Importing Audio Files in GarageBand: Why Do That?
Let’s say you or your students have created an audio file in another app or software program – maybe even on a laptop – and now you want to import that audio file into GarageBand for iPad.
Or perhaps you’d like to:
- Use GarageBand’s Smart Drums feature to create a backing track, or
- Record student vocals over a drum track that you created elsewhere
If you’re working entirely on an iPad, you’ll need to use Apple’s iCloud Drive as the “go-between”. Any audio files saved to iCloud Drive can be imported directly to GarageBand (I’ve included a few tips below).
If your audio files live in Google Drive, Dropbox or even your email inbox, don’t worry! You can still transfer it. You’ll just need to move it into iCloud Drive first, and then import it from there into GarageBand.
Here are step-by-step instructions for a few common scenarios. It’s a bit fiddly the first time, but the second time is much easier!
Want more step-by-step guidance?
For detailed tutorials on using GarageBand in the classroom – from recording and editing to running creative student projects – check out the GarageBand for iPad course inside the Midnight Music Community to access:
- Tips for using the Garageband app
- Teaching ideas
- Other lesson plans and project guides
- An extensive library of other music tech resources for teachers
From iCloud Drive into GarageBand
If you have an audio file in iCloud Drive, here’s how you can import it into the GarageBand app:
- First open GarageBand
- Tap the “+” button and then choose Create New Song (DON’T choose Import from iCloud Drive!)
- Select the Audio Recorder (microphone) from the instrument selector
- Tap the Tracks View button
- Tap the Song Sections button (the “+” at top right of the screen)
- Tap Section A and turn Automatic on (this will allow GarageBand to accommodate the length of the file you’re importing. If the song section is too short, the file will be cropped)
- Tap the Loop Library button and choose Audio Files
- Tap Import from iCloud Drive
- Tap on the audio file you want to import. GarageBand will add it to the list of files
- Drag it into your project: tap and hold your finger on the audio file and drag it across into the empty audio recorder track (or even underneath the empty track – it doesn’t really matter)
From Google Drive into GarageBand
Basically you will save a copy of your Google Drive file into iCloud Drive first and then follow the steps above to get it into GarageBand.
- Open the Google Drive app on your iPad
- Locate the audio file you want to import into GarageBand
- Tap the vertical 3 dots that appear next to the file name and choose Send A Copy
- Tap Open In
- Wait while the file exports
- Then tap the Add To iCloud Drive option. It doesn’t feel like anything happens at that point (!) but it will be added to iCloud Drive
- Follow the instructions in the From iCloud Drive To GarageBand section above
From Dropbox into GarageBand
As with Google Drive, you will save a copy of your Dropbox file into iCloud Drive first and then follow the steps in the From iCloud Drive To GarageBand section above to get it into GarageBand.
- Open the Dropbox app on your iPad
- Locate the audio file you want to import into GarageBand
- Tap the “…” button at the top right of the screen
- Choose Export and then choose Open In
- Wait while the file exports
- Then tap the Add To iCloud Drive option. It doesn’t feel like anything happens at that point (!) but it will be added to iCloud Drive
- Follow the instructions in the From iCloud Drive To GarageBand section above
From email attachment to GarageBand
Instructions for this depend on which email client you are using (Gmail, Apple Mail etc), but the overall steps are:
- Open your email app
- Locate the email with the audio file attachment you want to import into GarageBand
- Save or export the audio file into iCloud Drive (exact instructions vary depending on email app used)
- Follow the instructions in the From iCloud Drive To GarageBand section above
From another music app to GarageBand
If you have created something in another music app on your iPad – like a wicked-sounding drum pattern from DM1 or a looping masterpiece from Loopy HD – and you want to transfer it directly to GarageBand, here are some options:
- Use the Audiocopy or Inter-App Audio feature. This article from Tuts+ has a great explanation of how to do that.
- Use the Audiobus app which is an alternative to GarageBand’s inbuilt the Inter-App audio feature.
Take your classroom music projects to the next level!
Join the Midnight Music Community and get step-by-step GarageBand tutorials, ready-to-use lesson plans, project guides, music tech resources, and live support to make importing, recording, and creating with your students easier than ever. Join now and start creating!
Further reading
Apple’s help article on importing audio files into GarageBand can be found here (includes instructions on how to import audio using iTunes).
45 Comments
When I press the ‘loop library’ button, I’m just greeted with Apple loops. How do I fix this?
Hello! There’s an “Audio Files” tab at the top of the Loop library menu/window. You should be able to select that to see the options mentioned above.
Wonderful! Thank you! This tip saved me stress and time. Happy to be back enjoying sharing the podcast and creativity!. 🙂
Thanks Naomi!
There is No audio file, there is only audio loops and music, how do I fixt this?
I’m not sure Paolo, but I would check to see if your iOS is updated, you have the latest version of Garageband app and that you have upgraded to iCloud Drive to see if any of those things fix it.
I was having the same problem- you have to put an audio file into Icloud drive before the audio tab shows up, only then will you see the “audio” tab under loops
Thanks so much, great detail
You’re welcome Stephen 🙂
Hello Katie,
I would like to import a midi file and understood that GarageBand supports that. However, the audio file tab doesn’t list midi files as a supported file type and it won’t let me drag the midi file to the empty track.
Would you confirm whether midi file imports are supported?
