How to Combine Two Audio Tracks

[Ben Shemuel]

I need to mix two audio tracks down to a single one. Also, and perhaps this happens automatically, I need the volume automation I've created in each track to affect its volume in the new mixed track.

 

Thanks in advance.

[57Gregy]

Check out Bouncing, Rendering and Exporting in the Help files. Probably more ways to do it, too.

[treesha]

You could output both tracks to a new aux track and then record in real time on the aux track. Not the fastest way but allows you to balance/adjust each track on the way in how you want it in the new combined track. 

[scook]

Bounce to Track(s) on the Track View Tracks Menu is a very common method.

To bounce down multiple tracks into one audio track

• solo the tracks to bounce (or mute the tracks NOT to bounce whichever is easier)
• listen to the audio and verify the solo/mute is correct
• open the Bounce to Track(s) dialog
• select "Entire Mix" as the source category
• click OK
• archive the bounced tracks (if synth plug-ins are involved may want to disconnect them too)

 

 

[Ben Shemuel]

@57Gregy, @treesha, and @scook: you folks all rock, and I appreciate your help. I ended up using the Bounce to Track(s) option as it best suited what I wanted to do next. In the process, I got to peel back another layer of the onion that is Cakewalk - specifically delving into the Tracks menu. Whoa, does Cakewalk have menus!

 

Ben

[Larry Jones]

On 1/26/2023 at 10:36 AM, scook said:

Bounce to Track(s) on the Track View Tracks Menu is a very common method.

Feeling kind of stupid here, but I have a variation on this question: I have six tracks containing a couple of handclaps each, nothing more. I want to mix them down to a single stereo track. When I Bounce to Tracks..., I get the export dialog. I select the six tracks on my timeline and  "Tracks" as the source. The dialog has preselected the correct six tracks as well as the next empty track (singular!) in my project as the destination. This looks perfect, but when I render, it simply copies each of my original six tracks to six new tracks, beginning with the preselected destination track. It's not mixed -- I just have six duplicate tracks. For now I'll do it by soloing my six tracks and rendering "Entire Mix," but shouldn't this work the way I tried it? Am I missing something?

[scook]

49 minutes ago, Larry Jones said:

When I Bounce to Tracks..., I get the export dialog

The new Bounce To Tracks dialog looks a lot like the new Export Audio dialog. They are based on a new UI being slowly added to the DAW.

49 minutes ago, Larry Jones said:

I select the six tracks on my timeline and  "Tracks" as the source. The dialog has preselected the correct six tracks as well as the next empty track (singular!) in my project as the destination. This looks perfect, but when I render, it simply copies each of my original six tracks to six new tracks, beginning with the preselected destination track. It's not mixed

This is the same whether using the new or old Bounce To Tracks dialog.

IOW, it has always worked this way.

The only way to render multiple tracks to a single track is sum them before bouncing such as routing everything to a bus (and sourcing it) or a combination of solo/mute and sourcing "Entire Mix."

[Karmic Beats]

I have a similar question.  I want to make two mono tracks one stereo track.  When I look this up online it looks like I need to first get a degree in audio engineering and then figure out how to use this bounce stuff and busses in a long elaborate highly technical fashion to do a simple thing. I must not be finding the right instructions.  In audacity I can do it in a few clicks.  Is there a simple way to do this in cakewalk?

[57Gregy]

Did it in 5 clicks. Two tracks selected/soloed. Hit Tracks above, Bounce to Tracks. Make sure Entire Mix (main outs) is selected, or your Master bus. Hit OK.
Try that and see if you get the results you want.

[Larry Jones]

On 2/1/2023 at 6:25 PM, scook said:

The only way to render multiple tracks to a single track is sum them before bouncing such as routing everything to a bus (and sourcing it) or a combination of solo/mute and sourcing "Entire Mix."

Thank you as always, Steve.