How Can I Get MIDI Out Of GarageBand (iPhone) Into Reaper

drtedtan · 05-15-2013, 08:10 AM

I've found that the iPhone can be a great scratch pad for when I'm away from my DAW, but I can't figure out how to get individual tracks out of it. Specifically, has anyone figured out how to get MIDI out of the iOS version of GarageBand (iPhone or iPad) and into Reaper? At the moment all I can figure out is how to render, which isn't what I want to do.

Keebo · 05-15-2013, 08:16 PM

Unfortunately, iOS GarageBand only supports MIDI in.

I too wish Apple would consider MIDI out but I'm not holding my breath.

hopi · 05-15-2013, 11:01 PM

well.... not the greatest solution but you could try it... IF you have the right stuff

get the audio file out for just that track

bring that into melodyne [IF you have it]

have melo make a midi file out of that, which it can do 'pretty well'...

thank apple for being so nice and considerate and always thinking about they live in a world of other computers... HA!

bluzkat · 05-16-2013, 03:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hopi

well.... not the greatest solution but you could try it... IF you have the right stuff

get the audio file out for just that track

bring that into melodyne...

Hopi,

He's using iOS (an iPhone), no Melodyne available for iOS.

martifingers · 05-16-2013, 03:39 AM

Is REAPER available for iOS? SO he has a computer right?

martygras · 05-16-2013, 08:46 AM

Can you trigger GarageBand from a sequencer app? i.e. a go between while writing.
The gang over at KVR have a category just for ios/android and other mobile apps. Many of them are Reaperites as well.

hopi · 05-16-2013, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluzkat

Hopi,

He's using iOS (an iPhone), no Melodyne available for iOS.

yes but thought he said he could export the audio from iOS, so if true then what I said would work

drtedtan · 05-16-2013, 09:32 AM

Thanks, guys. That's about what I was suspecting from Apple, though I was hoping for some way to translate an iOS GarageBand file to a rpp file with associated audio and MIDI. I looked at AA Translator, but it doesn't seem to work with GarageBand files.

Let's be honest here, too - I'm not doing any complex editing on my phone. It's still a phone, so the interface is lacking. So although I can solo and render each track to get audio out and then reconvert that back to MIDI (thanks, hopi), it seems easier to just treat the iphone tracks as a rough demo and start from scratch when I'm back at the DAW. Though I'm going to go check out that KVR forum, martygras. I'll report back if I find something that helps.

fiddler1 · 05-16-2013, 11:54 AM

Having just dealt with this from a client...

Garage band sux for export.. Period.. Logic will import garage band projects though.. AFAIK it is the only way. It's a pain to do.. but.. From there you can export as stems. Import into reaper..

I have now installed reaper demo on the clients machine.. Problem solved. Garage band is a "toy" daw

Good Luck!

John

martygras · 05-16-2013, 12:31 PM

I must admit, I really like GarageBand (mobile). The smart instruments interface is a great way to explore new textures and scales, but I think it is (originally) intended for people who can't get into a full DAW, and that's fine.

It is what it is, but we always want more once we've learned all the utilities/functions. We want the app or software to grow with us and GarageBand is pretty much where it's going to be.
It is possible they will add a few more functions "such as export midi", but waiting sucks.

That's why we rock at workarounds!

roygbiv · 05-16-2013, 05:23 PM

Hi
You might want to check some of the other iOS recordign options besides Garageband.

These include Beatmaker 2 (very cool), Nanostudio (not used yet), and Cubase (not used yet.

These all do recording and MIDI, you may find that one of them exports MIDI (I'm not sure), and then just skip Garageband.

I rarely use Garageband anymore, I use Beatmaker 2, and MultiTrack DAW (no MIDI, unfortunately).

good luck

roy

drtedtan · 05-17-2013, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fiddler1

I have now installed reaper demo on the clients machine.. Problem solved. Garage band is a "toy" daw

Good Luck!

John

Are you saying you' ve found a way to install Reaper on my phone, fiddler1?

drtedtan · 05-17-2013, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roygbiv

Hi
You might want to check some of the other iOS recordign options besides Garageband.

These include Beatmaker 2 (very cool), Nanostudio (not used yet), and Cubase (not used yet.

These all do recording and MIDI, you may find that one of them exports MIDI (I'm not sure), and then just skip Garageband.

I rarely use Garageband anymore, I use Beatmaker 2, and MultiTrack DAW (no MIDI, unfortunately).

good luck

roy

I looked into beat maker 2 and some pthers, but they seem more suited to an ipad than a phone. How are you using it/them, Roy?

roygbiv · 05-17-2013, 09:21 PM

hey Drt
my apologies, I missed the iPhone part of your original post.

I agree, Beatmaker 2 might be a bit tight on an iPhone, i use it on an iPad.

however, MultiTrack DAW is great on an iPhone, just doesn't do MIDI yet. Its very easy to use, once you figure it out. you can go into it using Audiobus with whatever synth you want, so in a way, you don't have to use MIDI if you don't want (but of course audio file sizes are much larger than MIDI). Pretty easy to transfer/send the files over to a computer too.

I've not tried nanostudio, have been thinking about buying it.

roy

drtedtan · 05-18-2013, 07:02 AM

Thanks, Roy. I'm thinking about buying Multitrack DAW, too. It would just be nice to have a full fledged DAW designed for the iPhone's screen with support for MIDI and instruments as well as audio. But I'm sure it will get there before too long. Nanostudio looks interesting, too. I'll be keeping my eye on it.