Export Projects in Cakewalk Sonar

August 25, 2026 01:15

Audio Export Overview

Cakewalk Sonar lets you export your projects in a variety of audio file formats while giving you control over effects, automation, file naming, and export location. You can export an entire project or specific elements, such as individual tracks, buses, or selected clips. You can also use the Export Queue to batch export multiple files, making it easy to create different mixes or deliverables in a single operation.

Core Audio Exporting & Supported Formats

Export projects by navigating to File > Export > Audio or by using the Export module in the Control Bar. If your audio hardware is configured for stereo playback, files export in stereo; monophonic hardware outputs mono files.

Supported Audio Formats

Format	Extension	Primary Use & Features
Wave / WAV	`.wav`	Standard Windows digital audio format; used for burning CDs. Uses Cakewalk or Libsndfile exporters.
Broadcast Wave	`.wav`	Wave files containing SMPTE time stamps, originators, and date/time metadata.
MP3	`.mp3`	Highly compressed audio designed for quick downloads and web distribution.
FLAC	`.flac`	Free Lossless Audio Codec; compresses file size without losing audio quality.
Windows Media (WMA)	`.wma`	Compressed digital audio designed for web streaming (includes WMA Pro).
AIFF	`.aif` / `.aiff`	Audio Interchange File Format; co-developed by Apple, standard for macOS.
DSD	`.dsf` / `.dff`	Direct Stream Digital high-resolution format used for SACDs and master archiving.
CAF	`.caf`	Core Audio Format; 64-bit Mac OS X format supporting uncompressed or AAC audio.
OGG	`.oga`	Royalty-free Ogg Vorbis compressed audio format.
RF64 / W64	`.rf64` / `.w64`	64-bit extensions designed to overcome the 4GB file size limit of standard WAV files.
SD2 / AU / RAW	`.sd2` / `.au` / `.raw`	Legacy and specialized platform formats (Digidesign, Sun/Unix, headerless PCM).

Extra Encoding Options

After selecting certain formats, an extra dialog box opens to configure bit depth, endian-ness (byte ordering), and specific subformats (e.g., PCM, Float, U-Law, A-Law, ADPCM).

Export Workflows & Source Selection

Source Categories

Specify what portion of the project to capture using the Source Category options in the Export Audio dialog:

Entire Mix: Renders the main output into a single mixed file.
Tracks / Track Folders: Exports separate files for each selected track or folder (before reaching buses, or through the mix to preserve bus FX/automation).
Buses / Hardware Outputs: Captures audio directly at selected bus or physical hardware outputs.
Clips: Exports each selected clip as an individual file.
Mix Recall / Arrangements / Arranger Sections: Renders specific scenes, arrangements, or timeline sections.

Drag-and-Drop Export

Quickly export audio or MIDI clips by selecting and dragging them directly from the track area into the Media Browser or any Windows folder (such as the Desktop). Default drag-and-drop settings export audio as Wave files matching the original clip's bit depth and project sample rate without dithering.

Accommodating Effect Tails

To prevent delay or reverb tails from cutting off at the end of clip exports, configure a global padding duration:

Go to Edit > Preferences > File - Audio Data.
Adjust the Clip Tail Duration (N Seconds) value to match your longest decay times.

Audio Quality & Dithering Options

Applying dither is necessary whenever converting audio from a higher bit depth to a lower bit depth (e.g., 24-bit to 16-bit) to eliminate quantization noise and distortion. Configure dithering under Edit > Preferences > Audio - Playback and Recording.

Dithering Algorithms

Rectangular: White noise without noise shaping. Least CPU-intensive; preferable when successive dithering will occur (bouncing/freezing).
Triangular: Higher level than rectangular with no modulation noise. Low CPU usage; preferable for successive processing.
Pow-r 1: Lightly noise-shaped dither. Lower perceived loudness than unshaped options.
Pow-r 2: Recommended for final audio exports. Delivers the lowest perceived loudness and high quality, but requires higher CPU usage.
Pow-r 3: Most transparent and CPU-intensive option with maximum noise shaping.

Learn More

For a detailed explanation of dithering, including when to use each algorithm and recommended export settings, see About Dithering.

Batch Processing & Filename Automation

Task Queues

Instead of exporting passes one by one, combine multiple export setups (such as stems, full mixes, and low-res previews) into an automated batch queue saved with the project:

Set up your export parameters in the Export Audio dialog box.
Click Add Task to Queue instead of Export.
Repeat for additional configurations.
Click Run Tasks to process all checked exports sequentially without manual intervention.

BandLab Membership

Task Queues is exclusive to active BandLab Membership subscribers. Learn more

Filename Tokens & Presets

Automate dynamic file naming by entering placeholder tokens or selecting tags from the Build File Name Using Tags menu:

Project Tags: {projectname} ({P}), {tempo} ({b}), {meter} ({m}), {key} ({k})
Track/Clip Tags: {trackname} ({T}), {tracknumber} ({t}), {clipname} ({C}), {trackfolder} ({F})
Audio Tags: {samplerate} ({sr}), {bitdepth} ({bd}), {channelformat} ({cf})
Date Tags: {d} (YYYY-MM-DD) or custom date tokens formatted as {d=datetokens} (e.g., {d=Y-m-d H.i})

Custom naming configurations can be saved as Filename Presets and recalled across any project.

DAW Interchange & Delivery

Project Migration & Formats

Cakewalk Interchange Format (CXF): Exchange complete cross-platform session files (.cxf) between Cakewalk Sonar and Cakewalk Next via File > Export > Cakewalk Interchange. Preserves audio/MIDI tracks, automation, routing, clip parameters, and plugin settings (overlapping clips and take lanes are flattened upon export).
Open Media Format (OMF): Transfer multitracks to Pro Tools or other DAWs via File > Export > OMF. Preserves track structure, clip positions, slip edits, and crossfades. Discards volume, pan, automation, and plug-in effects.
Standard MIDI Files: Save sequences via File > Export > Standard MIDI File as Format 0 (merged tracks) or Format 1 (separate tracks). Note: Standard MIDI exports discard audio tracks, articulations, offsets, and mute/solo states.

Specialized Delivery & Physical Media

Surround Mixes: Export multichannel surround mixes as multi-channel PCM Wave or Windows Media Pro files by setting the Channel Format to Multichannel.
Project Preview Files: Check Include Project Preview under Mix and Render when exporting an Entire Mix to generate an audition file used by Sonar's Quick Start screen.
Audio CD Burning: Prepare stereo 16-bit / 44.1 kHz WAV files, then navigate to Utilities > Burn Audio CD to arrange track order and write directly to CD-R media.