User manual

Table Of Contents
648
Export Audio Mixdown
The available file formats
Windows Media Audio Pro files (Windows only)
This is a continuation of the Windows Media Audio format developed by Microsoft Inc.
Due to the advanced audio codecs and lossless compression used, WMA Pro files
can be decreased in size with no loss of audio quality. Furthermore, WMA Pro
features the possibility of mixing down to 5.1 surround sound. The files have the
extension “.wma”.
When you select “Windows Media Audio File” as the file format, you can click the
“Codec Settings…” button to open the “Windows Media Audio File Settings” window.
Note that the configuration options may vary, depending on the chosen output
channels.
General tab
In the Input Stream section, you set the sample rate (44.1, 48 or 96 kHz) and the bit
resolution (16
bit or 24 bit) of the encoded file. Set these to match the sample rate and
bit resolution of the source material. If no value matches that of your source material,
use the closest available value that is higher than the actual value. For example, if you
are using 20
bit source material, set the bit resolution to 24 bit rather than 16 bit.
Ö The setting in the Channels field depends on the chosen output and cannot be
changed manually.
The settings in the Encoding Scheme section are used for defining the desired output
from the encoder, e.
g. a stereo or a 5.1 surround file. Make settings appropriate for
the intended use of the file. If the file will be downloaded or streamed on the internet,
you might not want too high bit rates, for example. See below for descriptions of the
options.
Mode pop-up menu
The WMA Pro encoder can use either a constant bit rate or a variable bit rate for
encoding to 5.1 surround, or it can use lossless encoding for encoding to stereo. The
options on this menu are as follows:
Mode Description
Constant Bitrate This will encode to a 5.1 surround file with a constant bit rate (set
in the Bit Rate/Channels menu, see below). Constant bit rate is
preferably used if you want to limit the size of the final file. The size
of a file encoded with a constant bit rate is always the bit rate times
the duration of the file.
Variable Bitrate Encodes to a 5.1 surround file with a variable bit rate, according to
a quality scale (the desired quality is set in the Bit Rate/Quality
menu, see below). When you encode with variable bit rates, the bit
rate fluctuates depending on the character and intricacy of the
material being encoded. The more complex passages in the
source material, the higher the bit rate – and the larger the final file.
Lossless Encodes to a stereo file with lossless compression.