Exporting Project

Exporting your music is the final step in bringing your project to life — whether you’re sharing a finished song, sending stems for mixing, or archiving your work. Let’s walk through the export process step by step to make sure you get the best results! 

Step 1: Prepare Your Tracks

1. Name and Organize Tracks:

   • Double-click track names to give them clear, descriptive titles (e.g., "Lead Vocals" or "Kick Drum").

   • Use folders to group related tracks (e.g., all drum tracks).

2. Check Levels and Panning:

   • Ensure tracks aren’t clipping (red meter peaks).

   • Set pan positions for stereo balance.

3. Disable Unused Tracks:

   • Mute or archive any tracks you don’t want to export.

Step 2: Access the Export Menu

1. Open Export Options:

   • Click File > Export > Audio (CTRL+E / CMD+E).

2. Choose Export Source:

   • Master: Export the entire mix through the master bus.

   • All Tracks: Export every track as a separate audio file.

   • All Selected Tracks: Export only the tracks you’ve highlighted.

Step 3: Set Export Range

1. Entire Project: Exports the full timeline.

2. Selection: Exports only the highlighted section.

3. Loop Region: Exports the section marked by loop points.

Step 4: Choose Export Format

1. File Format:

   • WAV: High-quality, uncompressed audio.

   • MP3: Compressed, smaller file size.

   • FLAC: Lossless compression.

2. Bit Depth & Sample Rate: Match your project settings (e.g., 24-bit/48kHz).

3. Dithering: When converting audio from a higher-bit resolution to a lower one, dithering helps prevent unwanted noise and distortion. Choose from:

• None: No dithering applied.

• Rectangular: Basic dither with white noise, minimal CPU load.

• Triangular: Balanced option, avoids modulation noise, great for most cases.

Step 5: Normalize (Optional)

Normalize raises or lowers the overall volume to reach a target perceived amplitude or volume level. This can help ensure your exported audio plays back at a consistent volume. You can choose from the following options:

• None: Do not normalize.

• Peak: Normalize to the highest peak.

• RMS: Normalize to the average loudness level.

• Target Level: Set a specific target level. It’s generally best to leave 3–6 dB of headroom to allow for further audio processing.

Step 6: Configure Additional Options

Take control over how your exported audio files are processed with these options:

Click the Export button drop-down menu to access the following:

• Bypass effects and mixer settings (stems only): Exclude effects, volume, pan, and automation from the export. Useful for exporting raw audio tracks.

• Include effects tails: Add extra time to account for effect “tails” (like reverb or delay) that continue after the source stops playing. Without this, exported clips might end abruptly.

• Make mono: Convert the stereo signal to mono.

Step 7: Export

1. Export the Tracks: Click Export and let Next render your files.

2. Test Your Export: Play back the exported files to check for issues.