you.

  3. DJ Yooter

    Thank you SO much! Bout time us Garageband producers get some shine!
    We have PROJECTS to put out.

  4. Tweena

    This is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks Chessley for the in-depth notes!

  5. Christopher Scott

    Will this also work for transfering my unfinished tracks from mac w/GB to another mac w/GB? Once i have them on the second mac, how do i get the tracks back into GB? thx!

  6. amy Bee

    This was so SO helpful! I had to create single tracks with no effects for the sound guy to import into a different DAW. THIS was the only way to do it. Thank you Chessley.

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