Steinberg Cubase 8 Manual

							Export Audio Mixdown
The Export Audio Mixdown dialog
941
The Export Audio Mixdown dialog
Below you will find detailed descriptions of the different sections of the dialog and 
the corresponding functions.
About the Channel Selection section
The Channel Selection section shows all output and audio-related channels 
available in the project. These channels are organized in a hierarchical structure that 
allows you to easily identify and select the channels you want to export. The different 
channel types are listed below each other, with channels of the same type being 
grouped in a node (e.
 g. instrument tracks).
• You can activate/deactivate channels by clicking on the checkboxes in front 
of the channel names.
•Cubase Pro only: If Channel Batch Export is activated, you can also 
activate/deactivate all channels of the same type by clicking on the checkbox 
in front of the channel type entry.
•Cubase Pro only: If Channel Batch Export is activated, you can 
select/deselect several channels in one go using the [Shift] and/or 
[Ctrl]/[Command] modifiers and then clicking on any of the checkboxes for the 
highlighted channels.
Note that this toggles the activation status of a channel, i. e. all selected 
channels that were previously activated will be deactivated and vice versa.
If your project contains a large number of channels, it might get difficult to find the 
desired channels in the Channel Selection section.
• To simplify the process of selecting several channels, you can filter the 
display. Simply type in the desired text (e.
 g. “voc” to show all tracks 
containing vocals) in the Filter field below the tree view.
About the File Location section
In the File Location section you can specify a name and a path for the exported files.
Furthermore, you can define the naming scheme for the exported files.
At the right of the Name and the Path fields there are two pop-up menus with a 
number of options: 
						

							Export Audio Mixdown
The Export Audio Mixdown dialog
942
Naming Options
• Select “Set to Project Name” to set the Name field to the project name.
• Activate the “Auto Update Name” option to add a number to the specified file 
name every time you click the Export button.
Path Options
• Select “Choose…” to open a dialog in which you can browse for a path and 
enter a file name.
The file name will automatically be shown in the Name field.
• Select an entry from the Recent Paths section to reuse a path specified for a 
previous export.
This section is only shown after an export has been completed. With the 
“Clear Recent Paths” option you can delete all entries from the Recent Paths 
section.
• Activate the “Use Project Audio Folder” option to save the mixdown file in the 
project’s Audio folder.
Naming Scheme
Clicking the “Naming Scheme…” button opens a separate pop-up window. Here, 
you can choose a number of elements that will be combined to form the file name.
Depending on the settings in the Channel Selection section, different elements are 
available.
The elements are defined as follows:
Name
The name that you entered in the Name field (in the File Location section).
Mixer Index
The number of the MixConsole channel.
Channel Type
The type of audio-related channel that is being exported. 
						

							Export Audio Mixdown
The Export Audio Mixdown dialog
943
Channel Name
The name of the exported channel.
Project Name
The name of the Cubase project.
Counter (Cubase Pro only)
This is only available for batch export. Use this to include an incrementing 
number in the generated files names in order to create unique file names.
NOTE
By combining the available naming elements, you can make sure that all the files of 
a batch are exported with unique names. If you have set up a naming scheme that 
would result in identical file names, a warning message appears when you click the 
Export button.
• To add an element, press the “+” button on the far right, and to remove an 
element from the naming scheme click the corresponding “-” button.
You can also remove an element by dragging it out of the Elements section.
• To rearrange the sequence, simply click on an element and drag it to a 
different position.
• To choose a different element for a certain position, click on the element name 
and select a new entry from the pop-up menu.
Each element can only be used once in a naming scheme. The pop-up menu 
therefore shows only those elements that are still available.
Below the Elements section, you will find some additional options:
Separator
Allows you to enter any character sequence to be used as a separator 
between the naming elements (e.
 g. a hyphen enclosed in spaces).
Leading Zeros
This controls how many leading zeros the Counter and Mixer Index 
components will have. For example, if you set this to “2”, the numbers from 1 
to 10 will be written as 001 to 010.
Counter Start Value
Here you can enter a number that is used as the first Counter value.
The field below these options shows a preview of what the resulting file names will 
look like.
NOTE
To close the Naming Scheme pop-up window, simply click anywhere outside the 
pop-up window. The generated name will now also be shown to the right of the 
“Naming Scheme…” button. 
						

