blending mono and stereo to 1 stereo track

Audacity 3 Help Forum Windows
1

Ok - the job is this. I have about 12 stereo music clips and 2 mono ads (all from the 1940s). I still need to record some “station breaks” etc (which, given my equipment, will (I suspect) default to mono) that need to be blended in.

I can figure out the transitions between songs, and get the vox recordings in the right spots. However, the “Project” is likely to end up as 1 primary stereo track with all the songs and several mono tracks.

So, since I don’t seem to be able to move the mono bits into the middle of the stereo track (click and drag didn’t work), I’m hoping that if I save the “Project” I’ll be able to specify that the resulting mix is stereo track that I can play through an in-house sound system.

I have time to play with it all - but 1) I have to get the director to approve it in advance, and b) the system where it will ultimately play is not local (and the people there are not happy with e-mailed files… )

So the help I need is this - how to save 1 stereo track and a couple of mono tracks as one stereo output track.

This is my first real attempt at something a little complex with Audacity. I’m sure all the ‘old hands’ are reading this, thinking “so what’s the big deal!” but a little hand-holding would be really appreciated!

Roger.

2

Right - I forgot.
Windows 7 - Audacity 2.0.6 (and I have no idea where I got the .exe or .zip)

3

Clear your mind of thoughts about old tape machines. Audacity is a multi-track audio editor. The sounds do not need to be all on the same track.
If you have a multi-track project like this:
tracks005.png
and then Export. The exported file will be a “mix” of all of the tracks like this:
tracks006.png
Notice that the mono tracks automatically show on both tracks when mixed with the stereo tracks.
Note also that because I am using separate tracks, I can slightly overlap some of the tracks so as to “crossfade” from one audio clip to the next.

4

Many thanks. This also answered another question I was about to post - how to use a mono track in the stereo mix. Short answer - I don’t have to do anything, Audacity will do it when I Export the file. Yipee!

this really is brilliant software!

Roger.