How to Mix an Audio File and Change to MP3 format

How to Mix an Audio File and Change to MP3 Format

Mixing audio files is a great way to take the best parts of all of your favorite songs and combine them into one awesome track. With MixPad Audio Mixer, you can mix a variety of audio types together to create mixes and mashups of your very own. After you have made a mix you love, you can change to MP3 format and share it with the world.

Download MixPad for Windows

---

Load/Record Tracks

Click on the Load icon underneath the Home tab to add audio clips to your mix. You can add clips from your computer, rip a clip from a disc, or add an empty midi clip to record on a track using a midi controller. Imported clips will be added to the selected track. You can also record your audio tracks directly into MixPad by enabling recording  on the selected track, then clicking on either the record icon underneath the Home tab or on the record button at the bottom of the program.

Arrange your Clips

Use click and drag to rearrange the position of the tracks in your mix. Under the Editing tab, you can choose from a variety of options to cut and trim the clips in your mix. Select a portion of audio in a track to trim, delete, or silence it. Click on any point in an audio clip and choose the Split Clip option to divide it into two separate clips. You can then move the clips around or move them to different tracks in your mix. You can also Merge two separate clips into one clip anywhere you would like within your mix.

Adjust track settings

Adjust the play volume of an entire track using the volume slider in the track controls. You can also adjust the volume at different points in your track by clicking on the red line in the waveform and then dragging the square box that appears up or down to increase or decrease the volume. Click on the envelope icon to choose whether you are adjusting the volume or the pan in your track.

Apply Effects

You can apply live effects to the audio tracks in your mix by selecting a track and then clicking on the FX button to launch the effects window. Layer multiple effects on top of one another and edit and adjust them as you please. Effects will be applied to the audio in the selected track.

Change to MP3 Format

Now that you are finished mixing your audio, you can export your mix and change to MP3 format. Click on the Export Mix button located underneath the Home tab. Use the Browse button to select your output destination, name your file, and set your output file type to MP3. You can also change your file to MP3 directly from the Export Options window by clicking on the dropdown menu and choosing MP3 from the list of output file types. Click Export when you are ready to export your audio mix as an MP3 file.

Download MixPad for Windows

---

For more on MixPad and audio editing, check out these tutorial videos:

• How to Make Beats Using the MixPad Beat Maker
• How To Record Instrumental and Vocal Tracks with MixPad MultiTrack Mixer
• How to Edit Audio Files with WavePad
• Navigate Speech in WavePad
• How To: Convert WAV to MP3 files with Switch Audio Converter

How to Make Beats Using the MixPad Beat Maker

Whether you consider yourself an experienced producer or a just a beginner at making music, knowing how to make beats is an important part of your process. MixPad Multi-Track Recording Software is a great recording software for audio and music production, but did you know that it also has an easy and exciting beat making feature? With the MixPad Beat Maker, you can quickly learn how to make beats for all types of music projects.

Download MixPad for Windows

---

Beat Maker

After opening MixPad on your computer, click on the Create Beat button in the main toolbar underneath the Home tab. This will launch the Beat Maker window. You will be able to use the beats that you make with the beatmaker in the main program for future mixing projects.

Edit Kits

Before you begin learning how to make beats in MixPad, you need to set up your drum kit. Click on the Edit Kits tab to pick and choose different drums and sounds to add to your kit. You can import sounds of your own to use or work with the existing sounds in the program. MixPad comes with two different kit options that are filled with a variety of different drums and cymbals. You can add as many components to your kit as you would like. Once you have built your kit, exit out of the Edit Kit window to begin using it.

Adding New Bars to Your Measure

To create a new bar, click on the empty space in your track to highlight it blue. Then click on the Add + button underneath the Home tab. This will add an empty bar to your selected track. You can add all of the bars to your tracks before you start placing beats or you can wait and add them as you go. You can delete a bar you have added by simply clicking on the bar in your track and then clicking on the Delete button.

Beats Per Bar

Now that you have placed your bars on your tracks, you can adjust how many beats per bar you would like. You can add 1-16 beats per bar by selecting your bar and then typing the value into the box titled Beats Per Bar on the right-hand side of the program. Simple beats and slower beats require fewer beats per measure while more complicated beats will require more.

Bar Division

You can adjust your timing and further divide your bars by clicking on the Bar Divisions button underneath the Home tab. This allows you to have extra control and use extreme precision when creating your beats.

Adding Beats

Now that you have added bars to your tracks and you have set the number of beats per bar, you are ready to start adding beats. To add beats to your tracks, simply left click in the vacant boxes on your bars to place beats. You can drag the white beat markers up or down to determine the volume at which they are played back. The higher the beat marker is in your bar, the louder it will be played.

Making Beat Loops

Learning how to make loops using the MixPad Beat Maker tool is simple. The Beat Maker loops your tracks by default, but you can adjust the duration and placement of the loop however you would like. Simply change the values in the Loop Start and Loop End boxes on the right-hand side of the program to determine where your loop begins and ends. A green line will appear above the tracks that will be included in your loop. This will playback your tracks on repeat only at those specific bars.

