Export Audio dialog

Select File > Export > Audio to open the Export Audio dialog box. This command lets you export your projects as Wave, MP3 files, and other types of formats.

Note: If you select any data in your project, only that data is included when you choose to export audio. Alternatively, you can mute tracks or buses you don’t want to include in the mixdown, and then check Track Mute/Solo or Bus Mute/Solo in the Mix Enables field so that SONAR uses that information as a guide when picking what data to include in the exported file. If a project is using any effects that add a “tail” to the end of an audio track, such as reverb or delay, then you should make sure that you select extra time in the Time Ruler at the end of the current selection before using the File > Export Audio command. This ensures that the “tail” is included in the audio mixdown.

The dialog box has the following fields:

Look in

Shows the folder to which you are exporting your audio. Browse your available drives to choose a different directory.

Below the Look in field is a list of the selected folder's contents.

File name

Enter a name for the file you are creating.

Files of type

Select from one of the following export formats:

Wave. [uses Cakewalk wave exporter] The standard digital audio format used under Windows and for CD’s, with a file extension of .wav.

Broadcast Wave (time-stamped). A wave file with the following embedded information:

Description. A brief description of the contents of the Broadcast wave. Limited to 256 characters.

Originator. The author of the Broadcast wave. This information is taken from the Artist field in the Notes Browser (see Using the Notes Browser).

Originator Reference. A unique reference identifier created by SONAR.

Origination Date. The date the file was created.

Origination Time. The time the file was created.

Time Reference. The SMPTE time stamp for the beginning of broadcast wave.

Windows Media Advanced Streaming Format. The Microsoft Corporation's compressed audio format, with the file extension of .wma. If you choose Windows Media Advanced Streaming Format you will be prompted for more information about the file by the Microsoft Audio Encode Options dialog box.

MP3. The mpeg-3 format, with the file extension .mp3.

DSD. The Direct Stream Digital format, with the file extension .dsf.

DSD. The Direct Stream Digital format, with the file extension .dff.

AIFF. The Direct format, with the file extension .aiff.

AU. The Sun/NeXT format, with the file extension .au.

CAF. The Apple Core Audio format, with the file extension .caf.

FLAC. The FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) format, with the file extension .flac.

OGG. The Ogg Vorbis Audio format, with the file extension .oga.

RAW. The RAW (header-less) format, with the file extension .raw.

RF64. The RIFF 64 format, with the file extension .rf64.

SD2. The Sound Designer II format, with the file extension .sd2.

W64. The SonicFoundry WAVE 64 format, with the file extension .w64.

WAV. [uses Libsndfile wave exporter] The standard digital audio format used under Windows and for CD’s, with a file extension of .wav.

WAVEX. The Wave Format Extensible format, with the file extension .wav.

SoundCloud – FLAC. Share a FLAC version of your song on SoundCloud. FLAC is a royalty free high quality lossless audio compression codec. Files compressed with FLAC can be 30-50% smaller than the original wav file and unlike MP3 there is no loss of audio quality. Use this preset if you want to have a share a higher quality version of your song, but also want to have a shorter upload time to SoundCloud. Your song will be saved as a FLAC (.flac) file.

SoundCloud – WAV. Share a CD quality version of your song on SoundCloud. This format will result in a larger file size and may take longer to upload.

SoundCloud – MP3. Share an MP3 version of your song on SoundCloud. Your song will be saved as an MP3 (.mp3) file. MP3 files are the smallest and fastest files to upload to SoundCloud, however they will not be as high quality as Wave or FLAC files.

YouTube Publish. Share a CD quality version of your song on YouTube. This format will result in a larger file size and may take longer to upload.

Various surround formats. If you have installed any 3rd-party surround encoders, you will see them listed here.

Preset

You can create a preset for a mixdown. A preset contains all the settings within the Bounce Settings fields and also includes the File Type.

Source Category

Select one of the following options:

Tracks. This option creates a separate file or group of files (the Split Mono option in the Channel Format field) for each track that you select in the Source Buses/Tracks field.

Buses. This option creates a separate file or group of files (the Split Mono option in the Channel Format field) for each bus that you select in the Source Buses/Tracks field.

Hardware Outputs. This option creates a separate file or group of files (the Split Mono option in the Channel Format field) for each hardware output that you select in the Source Buses/Tracks field.

Entire Mix. This option creates a file or group of files (the Split Mono option in the Channel Format field) for your entire mix.

