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Beyond the Basics

Import & Export

Bring MIDI files, audio and movies into your project, and bounce the finished mix to a file you can share anywhere.

Import a MIDI file

Choose File > Import MIDI File… and pick a .mid file, or just drop one from Finder onto the timeline. A drop also picks the start position: the tracks land where you let go.

  • Each track in the file that has notes becomes its own instrument track, with all its notes in one clip.
  • Every imported track arrives with NeonSynth loaded, so it makes sound right away. Swap instruments after.
  • The file's tempo and time signature are adopted only when your project is still empty. In a project with tracks, your tempo wins, and the imported notes follow it.

Import audio and movies

Drag files straight from Finder onto the timeline:

  • An audio file lands as a clip on an audio track.
  • A movie lands on a video track.
  • A .mid file imports tracks, as above.

For one-shots and loops you want to trim and shape first, use the sample browser instead.

Export your mix

Choose File > Export Mix… or press ⌘E. Pick a format and quality, choose where to save, and NeonDAW renders the whole mix offline: much faster than real time. The export runs from the top of the project and is cut at the last clip.

FormatQualityBest for
WAV16 or 24 bitLossless. Mastering, mixing elsewhere, or archiving. 24 bit is the studio standard.
M4A192, 256 or 320 kbpsAAC. Small files, ready for sharing. 256 kbps sounds transparent for most music.
MP3192, 256 or 320 kbpsPlays on everything, everywhere. 320 kbps is as good as MP3 gets.

The sheet shows the render as it rolls, and you can cancel mid-pass. When it's done, Show in Finder takes you straight to the file.

Note

The export is always one stereo mix of the whole project. NeonDAW does not export separate stems per track, and it does not export MIDI files.

Your name on the file

M4A exports are stamped with the Artist, Composer and Album you set in Settings > My Info. Shared mixes arrive with your name on them. Leave the fields blank to skip it.

About the MP3 encoder

MP3 encoding is provided by the LAME Project (lame.sourceforge.io), bundled with the app. If the encoder is ever missing from a build, the MP3 option is simply disabled; WAV and M4A always work.