Is there any way to export midi in Garage Band?

Taylor Livingston · #1 02-04-2008, 02:38 PM

A couple of years ago, I wrote a 12-tone piano piece in Garage Band, back when I didn't have any "real" music software. Now that I do, I'd like to export the notes into some proper software to do some work on it and hopefully at some point record it on a Disklavier.

The hangup is that Garage Band doesn't seem to have the ability to export midi - I guess most people using it would have no reason to do that. It can import midi, though. Does anyone know of any way to get midi out of Garage Band, even some clever workaround? The piece is sort of short, but there are a lot of notes placed very specifically and it would be a pain to redo.

jmccain · #2 02-05-2008, 10:27 AM

I don't think so. You may want to ask on the discussion boards at apple.com.

Oh - Happy Mardi Gras. I used to live on Magazine by the zoo.

warnergt · #3 02-05-2008, 11:36 AM

GarageBand doesn't export MIDI. That's one reason I upgraded to Logic.

The other reason is that Logic also supports tab notation in addition to the regular score.

Taylor Livingston · #4 02-05-2008, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmccain

I don't think so. You may want to ask on the discussion boards at apple.com.

Oh - Happy Mardi Gras. I used to live on Magazine by the zoo.

Ha, thanks. I'm actually pretty Mardi Gras'd out these days. Waking up every morning to people blasting "Mardi Gras Mambo" for hours wears thin. But it's a great city. I live near the zoo, too. Small worldl!

For anyone who's interested, I found something called MidiO that works as an Audio Unit, and allows you to output midi in GarageBand. I haven't used it yet, but it should work, even though it is a bit cumbersome. I don't know why Apple don't include the ability to export midi - couldn't be that hard.

dan.ablett · #5 02-05-2008, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by conical johnson

I don't know why Apple don't include the ability to export midi - couldn't be that hard.

so people buy logic......

Taylor Livingston · #6 02-05-2008, 02:18 PM

Well, what I mean is that when people do buy Logic, or some other better recording software, they should be able to bring what they were working on in GarageBand with them, don't you think? I think it's a little cruel to try to get people to upgrade and not give them any way to carry over anything they had written in GB with software instruments.

warnergt · #7 02-05-2008, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by conical johnson

Well, what I mean is that when people do buy Logic, or some other better recording software, they should be able to bring what they were working on in GarageBand with them, don't you think? I think it's a little cruel to try to get people to upgrade and not give them any way to carry over anything they had written in GB with software instruments.

Logic is totally compatible with GarageBand projects. You can bring your GarageBand projects with you when you upgrade. Logic Express is only $199. You might be able to get it with the student discount at $179 but I don't recommend this because that version cannot be upgraded; you will be stuck one day when the next version comes out.

Ekim · #8 03-24-2008, 06:49 PM

Silly question, can GB play MIDI out to a keyboard? If so, couldn't you just route that signal into another PC via MIDI through?

fokof · #9 03-25-2008, 07:08 AM

NO

THat would be a way to export MIDI.
Apple wants you to buy Logic , very lame......

I don't use GB........

Tenderfoot · #10 08-04-2009, 07:35 AM

I've been trying to edit MIDI in GB. Luckily, I haven't wasted much time before reading this.

I'll load the MIDI into Pro Tools and start again!

Charling · #11 08-08-2009, 06:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fokof

NO

THat would be a way to export MIDI.
Apple wants you to buy Logic , very lame......

I don't use GB........

I don't think its that lame, its a free very useable bit of software and its designed to be simple. Keep the menu options down to a minimum, keep it as simple as possible.

you can open garage band projects in logic so tere is a progrssion route available. If you add midi export, then some other feature then something else etc you soon end up with a program which is less beginner friendly (and a bit daunting) and is a free rival to programs like logic and cubase. this eats into the sales of those programs, and the reason those programs are so good is the massive sums of money spent developing them!

if you are wanting to do things like export midi and get into more in depth audio recording then maybe its time you dropped the money on a full featured audio program!

EdIT - that last comment wasn't directed at you, fokof, as you say you don't use GB! But it's nt as though they have crippled the program to get you to buy logic, it is a slightly advanced feature. its nothing like the pro tools LE/HD thing that digidesign have going, now that IS lame!

BlackMetalAkaz · #12 08-08-2009, 06:41 AM

You need a program like Audacity. Then you can set it (depending on your soundcard) to either Record Midi, or record "What You Hear". Then you just press record, and press play on garage band.

Charling · #13 08-08-2009, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackMetalAkaz

You need a program like Audacity. Then you can set it (depending on your soundcard) to either Record Midi, or record "What You Hear". Then you just press record, and press play on garage band.

Really? you can record midi like that? I would be seriously surprised if you can. firstly the midi data never leaves garage band, its turned to audio before it does. once its audio you can record that but the midi data has been 'spent' on making the sound! Secondly i've never known a soundcard to be able to route midi signals from its midi output to its midi input internally. audio yeah, but not midi, are you sure that works?

DocBop · #14 08-08-2009, 09:20 AM

Can't Logic import GarageBand sessions? Find a friend with Logic and ask he they will import your GarageBand session then export the midi in Logic.

BigBeatNut · #15 08-11-2009, 07:55 AM

This might possibly help you ...

http://www.macmusic.org/software/vie.../id/2221/midiO

MIDI out support for GarageBand

MidiO is a small Audio Unit that generates MIDI out from GarageBand. In its current form, it is not intended to be a general purpose, full functionality MIDI interface. What it does provide is an internal MIDI out port to which other MIDI enabled programs can connect to. The MIDI data in the software instrument track for which midiO is chosen as a generator will be sent in sync with the playhead to the MIDI out port named "midiO".

Andy

mikem33 · #16 01-20-2011, 12:00 PM

This is probably a day late and a dollar short. You export a loop at a time, but all you have to do to export midi from GB is:
a) highlight the loop to export
a) from the menu "edit"
b) "add to loop library"
c) loop is exported

search on your drives for the loop you just exported. You will find a .cst file, .aif file and a .mid file. Just take the mid file - that's the one used by standard midi DAWs.

Too simple.

Regards,
Michael

sonic assassin · #17 01-20-2011, 05:10 PM

GB sessions will open in logic with the entire mix.

Basjan · #18 03-04-2011, 01:47 AM

Hi Mikem33,

I tried to follow your recipe to export a GB-loop to a midi-file.
The loop I made is visibile in GB, but I can not find the loop in the loop-directory with Finder.
Only Apple loops. Where is the actual file?

Basjan

mikem33 · #19 06-22-2011, 08:16 PM

This works if you have a 10.5.8 version of Leopard but I tried it on my 10.6.7 and it's no go. I also use Pathfinder to do the search as I really don't get a good search on Apple Finder.

So if you have an older version Mac OSX then it does work but Apple "fixed it in the later version".

Hope that helps.

Regards,
Michael