How to Use MIDI Packs in GarageBand

GarageBand is free, comes pre-installed on every Mac and iOS device, and is fully capable of reading and playing MIDI pack files. It's the entry point for millions of producers, and its Software Instrument tracks handle .mid files just like their professional counterparts in Logic Pro. If you're starting out, or if you produce on an iPad, this guide is for you.

We'll cover the complete GarageBand workflow on both Mac and iOS: creating a Software Instrument track, choosing a sound, dragging in a .mid file, editing in the Piano Roll, transposing, and exporting your final track. We'll also cover how to get MIDI files onto your iPad — which is the main friction point for iOS users.

If you want to follow along with a free MIDI pack, grab the Beautiful Free MIDI Chord Progressions — it's free and works immediately on any GarageBand instrument. For a comparison with Logic Pro's more advanced features, see How to Use MIDI Packs in Logic Pro.

What You Need Before You Start

• A MIDI pack downloaded to your device (.mid files in a folder)
• GarageBand for Mac (macOS 10.15 or later) or GarageBand for iOS/iPadOS
• No additional plugins required — GarageBand's built-in sounds work great

On Mac, your MIDI pack lives in Finder — wherever you downloaded it. On iPad/iPhone, you'll need to get the files into the Files app first (see Step 3b below).

Step-by-Step: Using MIDI Packs in GarageBand (Mac)

Step 1 — Create a Software Instrument Track

Open GarageBand and start a new Empty Project. A dialog appears asking you to choose a track type. Select Software Instrument and click Create. A new green track appears in the Tracks area — this is your MIDI track.

If you're adding to an existing project, click the + button at the top left of the track list, choose "Software Instrument," and click Create.

Step 2 — Choose an Instrument from the Library

With the Software Instrument track selected, the Sound Library panel opens on the left (if it doesn't, press the Library button — the icon that looks like a book). Browse through categories like Keyboard, Strings, Synthesizer, and Guitar to find a sound.

Good choices for MIDI pack work:

• Grand Piano (under Keyboard) — Clean, neutral, and lets you hear the harmonic content of chord progressions clearly
• Warm Pad or Dreamy Synth Pad (under Synthesizer) — Lush textures that suit sustained chords
• Vintage Electric Piano — Excellent for R&B and lo-fi chord progressions
• Soft Strings (under Strings) — Works beautifully for cinematic and emotive chord progressions

Click any preset to load it onto your track. You'll hear a brief preview. You can change this at any time without affecting your MIDI data.

Step 3 — Drag the .mid File onto the Track

Open Finder and navigate to your MIDI pack folder. Find the .mid file you want to use, then drag it from Finder onto the Software Instrument track in GarageBand's Tracks area. Drop it at Bar 1 to start at the beginning.

GarageBand creates a green MIDI region on the track. Press the spacebar to play and hear the notes through your chosen instrument. If you hear nothing, check that the track isn't muted (the orange "M" button on the track header) and that your Mac's audio output is working.

Step 4 — Double-Click to Edit in the Piano Roll

Double-click the green MIDI region to open the Piano Roll editor at the bottom of the screen. You'll see a grid of colored bars — each bar is a note. The vertical axis is pitch (with a keyboard on the left), the horizontal axis is time, and the length of each bar is the note's duration.

Below the note grid is the velocity lane — thin colored bars below each note showing how hard each note hits. Taller = louder.

In the Piano Roll you can:

• Click and drag notes to reposition them in pitch or time
• Drag the right edge of a note to change its length
• Click empty space to draw a new note (when the pencil tool is active)
• Right-click a note to delete it

Step 5 — Transpose the MIDI to Your Key

Select all notes with Cmd+A. Then use Shift+Up/Down arrow to transpose by one semitone, or Shift+Option+Up/Down arrow to transpose by a full octave. Watch the keyboard on the left to track your new pitch.

If you want to transpose without opening the Piano Roll, click the region once to select it. In the Region panel at the bottom of the screen (below the Tracks area), look for the Transpose field and type a semitone value directly. This is a non-destructive change that's easy to undo or reverse.

Step 6 — Change the Instrument Sound

You can swap the instrument at any time without changing the MIDI notes. Click the track header to select the track, then click a different preset in the Sound Library panel. The MIDI pattern instantly plays through the new sound.

This is one of the key advantages of MIDI packs over audio samples — the same chord progression can sound like a piano, a pad, a pluck, or a bassline just by switching the instrument. Spend a few minutes trying different sounds before committing.

