Export Multitrack Mixdown Produces Silent Files

Report · Sep 26, 2017

MacPro 2008, Mac OSX El Capitan, Audition CC 2017

I have many Adobe Audition multitrack sessions, from which I need to export the individual tracks as WAV files.

I have followed the instructions to use Export > Multitrack Mixdown > Entire Session and then selected both Stereo Mix and all the individual tracks in the session for export in the Mixdown Options. Everything looks as though it is working, but when I import the resulting files into any other audio program or try and preview them in the Finder they are all silent - both the complete stereo mix and all the individual tracks.

The original sessions were created using different audio hardware, but changing the routing on the Mixer page allows me to use the built-in optical output of my mac to monitor the audio. I have each individual track routed to "Master" and the Master output routed to the built-in digital output.

When I play the session in Audition I can hear all the tracks being played back, so I don't think it is a routing problem.

The first session I tried exported fine without me changing anything. I simply selected Export and I had tracks full of the required audio. Since then I have only been able to get one other session to export, and then only after so much fiddling that I lost track of what I had changed.

I suspect that I am missing some very basic setting, but as I am not really familiar at all with Audition I don't know what.

Any ideas?

Report · Sep 28, 2017

Anyone?

Report · Sep 28, 2017

AFAICT what you are doing is correct

I have also had this issue on and off for a number of releases and so I can feel your pain and frustration.

However, no-one else seems to have had this issue - I'm on a PC BTW

I have had to recently replace my RME FF800 which died and I am now running the latest version of Au so I can't say which of these things (or both) may have contributed to things now working

Report · Oct 03, 2017

Thanks for your reply.

I sent one of the session that I was having problems with back to the person who created it and they weren't able to export the individual tracks either.

The whole process seems very hit and miss as to whether it will work. Some export fine even if the the track routing options are wrong when the session is opened on a computer with different audio hardware to the the computer that created the session.

Other sessions will only export once the track routings have been changed to reflect the change in hardware. Others will not export no matter what setting I try, and can't even be exported from the original session on the computer where the session was created.

I've wasted hours on this only to discover it appears to be a random bug. I need to report this to Adobe how do it do that?

Report · Oct 03, 2017

It doesn't appear to be a common bug since there don't seem to have been any other reports. What the audio interface is shouldn't make any difference to whether a session Exports correctly or not.

Strangely Bug reporting comes under the Feature Request link on the Forum home page. Wishform - Adobe Audition

Report · Oct 04, 2017

Same-ish problem. (This could be a BUG)

Trying to export completed multi-track session AND/OR bouncing master both result in a blank / silent track.

None of my session tracks are clipping and all dsp's have been pre-rendered. The session will playback without issue or dropped frames.

JUST CAN'T GET A 2-TRACK OUT OF THE BOX!!!

VERY Frustrating!

Matt

MBPro2015 16gb Ram.

No audio interface connected.

Report · Oct 04, 2017

Might have a temp fix. I think it's a track count problem.

My original session had 46 Tracks and 11 Buses. Couldn't bounce or export a 2 track session file.

SO I.....

1. Saved a duplicate session, (still wouldn't export 2 track)

2. My drums consisted of 13 tracks and 2 buses. I was able to bounce those prior to the issue.

I deleted those tracks, even tho they were muted.

And BAAAAM, it worked!

I guess the take away is, bounce often or sum out of the box.

Deleting all those tracks will make it hard to make minor changes down the road, if they are needed.

Adobe, I hope a fix is in the works!

Report · Oct 04, 2017

Let me clarify my position - I've never had an issue exporting a multitrack mixdown ever

I have only had an issue exporting stems

Can you post a copy of the working sesx and a nonworking sesx somewhere as I wouldn't mind checking both out

Report · Oct 04, 2017

Hi SuiteSpot,

I was having both multitrack mixdown and stems come out silent. Cutting the track and bus count down allowed it to work.

IDK if that had anything to do with it, but those are the steps just before it started to work again.

The working sesx had 29 Tracks and 7 Bus.

Working as Mix Engineer.

Wish I could post them. Can't, it's not my property, client's tracks.

Matt

Report · Oct 04, 2017

Matt-Carnes wrote
Wish I could post them. Can't, it's not my property, client's tracks.

