Compose Mode · Export

Export Your Composition as MIDI

Take your composition beyond Tiny Instrument — export as a standard MIDI file and open it in any DAW or notation app.

ComposeiPhoneiPadMacv2.0.0+
1

Open your composition in Compose

Tap Compose in the bottom nav to see your list of compositions. Tap any composition to open it in the piano roll editor. If you haven't created one yet, tap the + button to start a new composition before continuing.

Open in app

Compose
2

Find the export option

Tap the share button (the arrow-up icon) in the top-right corner of the Compose header bar. On iPhone the share button appears in the toolbar; on iPad and Mac it sits inline in the header. A sheet opens with export format options.

Tip You can also long-press the composition row in the composition list to access a context menu — tap Export MIDI from there to skip opening the piano roll entirely.
3

Choose Export as MIDI

In the export sheet, select Export as MIDI (.mid). Tiny Instrument packages every track in your composition into a single standard MIDI file — one MIDI track per compose track, with note pitches, velocities, durations, and tempo all preserved. The file name defaults to your composition's title.

4

Share to Files, AirDrop, or another app

After tapping Export as MIDI, the system share sheet appears. Choose Save to Files to store the .mid file in iCloud Drive or on your device. Choose AirDrop to send it wirelessly to a nearby Mac or iPad. Tap any app icon — such as GarageBand or a cloud storage app — to open or send the file there directly.

Tip On Mac, Tiny Instrument presents a standard Save panel instead of a share sheet, letting you pick any folder and filename directly.
5

What's inside a MIDI file

A MIDI file doesn't contain audio — it contains performance data. Each note in your composition is stored as a note-on and note-off event with a pitch (0–127), velocity (loudness), and timestamp in beats. Track names, tempo, and time signature are stored as meta events at the start of the file.

This means the file is small (a full song typically fits in a few kilobytes) and completely editable in any MIDI-capable app.

6

Open in a DAW

Any MIDI file exported from Tiny Instrument opens in standard DAWs and notation apps. In GarageBand on iPhone or Mac, tap the + icon in the tracks view and choose Import MIDI to load your file. In Logic Pro, Ableton Live, or FL Studio, drag the .mid file onto the arrangement view — each track from Tiny Instrument maps to its own track lane.

From there you can add virtual instruments, effects, and mix a full arrangement using the note data you composed in Tiny Instrument.

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Export Your Composition as MIDI | Tiny Instrument