DAW workflows
MIDI and stems between Reason, Waveform, Ardour and LMMS
The documented MIDI and audio export and import steps for Reason, Waveform, Ardour and LMMS, what each file carries, and how to hand parts to another DAW.
The short answer. The manuals for all four describe a way to export MIDI and audio and to bring MIDI in, so a part can move the usual way: MIDI for the notes, stems for the sound, the same tempo, and everything at bar 1. The menus and the defaults are different in each, and a few settings, such as Waveform's Pass Through Plugins, decide whether the file is empty. The steps below come from each project's own documentation, and we haven't run them.
Reason, Waveform, Ardour and LMMS are the DAWs people name when they search for something different from the big three, and they are rarely covered together. This guide gives, for each, the documented way to get notes and audio out and in, and the one thing to check. It sits next to Move MIDI and stems between DAWs, which does the same for FL Studio and Logic Pro, and DAWproject, MIDI files and stems, which covers project formats. None of the four is a native project import for monody, and monody doesn't open their project files.
At a glance
| MIDI out | MIDI in | Audio out | Worth checking | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reason | File, Export MIDI File | File, Import MIDI File | Export Song, Export Loop, Bounce Mixer Channels | No sound in the MIDI file, all on channel 1 |
| Waveform | Export, Render to a file, MIDI format | Through the Browser | Render each track to a separate file | Pass Through Plugins |
| Ardour | Stem Export for MIDI tracks | Session, Import (Add Existing Media) | Export, Stem Export | Tempo map option on import |
| LMMS | File, Export MIDI | File, Import | File, Export Tracks | Which build you run |
Reason
From the Reason 13 manual:
- MIDI out. Set the End marker where the song ends, then choose File, Export MIDI File. The file contains all instrument and automation tracks from the start to the End marker. It is Type 1 with one MIDI track per sequencer track, named as in Reason. Because Reason's sequencer doesn't use MIDI channels, every track is on channel 1. Tempo, tempo automation and time signature automation are included. There is no information about the actual sound, so assign instruments in the other DAW.
- MIDI in. File, Import MIDI File. Reason creates tracks with the original names and channels, each with an ID8 device loaded with a similar sound, as a starting point. A Type 1 file becomes one track per file track, a Type 0 file one track per used channel. Tempo, tempo automation, time signature automation and controller data are included, and separate controllers go to automation lanes.
- Audio out. The audio chapter describes Export Song as Audio File (from the start to the End Position Marker, as AIFF, WAV or MP3), Export Loop as Audio File (between the locators), and Bounce Mixer Channels. The bounce can include all mixer settings, all except the fader section, or none, and the files can be written to disk or placed on new audio tracks. For stems, bounce the channels you want, and note that mono channels bounce as stereo when the pan is included.
Check: every track arriving on channel 1. In a DAW that routes by channel, move each part to its own track.
Waveform
From the Waveform manual:
- MIDI out. Export, Render to a file, with a MIDI file as the format. The Mixing Down chapter says Pass Through Plugins, on by default, runs the notes through each track's plug-ins before writing. Instruments and MIDI effects such as arpeggiators transform them. It adds that many plug-ins swallow incoming MIDI, so if the file is empty, turn the option off.
- MIDI in. The Browser chapter says that double-clicking an audio or MIDI file inserts it as a new clip, and that you can drag items onto tracks. We didn't find a separate page for MIDI file import, so check your version.
- Audio out. The same Render dialog has Render Each Track to a Separate File for handing a project to someone mixing in another DAW. The WAV-only Add ACID Tempo/Note Info option writes tempo and root note into the file for loop browsers and DAWs that read it, off by default.
- Whole projects. Waveform's manual documents DAWproject import and export, with a list of what doesn't travel. See DAWproject, MIDI files and stems.
- An assistant. Waveform 14 has an optional AI Assistant that uses your own OpenAI or Anthropic key, and it can create MIDI sequences you drag onto a track. That is a separate topic from file exchange, and the manual notes that your messages and project context are sent to the provider.
Check: an empty MIDI file means Pass Through Plugins is on and a plug-in is eating the notes.
Ardour
From the Ardour manual:
- Stems and MIDI out. Session, Export, Stem Export. The stem export page says each track is exported individually, including silence, so the files stay in sync, and that "all data will be lost except the actual audio/MIDI". The toolbar can select audio or MIDI tracks or busses, and Apply track/bus processing writes the effects into the files. Ardour's bug tracker has had a report titled "Unable to export MIDI tracks as stems" (issue 7606), so confirm that a MIDI track gives you a .mid in your version.
