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File Preparation & Delivery

How to Export Stems in GarageBand for Mixing (Step-by-Step Video Guide)

GarageBand has no one-click stem export, but you can still send a mix engineer clean, matched files. Follow these steps and DGUNZ's short video, one track at a time.

Bounce stems in GarageBand video guide thumbnail by Mix & Master Engineers

GarageBand is where many artists make their first songs, and plenty of great records start there. The catch comes when you want a professional mix. A mixing engineer cannot open a GarageBand project the way you can, so you need to turn each track into its own audio file, all the same length, all starting at the same moment.

This guide shows you how to do that on a Mac in GarageBand. It takes a little patience, because you export one track at a time, but it is not hard. DGUNZ's short video shows the whole routine, so you can copy it step for step.

Video: how to export stems in GarageBand
Video: how to export stems in GarageBand

▶ Watch the GarageBand stem export video on YouTube

Before you export

  • Plan for one export per track. GarageBand has no batch stem export. A song with 15 tracks means 15 exports, so set aside some time.
  • Rename every track. GarageBand will not name the files for you the way you want, so clear track names make your own naming easier later.
  • Set the cycle region once. Every file must be the same length. One cycle region that covers the full song keeps them all matched.
  • Take effects off the master track. Any master effects you added will print on every stem. Turn them off for the export.
  • Make a folder first. Create one folder on your desktop for all the stems so nothing gets lost.

How to export stems in GarageBand, step by step

1. Turn on the cycle region and drag it from the very start of the song to the end of the last reverb or delay tail. Leave it there for every export. 2. Solo the first track you want to export. Only that track should be heard. 3. Go to Share > Export Song to Disk. 4. Choose an uncompressed format, AIFF or WAVE. Do not choose MP3 or AAC. 5. Set the quality to 24-bit where the option appears. 6. Name the file after the track, for example "Lead Vocal" or "808". 7. Save it into your stems folder and click Export. 8. Unsolo that track, solo the next one, and repeat steps 3 to 7. 9. Keep going until every track has its own file.

Prefer to follow along? ▶ Watch the video

Recommended export settings

  • File type: WAVE or AIFF (uncompressed)
  • Bit depth: 24-bit
  • Sample rate: Project default (keep it the same for all files)
  • Start point: The start of the cycle region at the song start
  • Length / tail: Same cycle region for every track, past the last tail
  • Normalize: Off if you see the option
  • Master bus processing: Off (no master effects)

Common GarageBand export mistakes

  • Moving the cycle region between exports. Even a small nudge makes one file shorter or later than the rest. Set it once and leave it alone.
  • Forgetting to solo. If nothing is soloed, the export is a full mix, not a stem. Check the solo button before each export.
  • Exporting MP3 by accident. Compressed formats lose detail. Pick AIFF or WAVE every time.
  • Vague file names. After 20 exports, files called "My Song 3" are impossible to sort. Name each one as you go.

Check your stems before you send them

Start a new empty GarageBand project and drag all the files in, each placed at the very start. Play them together against your rough mix. They should sound the same and stay in time. Check the names one last time, then zip the folder and send it.

From the studio: getting GarageBand songs mix-ready

Over 15+ years of mixing, I have seen many hits start life on a laptop with GarageBand. The ideas are often strong. What slows things down is the export. The most common thing I see from GarageBand users is files of different lengths, because the cycle region moved or was not used at all. Then nothing lines up.

The other thing I see is a full mix sent instead of stems, because a track was not soloed. Take your time and check each file. This is a big deal on hip-hop records, where the vocal and the 808 have to sit together perfectly, and on lo-fi tracks, where the small textures and noise layers carry the mood. When the files are clean, I can spend my time on the mix itself.

Stem export guides for other DAWs

Using a different DAW, or working with a producer who does? Each guide below has its own short video:

Ready for a professional mix?

Send your GarageBand stems to our online mixing service and start with a free sample mix so you can hear the result first. Look over the packages and pricing, or contact the studio if you get stuck on any step.

Keep reading

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About the author: Charles "DGUNZ" Alison is the lead mixing and mastering engineer at Mix & Master Engineers, with 15+ years of experience across hip-hop, Afrobeats, gospel, R&B, pop and more. He trained at Point Blank Music School (UK), is an approved Apple Digital Masters provider, and is a Top Rated, Vetted Pro engineer on Fiverr with 2,200+ client reviews. Meet the engineer · Contact the studio