Batch combining (mixdown) one file with thousands of others

[Suttree]

Hi all,

I have a strange request. I have one .wav file that I would like to combine, sequentially, with thousands of other .wav files. By "combine" I mean mixing down, similar to how you would in a multitrack session where two or more overlapping files are combined. To provide a visual example of what I'd like to do:

A.wav <- file that will be mixed with the other files

B1.wav, B2.wav .....B15000.wav <- files I want to combine A.wav with

AB1.wav, AB2.wav......AB15000.wav <- what I'd like to end up with

If A.wav is a 15s file and B1.wav is a 15s file, AB1.wav is also a 15s file (not a 30s file).

I'm assuming to do this I'll need to turn to scripts (I have access to both Adobe Audition 3.0 and Adobe Audition CC 2017), but don't know where to start with that.

If you guys and gals can solve this problem I will forever be in your debt!

[ryclark · Accepted solution]

OK. Here we go. This can be done with the Batch Process feature from the Edit menu. However previous experience tells us that Audition may not be happy with 1500 files to process. So you will probably have to do them in smaller batches.

First off you have to record a Favorite that selects all of the B file and then uses Mix Paste to mix the B file with the A one. So to do this first time around open the B file into the Waveform view and go to the Favorites menu and click on 'Start recording Favorite'. Double click on the B file waveform to select it all and then go to Edit/Mix Paste. When the effects pane opens select Overlap (Mix) from Paste Type. And then in the Audio Source box select 'From file' and browse to the A file location and select it. Click OK to do the mix.

Then go back to the Favorites menu and click on 'Stop recording Favorite'. A box will open asking you to name your new Favorite. Enter a name and OK to save it. You can check that it saved OK by looking to see if it appears in the Favorites menu list.

Close all files in Audition. Now you can open the Batch Process window from Edit menu and either click and drag or open all the B files that you wish to process. Select your newly created Favorite from the Favorite box at the top. Click to enable the Export button at the bottom left and Export Settings to set where you want the process files to be stored and how to rename them if necessary. Also set up the file format settings if they need changing and any other of the available tick boxes. OK to go back to the Batch Process window and then Run to make the magic happen.

[Suttree]

Unreal, it worked like a charm. Thanks so much ryclark!

[qui229981766uhu]

I am soooo excited that I found your way of doing this. I have more than a thousand tracks wating to be mixed. You saved my life!

[Emmanuel24728545sn14]

Hello Clark,

Hope you get this in 2022. An addendum to the initial question:
If A.wav is 4 minutes and B1.wav, B2.wav ....B10.wav have varying lengths but are all under 4 minutes, does mixpaste reduce the length of the resulting mixed audio to the lengths of the B wav files or it uses the length of A.wav?

[jaredr34403707]

Thank you, Ryclark!