Novice question: How do you convert 4-channels to stereo

Paul-Tyler wrote on 2/23/2019, 2:23 PM

Using Sound Forge Pro 12.0 and I'm a complete novice at multi-track recordings. I recorded a violin duet, with each part in stereo, in an unconventional way. But I can't figure out how to save it as a stereo file. I tried making a custom template, but it keeps erasing from the list cause it doesn't match the original settings. I'm sure there must be a way, but I don't know the lingo. Thanks for your help.

Comments

rraud wrote on 2/24/2019, 12:51 PM

Assuming you have have SF Pro 12 (if not, it may differ some).

- Open the multi-channel file, select and copy one of the stereo pairs.
- Create a new stereo file (File> New) with the same sample rate and bit depth as the original multi-channel file.
- Paste the copied waveform into the new stereo file
- Go back to the multi-channel file, select and copy the other stereo pair
- Go to the new stereo file again and place the cursor at the head of the timeline and select "Paste Special> Mix" (shortcuts: Ctrl+M, or right-click and select 'Mix'). A dialog box will open with volume faders, cross-fade and other options. (In this case, do not change the x-fade)
- Click 'OK' when the volumes and other parameters are to your liking via the preview. You may have to lower the volumes of both stereo pairs if the meters indicate clipping when combined.

If you want to mix the four individual tracks, a multi-track DAW application is better. Sound Forge is a multi-channel editor, but can be used for simple mixing tasks.