8.0

Export Audio Mixdown
The available file formats
562
Variable Bitrate
Encodes to a 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 file with lossless compression.
• Bit Rate/Quality pop-up menu
This menu allows you to set the desired bit rate. The available bit rate settings vary
depending on the selected mode and/or output channels (see above). If the
Variable Bitrate mode is used, the menu allows you to select from various levels of
quality, with 10 being the lowest and 100 the highest. Generally, the higher the
bitrate or quality you select, the larger the final file will be.
Advanced tab
• Dynamic Range Control
These controls allow you to define the dynamic range of the encoded file. The
dynamic range is the difference in dB between the average loudness and the peak
audio level (the loudest sounds) of the audio. These settings affect how the audio
is reproduced if the file is played on a Windows computer with a player from the
Windows Media series, and the “Quiet Mode” feature of the player is activated to
control the dynamic range.
The dynamic range is automatically calculated during the encoding process, but you
can specify it manually as well.
To manually specify the dynamic range, first put a checkmark in the box to the left
by clicking in it, and then enter the desired dB values in the Peak and Average fields.
You can enter any value between 0 and -90
dB. Note, however, that it is usually not
recommended to change the Average value, since this affects the overall volume
level of the audio and therefore can have a negative effect on the audio quality.
The Quiet Mode in a Windows Media player can be set to one of three settings.
Below, these settings are listed together with an explanation of how the Dynamic
Range settings affect them:
• Off: If Quiet Mode is off, the dynamic range settings that were automatically
calculated during the encoding will be used.
• Little Difference: If this is selected and you have not manually changed the
dynamic range settings, the peak level will be limited to 6
dB above the
average level during playback. If you have manually specified the dynamic
range, the peak level will be limited to the mean value between the peak and
average values you specified.