							Export Audio Mixdown
The Export Audio Mixdown dialog
944
About the File Format section
In the File Format section, you can select the file format for your mixdown files and 
make additional settings that are different for each file type.
RELATED LINKS
The available file formats on page 946
About the Audio Engine Output section
The Audio Engine Output section contains all the settings related to the output of 
the Cubase audio engine. The following options are available:
Sample Rate (uncompressed file formats only)
This setting determines the frequency range of the exported audio – the lower 
the sample rate, the lower the highest audible frequency in the audio. In most 
cases, you should select the sample rate set for the project, since a lower 
sample rate will degrade the audio quality (mainly reducing the high frequency 
content) and a higher sample rate will only increase the file size, without 
adding to audio quality. Also consider the future usage of the file: If you plan 
to import the file into another application, for example, you should select a 
sample rate supported by that application.
If you are making a mixdown for CD burning, you should select 44.100 kHz, 
since this is the sample rate used on audio CDs.
Bit Depth (uncompressed file formats only)
Allows you to select 8, 16, 24 bit or 32 bit (float) files. If the file is an 
“intermediate mixdown” that you plan to re-import and continue working on in 
Cubase, we recommend that you select the 32
 bit (float) option.
32 bit (float) is a very high resolution (the same resolution as used internally 
for audio processing in Cubase), and the audio files will be twice the size of 
16
 bit files.
If you are making a mixdown for CD burning, use the 16 bit option, as CD 
audio is always 16
 bit.
In this case, we recommend dithering.
Activate the UV-22HR dithering plug-in (see the separate PDF document 
“Plug-in Reference” for details). This reduces the effects of quantization noise 
and artifacts from being introduced when converting the audio down to 16
 bit. 
8
 bit resolution should only be used if required, since it results in limited audio 
quality. 8
 bit audio may be suitable in some multimedia applications, etc.
Mono Downmix
In Cubase Artist, activate this f you want to downmix the two channels of a 
stereo bus to a single mono file. In Cubase Pro, activate this if you want to 
downmix all the subchannels of a stereo or surround channel or bus to a single 
mono file. 
						

							Export Audio Mixdown
The Export Audio Mixdown dialog
945
To avoid clipping, the following summing rules are applies:
Stereo: The panning law as defined in the Project Setup dialog is applied. 
Surround (Cubase Pro only): The channels are summed and then divided 
through the number of channels used (in case of a 5.1. channel = 
(L+R+C+LFE+Ls+Rs)/6).
Split Channels
Activate this if you want to export all subchannels of a multi-channel bus as 
separate mono files.
L/R Channels
Activate this if you want to export only the left and right subchannels of a 
multi-channel bus into a stereo file.
Real-Time Export
Activate this if you want the export to happen in realtime, in which case the 
process will take at least the same time as regular playback.
Some VST plug-ins, external instruments and effects require this in order to 
have enough time to update correctly during the mixdown – consult the 
plug-in manufacturers if uncertain.
Cubase Pro only: When Realtime Export is activated, the exported audio will 
be played back via the Control Room.
Depending on the CPU and disk speed of your computer, it may not be 
possible to export all channels simultaneously if Real-Time Export is activated. 
If an error occurs during the realtime export, the program will automatically 
stop the process, reduce the number of channels and start again. Afterwards 
the next batch of files is exported. This is repeated as often as needed to 
export all selected channels. Due to this splitting of the export process in 
“runs”, the realtime export might take longer than the actual playback would.
RELATED LINKS
Dithering on page 379
About the Import into Project section
In this section you will find several options for importing the resulting mixdown files 
back into the existing or into a new project:
• If you activate the Pool checkbox, the resulting audio file will automatically be 
imported back into the Pool as a clip.
Use the Pool Folder option to specify in which Pool folder the clip will reside.
• If you activate the Audio Track option as well, an audio event that plays the 
clip will be created and placed on a new audio track, starting at the left 
locator.
If you activate the Audio Track option, the Pool option will automatically be 
activated as well, and deactivating the Pool option also deactivates the Audio 
Track option. 
						