It's not the tracks he's after - it's the session file without them. You don't have to hand over any of the sound at all.

Report · Oct 06, 2017

Unfortunately that doesn't work for me.

One of the sessions I have that will not export only has 10 tracks in it and 5 of those were either empty or muted. Even after deleting them I still could not get the individual tracks to export. Setting the routing correctly to reflect the change in audio hardware from the originating computer to mine allowed me to get a Stereo Mix to export, but all the other files produced were silent.

Report · Oct 23, 2017

Interesting and frustrating. I am experiencing a problem with the soundmix of a 52 minutes long film with about 20 tracks. A few seconds of a few tracks just go silent in the final export, it seems totally random. But in the audition project, the sound is there, it is fine. I am trying out different ways to work around it.

Report · Oct 24, 2017

Which version of Audition are using? Thanks!

Best regards,

Michael

Adobe Audition Team

Report · Oct 24, 2017

I've been using Audition CC 2017, and have just tried again after upgrading to CC 2018, unfortunately with no better luck.

I'm not 100% sure but I think that the session was originally created in Audition CS6. We weren't able to get a successful export of the tracks from that version either.

I can't help but think now that I'm missing a simple setting somewhere, because some of the sessions will export and others won't. The session I am currently trying to get to export has 24 tracks in it. Audition won't even let me export anything on this session (all the multitrack mix down options are greyed out) until I have changed the routing to allow for the fact that I have different audio hardware on my computer to that of the originating machine. The when I do try and export all I get is tracks full of silence.

If I select all the tracks without changing the routing first I do get the option to export a multitrack mix down of the selected tracks but when I trey this nothing exports at all.

Any ideas Michael?

Report · Oct 24, 2017

Hi The Artworker-

Please try setting the master to Stereo>Default Output instead of Built-in Digital Output or Audio Hardware outputs.

Best,

Michael

Adobe Audition Team

Report · Oct 24, 2017

And what should I set the individual channels to? Master?

Report · Oct 24, 2017

Correct, I would set them to Master.

Best,

Michael

Adobe Audition Team

Report · Oct 25, 2017

OK that worked for me.

Individual channels set to "Master" and the Master Channel set to Stereo>Default Output.

I got export of both the complete mix and the individual tracks in the session.

However, I didn't get any indication that Audition was doing anything. After clicking OK in the main Export dialog box, it was dismissed but no progress dialog box appeared (which had happened previously), so if it hadn't been for the fact that I had the folder where I was hoping to save the exported audio open on another monitor, and I saw it begin to fill up with files I would have thought to once again nothing had happened and I would most likely be reporting back here with another failure.

So for other users, try this method and then check the folder you are expecting the exported files to appear in even if Audition doesn't give any visual indication of any export being in progress.

Report · Oct 25, 2017

Hi The Artworker - Happy to hear that mixdowns are now working correctly for you. If your Editor window is open, you should see exporting progress dialog. It does not show if you are on the Mixer Window. Please let me know if that is not the case for you.

Report · Jan 31, 2018

I had the same problem and the source of the problem was that on the side of each tracks you can put in entrance a microphone and for the "out" part it's important to put "master" or "none" because if you put something else it wont be export.

I hope you urnderstand me, I can post a screenshot if you want

Report · Aug 10, 2019

I am currently having this same problem and its very frustrating as it shows in play back that its going through a bus then directly to the master yet the clips in the second half of the bus are completely gone or silent in the mixdown, while the clips within the first half of that same bus are not. I feel like ive tried everything but nothing seems to fix it. And this is my near 10th project with no structural changes from the earlier ones which all worked perfect.

I spent about 5 hours mixing this project to have it be unusable.

This bug is deadly.

Report · Aug 10, 2019

If anyone sees this and is having his same problem, what worked for me was splitting the content between two busses, and having the second bus just as a duplicate of the first. (second bus holding the clips that werent playing after mixdown)

Report · May 18, 2021

I don't know if anyone got the answer for this but I have it! You need to make sure that the selected output of your tracks is going to "Master", otherwise there is no sound for audition to bounce!

Report · Jun 17, 2021

That helped, man! Thanks a lot!!

Report · Nov 16, 2022

Thank you! This helps me. Turns out some of channel is not master! Thanks a lot!