How To Change A Track To Mono In Audacity

Using the commands in the Audio Track Dropdown Menu you can:

Split a stereo track into separate tracks for left and right channels
Separate a stereo track into two split mono tracks
Join 2 mono, left or right tracks into one stereo track.

Splitting a Stereo Runway

Here is a stereo track:

Splitting and Joining Stereo Tracks 01.png

You can make divide left-aqueduct and right-channel tracks and so that you lot can edit them separately. Open the Sound Track Dropdown Carte and choose Split Stereo Rails:

Splitting and Joining Stereo Tracks 02.png

At present you tin can run into the two tracks marked "Left" and "Right":

Splitting and Joining Stereo Tracks 03.png

Note carefully that after this split up the Left aqueduct is panned hard left and the Right aqueduct is panned hard correct. Yous tin can change these pan settings as role of your editing, if required.

Splitting a Stereo Track into two Mono Tracks

Yous tin can instead cull to divide a stereo track into ii mono tracks.

Afterwards choosing "Split Stereo to Mono" from the Track Dropdown Menu on the original stereo track nosotros get ii separate mono tracks:

Splitting and Joining Stereo Tracks 04.png

Note that in this case both mono chanels are center-panned - different to the hard left and correct panning that yous get when yous make a uncomplicated split of a stereo runway.

Joining tracks to make a stereo rails

Choosing "Make Stereo Track" from the Rails Dropdown Bill of fare of the upper track of a pair of mono, left or right aqueduct tracks (in any combination) will combine those two tracks into 1 stereo rails. The upper rails will become the left channel of the stereo track and the lower runway will become the right aqueduct regardless of their current designation as mono, left or right. In the example below, 2 mono tracks are about to exist combined into one stereo track. The result of this operation will be to copy the stereo track as shown in the first image on this folio.

Splitting and Joining Stereo Tracks 05.png

When joining two single-channel tracks into ane stereo runway be enlightened that:

the proceeds and pan settings of the 2 tracks will be ignored when making the new stereo runway
- the upper rails volition be treated as having a pan setting of 100% left and a gain setting of 0 dB
- the lower rail will be treated equally having a pan setting of 100% right and a gain setting of 0 dB
the proceeds setting of the upper track will be applied to the new stereo runway
the pan setting of the resulting stereo track will be set to 0.

Thus the join activeness may brand the residue sound different from your intentions or what you hear when playing the tracks.

Envelopes will exist retained for the left and right channels of the new stereo track, merely any further envelope adjustments will be applied to both channels simultaneously which may give unexpected results.

If you want to preview the result of the Make Stereo Track command, set the gain of each track to 0 dB, set up the pan of the upper rails to 100% left and fix the pan of the lower track to 100% correct.

If you wish to retain the gain, pan and envelope settings of the two mono tracks when joining them into i stereo track, select the 2 tracks so cull instead of joining the tracks.

Example 1: Applying equalization to 1 channel of a stereo track

Assume that yous accept a recording where ane channel is "deadened" - defective in high frequencies compared to the other channel.

Cull Dissever Stereo Track from the Track Dropdown Menu.
Select the muffled runway, for instance by clicking in the info area of the Rails Control Panel.
Choose or and apply the appropriate equalization curve to the rails.
Listen to the result - if it is not equally intended, choose and try a unlike equalization curve.
When you are satisfied with the event, choose Brand Stereo Rail from the Runway Dropdown Bill of fare of the upper runway.

Example ii: Reducing the "width" of a stereo rails

Assume you have a recording of a drum kit where the stereo spread of the kit sounds unnatural. The high hat sounds like it is coming from the right speaker only and the floor tom from the left speaker.

Cull Divide Stereo to Mono from the Track Dropdown Carte du jour, which makes two new mono tracks and sets them to mix together equally in both left and right channels of your listening equipment.
Adjust the pan command of the upper track to 70% left.
Adjust the pan command of the lower rails to lxx% right.
Listen to the consequence and arrange the pan controls until yous get the effect you want.
Select the two tracks, for example by clicking info surface area of the Rails Control Panel of i runway, and so property Shift and clicking similarly in the Track Control Panel of the other rails.
Cull so that the two tracks are mixed and rendered into i stereo track. This changes the audio data and waveform to lucifer with the audible pan settings.
- If instead at step six you lot had chosen Brand Stereo Runway on the upper runway, this does not return your changes: you would simply get your original stereo track dorsum once more since Make Stereo Runway ignores the pan settings. Use then if yous choose Make Stereo Rails by mistake.