Audio Files

[Eddy]

When you complete your MIDI tracks it is often helpful at the end to change/convert/re-record the content into audio files so to have a wider choice of effects. But how can you do this in Cubase?

Thanks,

[matthew82475]

Hi Eddy,

Because of my computer's limited resources, I find it helpful to turn my MIDI tracks into Audio Tracks for mixing. I use Cubase LE, but I think it's the same in all versions of Cubase. Under the File Menu, choose Export, then Audio Mixdown. I convert my MIDI tracks one at a time to get individual Audio Tracks for each instrument. The Audio Mixdown function will create an Audio version of all tracks, or only the tracks that are soloed. In my case, where I want to create a separate Audio Track for each instrument, I solo an instrument (like piccolo) and then proceed with an Audio Mixdown. After that MIDI track is created, I solo the next instrument (like flutes 1 & 2) and do an Audio Mixdown of that MIDI track.

In order to keep things simple, if you choose the "Audio Track" option in the Audio Mixdown window, the new Audio File will automatically be placed back into your original Cubase File. As you mixdown your MIDI tracks you'll end up with the original MIDI Track and an Audio Track version of each Midi Track. Once all of the MIDI Tracks have been mixed down, you can delete them from your Cubase file. I will typically save my Cubase file before mixing down any MIDI Tracks (creating a MIDI only version), and again after I'm done and have deleted my original MIDI Tracks (creating an Audio only version). If you find in your audio only version that you need to make a change to the original articulations or MIDI Tracks, you can go back into your MIDI only version, make your changes, and then mixdown that track again, but save into the Audio Folder associated with that project. Then you can go into your audio only version, delete the audio track that you didn't like and import the new one.

For your audio only version, you'll also want to make sure you change the counters from Beats and Bars to Minutes and Seconds. I find this the easiest way to work within the confines of my computer's limitations since most of my scores require upwards of 50 to 75 articulation files and my computer just can't process that much information in real time, even using Silver XP.

I hope this helps.

Matt

[awpmusic]

I use Cubase LE, but I think it's the same in all versions of Cubase. Under the File Menu, choose Export, then Audio Mixdown. I convert my MIDI tracks one at a time to get individual Audio Tracks for each instrument. The Audio Mixdown function will create an Audio version of all tracks, or only the tracks that are soloed.

Small but important addition to the above info - Cubase will only create an audio file of the area between the left and right locators - so make sure these are set to cover the part of the track - or the entire piece - if that's what you want converted to audio. In SX3.1 there is a box to tick in the export dialogue to ask for the audio file to be placed in the pool and layed down in the project on an audio track, which will be created automatically.