Podcast
Features
CommentsBouncing to disk
If you want to create a standalone audio file reflecting all of the editing, processing and mixing that you’ve done in your session, you need to “Bounce to Disk”. This isn’t necessary if you will continue to edit a project, but needs to be done if you would like to burn an audio CD, for example.
- Highlight what you want to “bounce to disk” by clicking and dragging on the timeline ruler (or in a track with the Selector tool). Typically you will select the entire session but you can select a subsection. (Remember that if a track is muted, the audio on that track will not be heard in the bounced file.) You don’t need to highlight all the tracks, just the period of time you wish to bounce, all tracks will be recorded into the bounce.
- Once you’re ready, go to File>Bounce to Disk…This window will appear-
- If you intend to burn an audio CD, make sure that the File Type is either “.WAV” or “.AIFF”, the format is “Stereo Interleaved”, the “Resolution” is 16bit, and the “Sample Rate” is 44,100.
- Once you’ve made the appropriate settings, click “Bounce”.
- You will be prompted to name the bounced file and for a save location. For organizational purposes, you may want to keep your “Bounces” somewhere in your main session folder on your hard drive. You might want to name the bounce something distinctive, such as “MyProjectBounce.wav” or “MyProjectMix.wav.”
- Once the right location is selected click “Save” and the bounce will begin. It happens in real time and you will hear your session play back during bouncing.
Note on MP3′s: If you would like to export MP3′s from Pro Tools, there is an MP3 encoder that must be purchased from Digidesign (a 30-day trial comes with Pro Tools). If you can put up with an extra step, save some money by using iTunes or Audacity to compress an MP3 from your bounced Pro Tools audio file. It’s good practice to bounce to an uncompressed .wav or .aiff file in any case, so you have a full-quality version of your mix, not just a compressed, lower-quality MP3.
That’s it, you’re done!