Step 7 — Duplicate and Layer

To layer multiple instruments on the same MIDI pattern: right-click the track header and choose "Duplicate Track." A new Software Instrument track appears with a copy of all the same MIDI regions. Choose a different instrument for the duplicate — for instance, if your first track is a pad, make the second a pluck or a piano. Adjust the volume slider on each track to balance the blend.

Two or three layered tracks playing the same chord progression create a much richer sound than any single preset. Keep the layers complementary — a dense pad doesn't need another dense pad on top of it. Try pairing a sustained pad with a short-attack pluck for harmonic interest without mud.

Step 8 — Export Your Track

When you're done, go to Share > Export Song to Disk (or Share > Send Song to iTunes/Music). Choose your format — for most production purposes, WAV at 24-bit is the cleanest option. GarageBand renders all active tracks into a stereo mix. If you plan to continue working in a more advanced DAW later, you can also export individual stems by muting all tracks except one and exporting repeatedly.

Using MIDI Packs in GarageBand for iOS (iPad/iPhone)

Step 3b — Getting MIDI Files onto Your iPad

The main challenge with GarageBand for iOS is transferring .mid files to the device. Here are the three most reliable methods:

Method 1 — iCloud Drive (recommended): On your Mac or PC, move your MIDI pack folder into iCloud Drive. On your iPad, open the Files app, navigate to iCloud Drive, and find your files there. In GarageBand for iOS, when you're in the Tracks view, tap the Loop Browser button (the circular arrow icon in the top right), then tap the Files tab. You'll be able to browse iCloud Drive from there and tap any .mid file to import it.

Method 2 — AirDrop: On your Mac, locate the .mid file in Finder, right-click it, and select Share > AirDrop. Choose your iPad from the AirDrop list. On your iPad, accept the file — it appears in the Files app's Downloads folder. Import it into GarageBand via the Loop Browser's Files tab as described above.

Method 3 — USB + Finder/iTunes: Connect your iPad to your Mac with a USB cable. Open Finder (Mac) and select your iPad in the sidebar. Go to the Files section, find GarageBand in the list of apps, and drag .mid files into its file storage area. They'll be accessible from within GarageBand.

iOS Piano Roll Editing

In GarageBand for iOS, tap a MIDI region to select it, then tap the Edit button (pencil icon) that appears. The Piano Roll view opens. Touch and drag notes to move them. Pinch to zoom in for detailed editing. Tap the Note Edit icon (the note icon in the toolbar) to access velocity and other note properties. Tap "Select All" to select every note for transposition.

Smart Instruments on iOS

GarageBand for iOS includes Smart Instruments — touch-based instruments like Smart Piano, Smart Guitar, and Smart Strings. While these are primarily for live recording rather than MIDI pack import, you can record performances with them and combine them with your MIDI pack regions in the same project. Tap the instrument selector in the top bar to switch between Smart Instruments and the regular Keyboard when you want to audition your MIDI pack files.

GarageBand vs Logic Pro for MIDI Pack Work

GarageBand handles the fundamentals — import, edit, transpose, layer, export — perfectly well. But if you find yourself wanting more, Logic Pro adds features that matter for MIDI pack workflows specifically:

• Region Inspector — non-destructive per-region transpose, velocity scaling, and quantize without opening the Piano Roll
• MIDI Transform — humanize, velocity scaling, and custom rule-based editing
• Alchemy — Logic's flagship synth with a far wider, richer preset library than GarageBand's instruments
• Track Stacks — grouping layered tracks under a single fader
• Full AU/VST plugin support — third-party synths work in GarageBand on Mac but with more limitations than Logic

The good news: every GarageBand project opens in Logic Pro. When you're ready to upgrade, go to File > Save in GarageBand, then open the same file in Logic Pro — all your tracks, MIDI regions, and instrument choices transfer intact.

Recommended MIDI Packs for GarageBand

Explore All MIDI Packs

• All MIDI Packs →
• Free Drum MIDI Pack
• Lo-Fi MIDI Chord Pack — $47
• R&B MIDI Chord Pack — $47

Other DAW Guides

• How to Use MIDI Packs in Ableton Live
• How to Use MIDI Packs in FL Studio
• How to Use MIDI Packs in Logic Pro
• How to Use MIDI Packs — The Complete Guide

Frequently Asked Questions