Export to Sound File

The Export to Sound File function is useful for exporting specific, precisely timed segments of sound, automated sequences or beat-based music. It can also be used to rapidly export unstructured sound textures as an alternative to recording in real-time with SoundOut or a FileRecorder contraption.

Select Export to Sound File... from the File menu to display the Export to Sound File Dialog Box. The dialog box provides settings that you can adjust to control the start and end times of the exported segment, duration of pre-roll and tail segments, and the sample rate.

Once you have chosen your settings, click Export to generate the sound file or Cancel to abort the operation. If you click Export a save dialog box will pop up so you can select a location to save the file to. This save dialog box also contains the Sample format drop-down list, which allows you to save at different bit-depths. Click the Save button to save the file.

The Export to Sound File Dialog provides three different export modes:

1. Clock Synchronised Pattern allows you to create a file with its duration specified in bars and beats, using the existing time signatures. Sounds exported in this way will loop exactly from beginning to end, which can make them easy to use in contraptions like LoopPlayer.

2. Timed Segment lets you specify the the duration of the exported segment in seconds. You can also specify in bars and beats (based on existing time signatures) where you want the file to start and stop exporting.

3. Processed SoundInFile requires that the SoundIn contraption is configured to use an input file (not a live input). When you use this option, the input file is always played from the beginning. The duration of the entire SoundIn file will be automatically copied to the Duration parameter. The end time of the file can be changed by editing the End Time setting. This setting selects the bar and beat number that the file will stop at; it will stop at the beginning of the specified bar and beat. You can also change the end time of the file with the Duration setting by adjusting the length of the file in seconds. The End Time and Duration settings can also be used to record some extra silence past the end of the input file. The Start Time can also be changed by adjusting the bar and beat numbers (based on existing time signatures).

Note: when specifying times in bars and beats in the Export to Sound File dialog box, AudioMulch always uses the existing time signatures to determine the duration.

When working with clock-synchronised patterns or automated sequences you may want to select a specific range of bars to be exported. If you select a portion of an automated sequence with the mouse, then click on Export to Sound File... the Start Time and End Time will reflect the time range you selected. The exported segment begins at the start of the bar shown in Start Time and the segment will stop at the start of the bar specified in End Time. The Duration parameter may be used instead of End Time to select the number of bars you want to export. This feature is suitable if you're not using an automated sequence and want to export a fixed number of bars starting at the first bar. When you adjust either End Time or Duration the alternate parameter will be updated with the corresponding value.

Note: If you choose an End Time which precedes the Start Time you will not be allowed to proceed with the Export to Sound File... operation.

The Pre-roll parameter determines how many bars and beats or seconds will be played before the actual export starts. This can be use if your patch contains reverberating contraptions (for example reverbs and delays) which you want to be reverberating at the time the File starts to record. This parameter ensures that all sounds have started, reverbs are primed and any delay repeats are synchronized. It's usually a good idea to allow at least 2 bars pre-roll before recording processing which features delays or other reverberating elements. When exporting loops with any reverberating elements, pre-roll can be used to ensure that the exported loop wraps around more smoothly. Note that the pre-roll is always performed so that it completes exactly at Start Time.

Some contraptions continue to reverberate even when no sound is being processed through them. This reverberation is sometimes called a "tail". You can include the tail in the exported sound file in the following ways. With the Fixed Tail Duration you can specify the tail duration in bars and beats or seconds. The Automatic option records the tail until it has decayed to silence, but you still need to specify a Maximum Duration for the tail (in bars and beats or seconds) in case it never decays to zero. If you don't want to export the tail at all, select No Tail. The tail setting automatically defaults to No Tail unless one of the other options is chosen.

The Sample Rate parameter allows you to select the sample rate that you export your file at. You would normally set this to the same rate that you selected for real-time operations, however, you can select a different rate if you want a higher or lower quality output. You can select any sample rate, even if your audio interface does not support it. A higher sample rate can also be used to export a sound file when your computer is not powerful enough to play the document in real-time at that sample rate.