							Export Audio Mixdown
The available file formats
946
• If you activate the “Create New Project” option, a new project is created that 
contains one audio track for each of the exported channels, as well as the 
signature and tempo track of the original project. Note that if this is activated, 
the Pool and Audio Track options are disabled.
The tracks will have the corresponding mixdown file as audio event. The track 
names will be identical with the export channel names. Note that the new 
project will be the active project.
NOTE
The Create New Project option is only available if you have selected an 
uncompressed file format and the Use Project Audio Folder option is deactivated.
RELATED LINKS
Importing Media on page 513
About the Import Options dialog
If you activate any of the options in the “Import into Project” section, the Import 
Options dialog will open for each exported channel when the export is complete.
RELATED LINKS
Importing Media on page 513
About the Post Process section
In the Post Process section, you can select a process that you want to execute after 
mixing down your audio file.
• If WaveLab 7.0.1 or higher is installed on your computer, you can select 
“Open in WaveLab” to open you mixdown file in this application after export.
• You can select “Upload to SoundCloud” to launch SoundCloud, connect to 
your user account, and upload your mixdown.
The available file formats
• AIFF files
•AIFC files
•Wave files
• Wave 64 files
•Broadcast Wave files
•FLAC files
•MP3 files 
						

							Export Audio Mixdown
The available file formats
947
• Ogg Vorbis files
• Windows Media Audio Pro files (Windows only)
IMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANT
Note that the Wave 64 file format is the only format that allows you to export files 
with a resulting size of more than 2 GB.
NOTE
Most of the settings described below for AIFF files are available for all file types. 
Where this is not the case, you will find additional information in the corresponding 
section.
RELATED LINKS
AIFF files on page 948
AIFC files on page 949
Wave files on page 949
Wave 64 files on page 949
Broadcast Wave files on page 949
FLAC files on page 950
MPEG 1 Layer 3 files on page 950
Ogg Vorbis files on page 950
Windows Media Audio Pro files (Windows only) on page 951
MP3 Export (Cubase Artist only)
This version of Cubase Artist provides a function for exporting your audio mixdown 
as MP3 files. This function is limited to 20 trial encodings or a trial period of 30 days 
from the installation date (whichever ends first). After this period, the function will 
be disabled until you purchase the MP3 encoder for Cubase Artist.
• When the MP3 format is selected and you click the Export button, a window 
opens showing you how many trial encodings you have left. You can upgrade 
to an unlimited MP3 export function by clicking the “Go to Online Shop” 
button in the dialog.
This will take you to Steinberg’s online shop where you can purchase the 
upgrade. Note that a working internet connection is required. 
						

							Export Audio Mixdown
The available file formats
948
AIFF files
AIFF stands for Audio Interchange File Format, a standard defined by Apple Inc. 
AIFF files have the extension .aif and are used on most computer platforms. For AIFF 
files the following options are available:
Insert Broadcast Wave Chunk
This allows you to include information about the date and time of creation, a 
timecode position (allowing you to insert exported audio at the correct 
position in other projects, etc.) along with author, description, and reference 
text strings in the exported file. Some applications may not be able to handle 
files with embedded info – if you get problems using the file in another 
application, deactivate the option and re-export.
Edit button
By clicking this button, the Broadcast Wave Chunk dialog opens, where you 
can enter additional information that will be embedded in the exported files. If 
you activate the Use this Timecode checkbox in this dialog, the timecode 
position that is specified in the Timecode field will be used instead of the 
timecode position that is automatically derived from the left locator.
NOTE
In the Preferences dialog (Record–Audio–Broadcast Wave page) you can 
enter default text strings for author, description, and reference that will 
automatically be displayed in the Broadcast Wave Chunk dialog.
Insert iXML Chunk
This allows you to include additional project-related metadata, for example, 
project name, author, and project frame rate in the exported file. Some 
applications may not be able to handle files with embedded info. If you get 
problems using the file in another application, deactivate the option and 
re-export.
NOTE
In the Project Setup dialog you can find the Author and Company fields that 
you can use to include the corresponding data in the iXML chunk. These fields 
are also available in the Preferences dialog (General–Personalization 
page).
Insert Tempo Definition
This option is only available if Insert iXML Chunk is activated. When Insert 
Tempo Definition is activated, tempo information from the tempo track or the 
Definition tab of the Sample Editor is included in the iXML chunk of exported 
files. This is useful if you want to use the files in other projects where they 
need to adapt to the project tempo. 
						