Adding Tracks

You can add unlimited tracks with the MixPad Beat Maker tool. Simply click on the Add Track button in the top toolbar under the Home tab to add a new track. New tracks will appear at the bottom of your mix and you can use the drop-down arrows to select which drum or instrument you want to use on that track.

Beat Patterns

MixPad has a number of pre-existing beat patterns that you can use as well. Choose one from the pattern menu on the right side of the beat maker. Click on an empty bar, select the pattern you would like to add, and then click the Use button to add the pattern to your track. You can adjust these patterns with the settings above and add to them as well.

Exporting Beats

When you are finished making your beat, you can export it directly to the main program. Simply click on the Export button in the main toolbar or go to File and then click Export. You can then exit out of the Beat Maker window and your newly created beat will appear in the first available track in the regular MixPad program. From there you can use it in a new mix or export the mix as is with just your beat in it.

Download MixPad for Windows

---

For more on music-making software, check out these posts:

• How to Edit Audio Files with WavePad
• How To Record Instrumental and Vocal Tracks with MixPad MultiTrack Mixer
• How to Save as MP3 with MixPad

How to Edit Audio Files with WavePad

How to Edit Audio Files with WavePad

You don’t have to be a professional music producer to record and edit your own music. With easy-to-use music editing software like WavePad, you can take your audio recordings to the next level. Recording and editing your songs yourself is a great way to share and preserve your musical masterpieces and anyone can do it. Whether you are recording your voice for a podcast or you are editing tracks of your band playing live music, it has never been easier to create professional-quality recordings from home.

Download WavePad for Windows

---

Record Audio

If you don’t already have an audio recording to work with, don’t worry. WavePad allows you to record audio directly into the program using an accessory microphone or the internal microphone on your computer or device. To begin recording a new track, simply click the red record button, a new blank track will be created and your recording will begin automatically. You can stop your recording by clicking the square stop button, pushing the Esc key, or by clicking anywhere on the track.

Recording Audio in WavePad

---

Import Audio

If you already have a pre-recorded track you would like to work with, you can easily import the track into WavePad to edit. Simply press Ctrl + O on Windows or Command + O on Mac to open it. You can also go to the main drop-down menu and select File and then Open. Import a file from your computer or external device, or you can choose to open a file directly off of a CD or data disc. You can even import files straight from the Cloud. Make sure to explore the NCH Sound Library for additional audio samples and sounds to add to your music or audio project.

Import Audio Files

---

Trim Tracks

Trimming down your audio recordings or music tracks is one of the first tasks you will want to complete when you begin editing audio files. WavePad allows you to easily remove the silences from the beginning and end of your recordings. Simply select your entire track, go to the Edit tab, click Trim, and then choose the Auto-trim silence from the Start and End of the File option from the drop-down menu.

Trim Out Silences in Your Tracks 

---

Split Tracks

You can split your recordings and files at any point you would like to in WavePad. Simply place your cursor wherever you would like to split your track, select the Split option from under the Edit tab and then choose "Split at cursor" from the drop-down menu. This will split your audio at the position of the cursor, generating two separate tracks.

Split Tracks

---

Reduce Noise

Removing background noise from your audio tracks is essential if you want to make your recording sound professional. Background sounds such as chair squeaks, footsteps, and even your own breathing, are all noises that are easily picked up by your microphone. Luckily, they are just as easily removed from your tracks. Choose the track you want to remove noise from and then select the Cleanup option in the Effects menu. From there you can choose from a variety of noise cleanup options, such as auto click/pop removal or noise reduction.

Reduce Background Noise

---

Mix Audio

The Paste-Mix feature in WavePad allows you to overlay tracks to create mash-ups, voice-overs or layer recorded instruments for that full band sound. To combine the audio from two tracks into one, start by selecting one of the tracks and copying it to the clipboard. Next, select your second track and click on the Paste Mix icon in the menu under the Edit tab. When you play it back you will hear that the two pieces of audio have now been combined.

Mixing Audio Tracks 

---

Volume Control

Now that your song or voice recording is cut down to the good stuff, you can decide what you want to do with your volume levels. Not all microphones are created equally and so your song may end up being a lot louder or a lot quieter than you expected. Select the Levels tab to view some of the different volume control options available in WavePad. Select Normalize Audio from the effects tab to amplify audio gain across the entire track. This is a great last step to finalize your project before exporting.

WavePad Volume Control Features

---

Save and Export

When you are finished editing your audio project, you will need to save it. WavePad has several easy options for saving and exporting your audio files. Under the Home tab, you can click on the Save icon and choose to burn your song to an audio or data CD, send the file in an email, upload it to the cloud, or save it as a number of audio file formats. If you plan on making additional edits to your project later, you can save all of your work as a WavePad project file to preserve quality.

Saving Audio Files

---

Download WavePad for Windows