Hello again! I should have mentioned that that I’m using GarageBand on an iPhone (iOS 10.2.1 and GarageBand v. 2.2.1). computer.
Hi Nick – so it’s easy in the desktop (Mac) version of GarageBand: you can simply drag a midi file from the Finder on to an open Garageband project (either on to a software instrument track or into the empty space below any existing tracks). Once you’ve done that, you can reassign instrument sounds etc as needed.
But – it’s not possible on the iOs version 🙁 I thought that I might be able to do a workaround – import a midi file into the desktop version, save it as a GB file and then send it to the iOS version via iCloud Drive but the iOS version won’t open GB files created on the desktop app. I could have sworn I used to be able to do that, but I may be dreaming!
Hi Katie, Thank you for your help, which is greatly appreciated 🙂
It does seem strange that the GB files aren’t compatible between mobile and desktop versions.
Apple does seem to trip up more frequently now!
I’ve just come across the following workaround to move GB files from MacOSX to iOS by adding an additional (dummy) loop to the midi file before archiving:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHNRILXGEH4&feature=c4-overview&list=UUa7OD3xhZ0Xbb2aUSuIQujw
The alternative way using the Fixed1t utility that’s mentioned in the above YouTube video is detailed at:
http://www.fixed1t.co.uk/software.htm
I’ll try the above at home this evening.
Thanks Nick!
Hi Katie, thanks for your instructions! I tried the way from dropbox to icloud drive, but unfortunately there is no option to export the file to icloud drive. So my journey ends at “6. Then tap the Add To iCloud Drive option., because there is none. Any ideas why I cant export to iCloud Drive…? It’s so annoying that I am not able to import a file to Garageband without a computer nearby.
Hi Martina – I’m not really sure, but the first thing I would check is that iCloud is set up properly on your iPad (not just for Dropbox, but overall). Usually if something doesn’t appear as an option in a menu it’s because your iPad doesn’t have it set up and/or installed (in the case of a specific app). Good luck!
I still cannot save files through icloud. I mailed. There are not even descent file explrer for ipad.
Seriously waste of time.
Things should be made easdier for non nerds.
Hello. I just have a question because when I try to export the audio from ICloud Drive to Garage band, it doesn’t even let me move the file- it’s kinda grayed out and doesn’t let me do anything with it. Please help?
I cannot find import from iCloud option even after enabling garageband in iCloud
That might be because you don’t have an audio files in iCloud perhaps? I would try adding an audio file to iCloud first, then come back to GarageBand and see if you have the Import From iCloud option available.
It all went fairly well for me, except the filename is greyed out for me in the “audio Files” and it can’t be dragged into the tracks.
can you import audio from a video? I make videos of me playing guitar and I like the way that it sounds better than when I record straight from garageband. I would like to import the video sounds into garageband so that I can edit them some. Does that make sense?
Hi Jeremy – yes that makes sense. You would need to open the video in video editing software first and export the audio and then import that file into GarageBand after that.
I recommend Avdshare Audio Converter to convert MP3 to GarageBand.
Omg I was trying for so long to figure this out! Thank you so much for sharing this
You’re welcome Gabriella!
Hey Katie there’s a problem. When I try to export the file from Dropbox to GarageBand,I don’t get the option to add it in iCloud Drive. Pleeeease help me quick, I need to mix a song =)
Thanks a lot , in less than a couple of minutes I’ve done it, excellent tutorial!!
I’m happy it helped!
Hi, can you drag apple music tracks into garageband to edit?
Many thanks
Neil
Yes – and no (!). It’s possible to access your Apple Music library from within GarageBand and drag a track in, BUT all protected songs (copyrighted songs) will be greyed out and therefore not accessible for editing purposes. The only tracks in your Apple Music library that will be available are non-protected songs (like songs you’ve recorded yourself and added to your library). To access your music library inside GarageBand, you need to create a new project and select an instrument (it doesn’t matter which one – you just need to select one in order to get to the next screen!). Once the instrument opens up, tap on the Track View button at the top of the screen. From there you can tap on the Loop Library button (top right, next to the wrench button) and then tap on the Music tab.
Hello I am a bit late but when I import the music, I can’t drag it or move it and it just turns grey.
I’m using iOS version 10.3.9 on an iPad 3 and GarageBand version 2.1.1. I cannot import into GarageBand because Documents & Data is disabled. How do I enable it?
Thanks mate – really useful instructions, much better than Apple themselves. And I mean MUCH better.
Ha – thanks 🙂
You are the man! I can now import a song and put it as my ringtone with your help! Thank you a million times! Wish you good luck for 50 years xD
How can I get Garge band in my IPAD as when try to load its says not avaible for my Ipad
Also does anybody know the best connetort to conneted my IRIG2 to my IPHONE 11 via lightnight connector
Cheers Rich.
Hi Rich – belated reply! The current version of GarageBand is not available on older iPads. You need to have iOS11 (I think from memory) or higher. Older models can’t install that version of the iOS so therefore GarageBand can’t be installed.
Oh my goodness thank you so so much! This was super helpful 🙂
You’re welcome 🙂
Thanks Katie! You saved two old men from wasting their remaining years, scratching their collective heads!
Ha- happy to help!
With help from you and a lot of determination I managed to get my song over to GarageBand from my Lenovo laptop thank you so much just hope I can do it again when needed. Thank you so much
You’re welcome Ann! I’m glad it helped
Excellent job!