Import / Export Preferences

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Import / Export Preferences

When importing audio files

Audacity always makes a copy of compressed files like MP3, OGG and FLAC when it imports them. The data is copied either into the temporary folder, or into the _data folder of an open project. Uncompressed files (WAV or AIFF) are very much larger, so may lead to a shortage of disc space if copied in. Audacity therefore allows you to choose from the following two options when importing WAV or AIFF files:

  • Make a copy of uncompressed audio files before editing (safer): This is the safest option, meaning that Audacity will always have its own copy of imported files to work with. Also choose this option if you need to open your Audacity .aup project file on another computer, or send it to someone else. Note: you don't need to choose this option if you are sending an exported audio file like an MP3 to someone else.
  • Read uncompressed audio files directly from the original (faster): This is the default option. Import of the audio will be faster, but Audacity will depend on the file remaining accessible and having the same name and location as when you imported it. If the file is inaccessible, the waveform will have no audio or will have gaps in the audio.
Checking the above option enables On-Demand Loading of uncompressed files.
  • Normalize all tracks in project: The imported file (in any format) and all audio tracks already on screen will be normalized to your current setting for the normalize effect.

When exporting tracks to an audio file

  • Always mix all tracks down to stereo or mono channel(s): This is Audacity's default behavior and means that if your project contains only mono tracks panned to center, they will be mixed upon export to a file containing a single mono channel. The audio will still play equally out of both speakers on most systems. If you have any stereo tracks in your project (or any mono tracks panned away from center) the exported file will be stereo, containing two channels (left and right).
  • Use custom mix: When this option is enabled, an Advanced Mixing Options window appears immediately after the completing the File Export Dialog. Advanced Mixing gives you much greater flexibility in mapping your audio tracks to specific output channels in the exported file. In particular it allows export of multichannel files (that is, having more than two channels of audio) in WAV, AIFF, OGG and FLAC formats.
  • Show Metadata Editor prior to export step: By default, the Metadata Editor pops up every time you export a file with the File > Export... or File > Export Multiple... commands. Uncheck this option if you don't want to add embedded information tags to your files.
Users of the previous stable 1.2.x Audacity will recall that bit rate and bit depth for exported files were set on this Preferences tab (which was then called "File Formats"). However, in Audacity 2.0 you now choose export settings for the various formats at the time of export by clicking Options in the File Export Dialog. This saves the separate step of going into Preferences each time you want to to change export settings.
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