							Export Audio Mixdown
The available file formats
949
AIFC files
AIFC stands for Audio Interchange File Format Compressed, a standard defined by 
Apple Inc. These files support compression ratios as high as 6:1 and contain tags 
in the header. AIFC files have the extension “.aifc” and are used on most computer 
platforms.
AIFC files support the same options as AIFF files.
Wave files
Wave files have the extension “.wav” and are the most common file format on the 
PC platform.
Wave files support the same options as AIFF files and have one additional option:
• Don’t Use Wave Extensible Format
The Wave Extensible format contains additional metadata, such as the 
speaker configuration. It is an extension to the normal Wave format that some 
applications may not be able to handle.
If you get problems using the Wave file in another application, activate this 
option and re-export.
Wave 64 files
Wave 64 is a proprietary format developed by Sonic Foundry Inc. In terms of audio 
quality, Wave 64 files are identical to standard Wave files, but in the file headers 
Wave 64
 files use 64- bit values for addressing where Wave files use 32-bit values. 
The consequence of this is that Wave 64
 files can be considerably larger than 
standard Wave files. Wave 64 is therefore a good file format choice for really long 
recordings (file sizes over 2
 GB). Wave 64 files have the extension “.w64”.
Wave 64 files support the same options as AIFF files.
Broadcast Wave files
Broadcast Wave files are Wave files with additional meta data. To create a 
Broadcast Wave file, select either Wave or Wave 64 as the file format and activate 
the Insert Broadcast Wave Chunk option. Click Edit if you wish to edit the chunk 
information, otherwise the defaults as specified in the Preferences dialog 
(Record–Audio–Broadcast Wave page) will be used.
Broadcast Wave files have the extension “.wav”.
Broadcast Wave files support the same options as Wave files. 
						

							Export Audio Mixdown
The available file formats
950
FLAC files
Free Lossless Audio Codec files are audio files that are typically 50 to 60 % smaller 
than regular Wave files, for example. FLAC is an open source format.
Use the Compression Level fader to select the compression level for the FLAC file. 
Since FLAC is a lossless format, the level has more influence on the encoding 
speed than on the file size.
MPEG 1 Layer 3 files
MPEG 1 Layer 3 files have the extension “.mp3”. By use of advanced audio 
compression algorithms, MP3 files can be made very small, yet maintaining good 
audio quality. In the File Format section, the following options are available for 
MPEG
 1 Layer 3 files:
Bit Rate fader
By moving this fader, you can select a bit rate for the MP3 file. As a rule, the 
higher the bit rate, the better the audio quality and the larger the file. For stereo 
audio, 128
 kBit/s is often considered to result in “good” audio quality.
Sample Rate pop-up menu
On this pop-up menu you can select a Sample Rate for the MP3 file.
High Quality Mode option
When this is activated, the encoder will use a different resampling mode, 
which can give better results depending on your settings. In this mode, you 
cannot specify the Sample Rate, but only the Bit Rate for the MP3 file.
Insert ID3 Tag option
This allows you to include ID3 Tag information in the exported file.
Edit ID3 Tag button
When you click this, the ID3 Tag dialog opens, in which you can enter 
information about the file. This additional information will be embedded as text 
strings in the file, and can be displayed by most mp3 playback applications.
Ogg Vorbis files
Ogg Vorbis is an open source, patent-free audio encoding and streaming 
technology, offering compressed audio files (extension “.ogg”) of small size, but 
with comparatively high audio quality.
In the File Format section you will find only one setting: the Quality fader. The Ogg 
Vorbis encoder uses variable bit rate encoding, and the Quality setting determines 
between which limits the bit rate will vary. Generally speaking, the higher the Quality 
setting, the higher the sound quality but also the larger the files.