Bouncing to disk, exporting, or rendering aren’t the only ways to get the finished mix out into the world. Here we talk about them as well as some different ways to deliver, regardless of DAW, with the reasons for using them.
In Summary
Getting the finished mix out there means either writing a mixed file offline, online during playback, or re-recording internally or externally. There are pros, cons, and reasons covered here to use any one of them.
Going Deeper
What’s In A Bounce?
The first “bounces” or reduction mixes were used to free up multitrack tapes for new recordings. These saw tracks submixed and recorded to adjacent free tracks on the same tape, or to a second machine to increase track counts. Like so many other industry terms, Bounce has since been absorbed into the digital audio lexicon to mean a similar thing.
When it came to the finished product in the pre-DAW era, workflows for delivering mixes were broadly comparable with what happens today in the computer. The analogue mixdown to a master tape has much in common with the DAW bounce. In both cases the mix is re-recorded or otherwise summed into a single medium or audio file for delivery. Whereas the analogue process always had to be a linear process, with the mix played from start to finish, the DAW-based engineer has quite a few more options at their disposal, mainly in the name of saving time or fulfilling technical need.
Here we go through all of the ways to get that precious mix out into the world, including more than just the kind of bouncing or exporting known to many. Some have distinct advantages over just clicking the ubiquitous Bounce, Render, or Export buttons that engineers have come to rely upon.
Offline Bounce
Enjoyed by users of all major DAWs, this is the one known to most (only available in Pro Tools from around 2009). Using the same terminology in any DAW such as Export, Render, or Bounce as its Online alternative, this type usually has quicker than real time renderings, accompanied by a progress bar of some kind. Bounce times will vary on factors such as mix complexity, taking in things such as the number of tracks, audio plugins, and automation events. While this one is touted as the big time saver, the system resources have to be up to the job to avoid bounce times longer than the mix itself!
Pros
By far, the single biggest advantage of offline bouncing is the time saved from not having to listen to the entire mix from start to finish. Added to that, multiple formats can be rendered, or different mixer outputs addressed further opening up the options for simultaneous output of things like downmixes or even different loudness spec versions.
Cons
As mentioned, the system has to be up to crunching the bigger mixes. No-one is going to leave it up to the client to be the first to hear that dropout or laggy automation towards the end, so deliverables have to be listened to from start to finish when it counts.
Useful For
Non-critical reference mixes where time is the most important factor. Also for when more than one output file is needed.
Online Bounce
The online cousin of the offline bounce, known to some as Realtime Bounce or Bounce To Disk. This was once the most common way to produce the final mixed file. This kind of bounce sees real time playback of the mix through processing to the main outputs as the new file is written. Up until around a decade ago this was the sole Bounce To Disk option known to many, however some DAWs have offered alternatives for their entire lifetime owing to different architectures. Like Offline bounce, it is also known as Export, Render, or similar depending on the platform.
Pros
The main advantage of this method is the opportunity to combine the final listen-through of the mix with the bounce itself, which could actually make it quicker than other methods. This is on the understanding that the Final Listen or quality check is going to happen anyway.
Cons
The obvious drawback of this method is the time taken to write the file, especially if the finished product is longer than the average song, such as mixes for picture. When multiple formats are needed, the associated extra ‘passes’ could prove to make the humble online bounce prohibitive.
Useful For
For when it counts, putting that ‘one final listen’ to good use in getting the finished article in the can at the same time.
External Re-Record
Any time when the mix is recorded or otherwise ‘printed’ to a second system or device can be thought of as a re-recorded ‘bounce’ or mixdown. The first of this type was the printing of multitrack tape mixes to a second machine in the classic analogue mixdown scenario. A later variation of this was the multitrack mix recorded to a stereo digital editor, from a time when computer recording was limited to two tracks on a good day… The aim here was to lose master tape hiss and ditch the razor blades and chinagraph pencils.
This is still a current workflow choice for many working in post production with huge track counts. Where recording into a second system is common, this technique may become less common as computing power and application development makes single-system workflows more viable.
Although rare in the modern era, some still opt to commit music mixes this way. Here in the UK, the BBC still re-records Pro Tools sessions directly to SADiE workstations. These networked machines power the broadcaster’s playout systems.
Pros
Although less of an issue now, spreading the load of a mix and recording it to a second system or DAW can still be necessary. In the broadcast scenario above, it has been proven to be simpler and more cost effective than re-developing the DAW chosen for music production.
Cons
Re-recording, whether ITB or between physical devices could be clunky. Anyone who has juggled multiple applications in the same box might agree. For the vast majority of those without a reason to span between source and destination, re-recording at all is simply unnecessary.
Useful For
Stability, practicalities for broadcast (in rare cases). Spreading the load.
Bounce To Tracks
Another linear online process. Although this can be a real time process from start to finish, it opens up the possibility of working in sections or even doing drop-ins for improvements. Tracks are mixed in the DAW and routed internally back to a dedicated bounce track in the same mixer. Because the mix’s tracks are routed away from the main output, the engineer monitors the bounce track itself using Input Monitor or their DAW’s MO.
Pros
For a while, users of some DAWs cited the improved accuracy of automation playback when bouncing to tracks. Others claimed improved audio quality as compared with their DAW’s Bounce To Disk alternative. At a time when entrusting livelihoods with earlier DAW tech was brave, it could be argued that this was a safer bet then leaving the computer in a room on its own…
As mentioned, another advantage of bouncing to tracks is the ability to drop in to make improvements. Some DAWs make it possible to then consolidate or render the bounced audio files into a single full length file. Doing an Export of a printed mix in some DAWs such as Pro Tools can be done more quickly than an offline bounce. This is because exports don’t need to run through the mixer with any automation or audio plugin processing to slow things down.
Cons
For a while, many mixers used this option, either for practical reasons, or even for quality as mentioned. Although there are clever workarounds for the brave, this technique has the potential to be a real drive-filler for anyone mixing long-form content. The modern DAW can also be trusted to play back automation and other processing accurately without dropouts or setting fire to the curtains, leaving bouncing to tracks increasingly rare.
Useful For
Whatever the reasoning, bouncing to tracks allows the engineer another way to hear exactly what is being written to disk.
Sounds Great… Just A Few More Things
Although offline bounce makes things a lot easier, some Pro Tools users might remember its introduction losing its sheen when they remembered that they still had to actually listen to their bounces. We on the team (and some reading this) will have enough student project blank CDs to put our coffee on from those who didn’t get the memo…
Whatever the platform, few could live without one of the few DAW features that the client actually notices: offline bounce. Used in combination with listening when it counts, we now have the best of both worlds. For some, re-recording internally or externally still has practical advantages or old-school appeal.
As the DAW (and computing power) has developed, so too has the way in which engineers commit their mix for the world to enjoy. While techniques initially concentrated on getting the job done without getting fired, we have now relaxed into the idea of choosing the best tool to crack the nut. Thankfully, the modern experience allows engineers to use the quickest, most appropriate method with confidence. This makes the cycle of revisions less of a time thing and more an opportunity to make things even better.
Whatever the method, using the name “Final Mix” always seems to invite that email Re: Just One More Tweak…
A Word About This Article
As the Experts team considered how we could better help the community we thought that some of you are time poor and don’t have the time to read a long article or a watch a long video. In 2023 we are going to be trying out articles that have the fast takeaway right at the start and then an opportunity to go deeper if you wish. Let us know if you like this idea in the comments.
Tape machine photo by Steven Weeks on Unsplash