Clips. This option creates a separate file or group of files (the Split Mono option in the Channel Format field) for each selected clip.

Channel Format

Select from one of the following options:

Mono. All exported tracks are mixed down to a mono file or separate mono files, depending on how many tracks or buses you select in the Source Buses/Tracks field.

Stereo. All exported tracks are mixed down to a stereo file or separate stereo files, depending on how many tracks or buses you select in the Source Buses/Tracks field

Split Mono. All exported tracks are mixed down to a group of mono files, or separate groups of mono files, depending on how many tracks or buses you select in the Source Buses/Tracks field.

Multichannel. All exported tracks in a Surround project are mixed down to a multichannel file containing the number of channels listed in Edit > Preferences > Project - Surround.

Source Buses/Tracks

Select the tracks or buses that supply the audio data you want to export If you chose Tracks in the Source Category field, only tracks will show up as choices in this field.

Sample Rate

Set the sample rate for the file. CD audio uses 44100 kHz.

Bit Depth

Set the bit depth for the file. CD audio uses 16 bit. If you don’t have Dithering turned on, this is a good time to turn it on.

Decimation Filter (DSD format only)

The decimation filter produces improved sound quality with DSD export, and is only available when exporting to a DSD format.

The filter supports four decimation modes:

90% of Nyquist

Nyquist Frequency

Large order FIR

FFT FIR

Each successive option gives higher quality conversion than the previous one, but may take longer to process.

Dithering

Whenever an audio signal is converted from a higher-bit resolution to a lower resolution, it is necessary to apply dither to avoid introducing undesirable quantization noise or harmonic distortion into the signal. You can select from five available dithering types.

Rectangular

Triangular

Pow-r 1 (Platinum only)

Pow-r 2 (Platinum only)

Pow-r 3 (Platinum only)

For more information see Dithering.

Mix Enables

As default, each of the Mix Enables options is checked, meaning that your mixdown will sound the same as playback. You can check or uncheck each of the following items to include or exclude them from your mix:

Track Mute/Solo. If you check this option, tracks that are currently muted are not mixed down. Also with this option checked, if any tracks are soloed, only those tracks are included in the mixdown.

Bus Mute/Solo. If you check this option, buses that are currently muted are not mixed down. Also with this option checked, if any buses are soloed, only those bus outputs are included in the mixdown.

Track Automation. If you don’t check this option, any volume and pan automation, including initial volume and pan settings, is ignored when creating the new file(s). The amplitude of the raw data in the tracks is used, and the pan is C, or centered.

Clip Automation. If you don’t check this option, any clip automation, including any trim settings, is ignored when creating the new file(s).

Bus Automation

FX Automation

Track FX. If you don’t check this option, any effects patched into various tracks’ patch points, including any plug-in synthesizers patched into track fx patch points, are ignored when creating the new file(s).

Bus FX. If you don’t check this option any effects in buses are ignored when creating the audio file.

Fast Bounce. When checked SONAR exports audio as fast as your computer allows. If unchecked, SONAR exports audio in realtime. Uncheck this option if you are using a synth that works only in realtime. This option is checked by default.

Audible bounce. The Audible bounce option is only available when in real-time bounce mode (when Fast Bounce is unchecked). When Audible bounce is unchecked, no audio output will be heard during the bounce process. When in real-time bounce mode (Fast Bounce unchecked) and Audible bounce is enabled, you can hear the output of the mixdown.

Note: Depending on the gainstages used in the project and the mixdown options selected–such as bouncing with source category assigned to Tracks, or with mute/solo or automation disabled in the bounce settings or while freezing tracks–the output may be louder or softer than during normal playback. Please be sure to turn down the master output level before using real-time audible bounce under these scenarios to avoid the possibility of speaker damage.

64-bit Engine. If you don’t usually run SONAR in 64-bit mode in order to save CPU, you can turn 64-bit mode on when you export audio by enabling this check box. Remember to turn it off after you export your audio, if you don’t want to use it during tracking or mixing.

Add to Audio CD Track List

Select the Add to Audio CD Track List check box when you export audio as a 16-bit, 44,100 Hz stereo Wave file (.wav). The Audio CD Burner dialog box appears with the Wave file pre-loaded in the Track list.

 

For more information, see:

Mixing

To mix down (bounce) audio tracks

Converting your soft synth tracks to audio