Is it possible to move multitrack files between sequencers?

Question

Is it possible to take a file tracked in, say, Logic or Garageband, and move it to Reaper or Audacity? This would be useful when a client wants to review the multitrack files before mixing, but doesn't have a Mac and can't run the programs I use.

Of course, I could track in Reaper or Audacity, but that would involve a learning curve.

I'm not looking for a solution that would move over mixing settings, just place the raw audio into a file in the same position it's in. Moving WAV files over one by one is error-prone and can cause problems with syncing.

Barring a software solution, might there be a way to use timecode to sync individual audio files?

Answer 1

What you are looking for is a feature often called "render stems". For each track it contains a single WAV file rendered from the start of that track. Yes this is very wasteful of disk space, but you can at least easily import the files into any other DAW and they will line up correctly. It is up to you whether you need to export with effects on or not.

Here's how to export multiple stems in Logic. If a DAW doesn't have a special export stems feature, you can do it manually by soloing each track one at a time and saving to WAV.

Having done this, many DAWs will then let you split the silence off the front of the stems and free up the wasted disk space.