Exporting Sessions

Exporting is the process of saving a Region, Track or Session to a file on your computer which you can listen to, burn as a CDR or convert to an MP3 to share on a website. As we learned previously, Exporting a Region does not Export all of the changes you might have made to that Region. To Export edits such as Normalizing, Fading and Panning, and Automation, you must Export either a Range or the entire Session. 

To Export a Session, use the top menu: Session > Export > Export session to audiofile.

Everything included between the "start" and "end" Location Markers in the Timeline will be Exported, so you have to set the markers first if they are not in the correct position.

 

Since the Export is handled through the Master Bus, all the Tracks within the Range you select will be Exported together, exactly as they play back in your Session. Unlike the Export Region command, this kind of Export includes any Normalizing, Fading and Panning, and Automation you have created, along with the individual edits made to the Regions as well. If any of the Tracks have the Mute or Solo buttons engaged, this will also affect which Tracks will be heard in the Exported file.

This will open up a dialogue box with several options. You'll want to export a Stereo mix, usually as an AIFF or WAV file, at either 16-bit or 24-bit. 16-bit files can be burnt directly to an audio CD, but if you intend the audio to be further processed, it is best to export it at 24-bit. Having chosen your options, enter the track name at the top and select Export. 

Define the Output channels by clicking the check boxes in the section on the right. Left and Right are normal Stereo outputs.

To export only specific Tracks, de-select the master outs, and click the ”Specific tracks” button and select the channel(s) of the Track(s) you wish to Export.

Warning: overwriting existing files causes Ardour to become confused, resulting in empty files being Exported. Be sure to use a unique file name each time you Export!

Continuing

At the end of this Session, you now have an Exported Stereo Mix representing your entire Session. You're almost finished! The only thing left to do is save the Ardour Session itself. There are a number of ways to do this, and we will discuss them in the following section, Saving Sessions.