How to Export Individual Tracks in GarageBand

To send a GarageBand song to a mixing engineer, you need each track as its own audio file, all starting at the same point. GarageBand only exports a stereo file of whatever is playing, so the trick is to make it play one track at a time. A few settings decide whether the files line up and keep your balance. The table lists them.

Option names from Apple’s GarageBand for Mac User Guide (GarageBand 10.4.14): “Export songs to disk”, “Change Advanced settings” and “Use effects on the master track”. Logic details from the Logic Pro User Guide (12.3), “GarageBand projects in Logic Pro”. The levels and file spec are what our engineers ask for on every project.

Before you export: prepare the project

A few minutes here saves a second round of exports. The longer checklist is in how to prepare a multitrack session before mixing.

1. Save a copy. File > Save As, and add “for mixing” to the name, so the original project stays as it is.
2. Name every track. “Kick”, “Bass”, “Gtr_1”, “Lead_Verse”. You’ll type these names into the Save As field, and the engineer sees them on every file.
3. Check editing and tuning. The files come out exactly as they play. If the vocal still needs comping or pitch work, do it now, or add vocal tuning and timing editing to the order.
4. Decide on effects. Bypass EQ, compression and reverb you added only to make the rough mix listenable. If an effect is part of the sound (an amp, a special delay), export that track twice: “Gtr_1_Dry” and “Gtr_1_Wet”.
5. Check Master Echo and Master Reverb. Each track has its own Master Echo and Master Reverb amounts, and the master track adds those effects. When you solo a track, its echo and reverb come with it. For a dry stem, set both to zero, or send the track dry and wet.
6. Check levels. Play the loudest section and watch each track’s meter. Nothing should clip. Peaks somewhere around -6 dBFS leave plenty of room.

How to export individual tracks in GarageBand, step by step

1. Turn off full-volume export. GarageBand > Settings (Command-Comma) > Advanced, untick Export projects at full volume.
2. Bypass the master effects. Choose Track > Show Master Track. Click the Master button in the Smart Controls, then Output, and switch off the compressor, limiter and EQ. Delete any fade-out points on the master track.
3. Set the cycle area. Press C to turn Cycle on, then drag the yellow strip in the ruler from the very start of the project to a few seconds after the last note, so tails aren’t cut. Don’t move it again until you’re done.
4. Solo the first track. Click its Solo button in the track header. All other tracks go silent.
5. Open the export window. Share > Export Song to Disk.
6. Name and place the file. Type the track name in Save As, and choose a new folder named after the song and tempo, for example “MySong_85BPM”.
7. Choose the format. WAVE, and the 24-bit option in Quality.
8. Tick the cycle checkbox. “Export cycle area, or length of selected regions (if Cycle is turned off)”. Without it the files won’t line up.
9. Export. Then un-solo that track, solo the next one, and repeat until every track has its own file.
10. Export a rough mix. Un-solo everything, switch your master effects back on if you like how they sound, and export once more as “MySong_RoughMix”. It’s the reference for the balance you want.

To export several tracks as one file, for example a stack of backing vocals, click the Solo button on each of them and export once.

Faster option: open the project in Logic Pro

If you have Logic Pro for Mac, you can skip the one-by-one routine. Logic opens GarageBand projects directly with File > Open, with no import or conversion. It builds the same tracks and keeps the tempo, key and patches. GarageBand’s master Echo and Reverb become Echo and PlatinumVerb on buses 1 and 2, so they stay out of the track files. Then File > Export > All Tracks as Audio Files writes one file per track in a single pass. The full settings are in how to export all tracks in Logic Pro. Logic saves the result as a Logic project, and your GarageBand file stays as it was.

Common GarageBand export mistakes

• Files that don’t line up. The cycle checkbox was off, or the cycle area moved between exports, so the silence at the start of some files was trimmed. A vocal that comes in at bar 9 then starts at zero. Export again with the cycle area set and the box ticked.
• Every stem equally loud. “Export projects at full volume” was on, so each file was raised to the same peak level. The balance between tracks is gone.
• A limiter on every file. The master track’s Output effects were active. Each stem was squeezed separately, and that can’t be undone.
• Stems that fade out. A master fade-out was still in the project.
• A missing track. With twenty tracks it’s easy to skip one. Count the files against the track list before you zip the folder.

Check the files and send them

Open a new empty project, drag all the files in at the very start of the timeline, and play a few sections. Everything should be in sync and sound like your rough mix without the master processing. Then zip the folder and upload it with your order, together with the rough mix and a short note with the tempo and key.

The same job in other DAWs: Logic Pro, Ableton Live, FL Studio, Pro Tools, Cubase and REAPER. Not sure what counts as a stem? See what stems are in music.

Tracks exported? An engineer can take it from here: mixing your GarageBand song starts at $113, and mixing plus mastering at $133 per song, 2–3 days per song with 6 revision rounds. Every price is on the pricing page.