- Mix out. Session, Export, Export to Audio File(s). The Export Dialog offers several formats and profiles.
- MIDI in. The Import Dialog reads any Standard MIDI File. It has three MIDI options: a track naming scheme, using the MIDI file's tempo map, and importing MIDI markers.
- Other DAWs. The interchange page says Ardour imports AAF files, with fades, volume, pan and multichannel tracks, and has a basic import of Pro Tools sessions that brings audio regions and MIDI notes. It describes stem exports as one of the most common ways to exchange work between DAWs.
Check: whether you let the import replace the project's tempo map. Decide first.
LMMS
From the LMMS user manual, File menu:
- Import brings MIDI and Hydrogen files in as new instrument and Beat+Bassline patterns.
- Export records the project to .wav, .ogg or .mp3.
- Export Tracks exports the stems, each track individually as though soloed.
- Export MIDI writes the project's MIDI data as a .mid.
LMMS source on GitHub, as of 4 October 2026, writes a Format 1 file with a track per instrument or pattern track. The latest stable release we found is v1.2.2 from July 2020, with a 1.3.0 alpha in September 2026. Older forum posts describe a single-track MIDI export in older builds, so test with the build you run and look at the track count in the receiving DAW.
Check: the build. If you export from 1.2.2, count the tracks in the other DAW.
One routine for all four
- Say the tempo and key in a note you send with the files.
- Export MIDI first, then open it in a second DAW to see the track count and tempo before anything else.
- Export stems that start at the same point, ideally bar 1, in WAV. If a DAW trims silence, check it didn't move the start.
- Import into a new project and set the tempo before importing the MIDI.
- Assign instruments. MIDI carries no sound, and none of these documents say otherwise.
- Listen against the stem. The stem is the reference for the sound, the MIDI for the notes.
When it goes wrong
| What you see | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Empty .mid from Waveform | Pass Through Plugins is on |
| Everything on channel 1 | Reason's export, which writes all tracks to channel 1 |
| One track from LMMS | An older build, or a project with a single instrument track |
| Parts start at different times | Stems exported with silence trimmed in some DAWs, but not in others |
| Tempo is wrong after import | The tempo map was or wasn't imported from the file |
Bringing a part in from monody
monody exports a MIDI clip or a track as a Format 1 file with notes, velocities, lengths, the track name and tempo, and the mix or stems as WAV, FLAC or AAC. Each of the four above reads a .mid and WAV. AI basslines you can edit walks through one example. We haven't opened our files in these four, so check the first import. monody doesn't open Reason, Waveform, Ardour or LMMS projects, and it has no DAWproject support.
Sources
- Reason Studios: Song File Handling, Importing and Exporting Audio
- Tracktion: Waveform manual: Mixing Down, Browser, Importing and Exchanging Projects, AI Assistant
- Ardour: Stem Exports, Import Dialog, Interchange with other DAWs
- LMMS: Main Menu Bar, source for MIDI export
Checked on 4 October 2026.
Questions
- How do I export MIDI from Reason?
- Set the End marker, then choose File, Export MIDI File. Reason's manual says the file is Type 1 with one track per sequencer track, all on channel 1, and it includes tempo and time signature automation. It has no information about the sound, so you assign instruments in the receiving DAW.
- How do I export stems from Reason?
- Use File, Bounce Mixer Channels to write each mixer channel as an audio file, with or without the mixer settings. File, Export Song as Audio File writes the whole mix as AIFF, WAV or MP3.
- How do I export MIDI from Waveform?
- Use Export, Render to a file and choose a MIDI file as the format. Waveform's manual says the Pass Through Plugins option runs the notes through each track's plug-in chain first, and that if the file comes out empty you should turn it off.
- How do I export stems from Ardour?
- Choose Session, Export, Stem Export. Each chosen track or bus is written to its own file, including silence, so the files stay in sync. Ticking Apply track/bus processing includes the effects.
- How do I export MIDI and stems from LMMS?
- Its File menu has Export MIDI, which writes a .mid, and Export Tracks, which writes each track as though it were soloed. Check your build, because the latest stable release is from 2020 and a 1.3.0 alpha is out.