> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://soundforgepro.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # How to Render Music in VEGAS Pro: WAV, MP3, Stems and Music Video Audio - URL: https://soundforgepro.com/vegas-pro-render-audio/ - Published: 2026-11-04T17:47:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-09T13:25:01.000Z - Description: Render music in VEGAS Pro with File > Render (Render As before VEGAS Pro 23): WAV masters at project settings, MP3 listening copies, loop-region renders, stems and multichannel files, AAC or 24-bit PCM for music videos, loudness logs and the ten causes behind 18 support threads. - Author: Erick Finn - Tags: Boris FX, Workflows **In VEGAS Pro 23, 2026 and 2027, choose File > Render, open Audio in the left tree, pick a WAV, FLAC or MP3 template, set the Folder and Name, and start the render. For a master or archive copy, render WAV at the project's sample rate and bit depth, and keep MP3 for listening copies. For a music video, pick an AVC or HEVC template and raise the audio settings on its Audio tab. VEGAS Pro 22 and older Sony Vegas releases use File > Render As.** My rule is simple. The first file I'd render from a finished song is a WAV at project settings, because it's the only copy you can measure, archive and re-encode later without stacking losses. MP3, AAC and video files then come from the same timeline, each with its own saved template. The one number I'd never take on trust is [the AAC bitrate inside a video render](https://soundforgepro.com/vegas-pro-aac-codec/): in VEGAS Pro 2026 before Build 143, users asked for 320 kbps and got about 125. ## Render or Render As: the menu path in each version VEGAS Pro 23 [renamed the old Render As dialog to Render](https://help.magix-hub.com/video/vegas/23/en/content/topics/1-before/whatsnew.htm?ref=soundforgepro.com) and rebuilt it around tree navigation, a use-case section and a short or full list of formats. That single change is why so many music tutorials look wrong today: they still show the old dialog. The current release, [VEGAS Pro 2027, was announced on October 22, 2026](https://blog.borisfx.com/press/vegas-pro-delivers-professional-color-management-and-faster-renders?ref=soundforgepro.com), and VEGAS now sits in the [Boris FX family next to Sound Forge](https://soundforgepro.com/boris-fx/). | Version | Menu path | What the dialog looks like | | -------------------------------------------- | ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | VEGAS Pro 2027 | File > Render | Tree with Search, Favorites, Recent, Use Case, Video and Audio; Customize... button; filter menu with Hide additional formats | | VEGAS Pro 2026 | File > Render | Same tree layout; the 2026 help's steps call the button Customize Template, and its filter is Show all formats | | VEGAS Pro 23 | File > Render | First version with the renamed, tree-based dialog | | VEGAS Pro 22 and older, including Sony Vegas | File > Render As | Output Format list and a Customize Template button | The steps below follow the [VEGAS Pro 2027 Render dialog help](https://cdn.borisfx.com/borisfx/Documentation/vegas/2027/en/content/topics/10-export/render.htm?ref=soundforgepro.com). Where 2026 uses another label, both names appear. In Render As, the logic is the same: pick an output format, pick a template, customize it, render. ## How to render audio only: WAV, FLAC or MP3 Press Alt+Enter first. The Audio tab of [Project Properties](https://cdn.borisfx.com/borisfx/Documentation/vegas/2027/en/content/topics/3-projects/project%5Fproperties.htm?ref=soundforgepro.com) holds Master bus mode, Sample rate (Hz), Bit depth and Resample and stretch quality, so it tells you what a faithful master looks like. A song mixed in a 48 kHz video project gets a 48 kHz master. Converting to 44.1 kHz is a delivery decision you make on purpose, not a default. 1. Save the project. The help lists it as a prerequisite, and rendering never alters the project file. 2. Choose File > Render (File > Render As in VEGAS Pro 22 and older). 3. Set the destination in the Folder box with Browse or Project Location, then type a file name in Name. 4. In the tree on the left, open Audio and select a format: WAV for the master, FLAC for a smaller lossless copy, MP3 for a listening copy. 5. Open the filter menu and choose Match project audio settings. The list then shows only templates with the project's sample rate, channel count and bit depth. The filter narrows the list and leaves the project alone. 6. Select a template and read the Template details panel under the list. Sample rate, channels and codec are listed there, and Estimated file size changes with the template, the audio settings and any loop region. 7. To change sample rate, bit depth or channel mode, click Customize... (Customize Template in the 2026 help) and use the Audio tab. 8. Click Render... When the progress dialog finishes, Open plays the file and Open Folder shows where it landed. ![VEGAS Pro Render dialog with Audio selected in the left tree, a highlighted template, Template details reading 48,000 Hz, 24 bit, Stereo, the filter menu open on Match project audio settings and Hide additional formats, and the gear button beside Render...](https://soundforgepro.com/content/images/2026/10/render-dialog-audio-tree.webp) Four places matter for audio: Audio in the tree, Template details, the filter menu and the gear button next to Render... A format that seems to be missing is usually hidden. The 2027 help says to clear Hide additional formats in the filter menu, while the 2026 help calls the same switch Show all formats. One VEGAS Pro 2026 user who [lost the W64 option got it back by turning off Hide additional formats](https://forum.borisfx.com/t/no-more-wav64-format/22305?ref=soundforgepro.com). The [VEGAS Pro 2027 release notes](https://forum.borisfx.com/t/release-vegas-pro-2027/26201?ref=soundforgepro.com) say all render formats are visible by default. For a 16-bit WAV from a 24-bit project, such as a CD master, put the [Dither plug-in](https://cdn.borisfx.com/borisfx/Documentation/vegas/2027/en/content/topics/9-audio/audiofx/audio-track-fx-dither.htm?ref=soundforgepro.com) last in the master chain and set Quantization depth to 16 bit. It offers Rectangular, Triangular, Highpass Triangular and Gaussian dither plus noise shaping. I'd start with Triangular, which the help credits with removing noise-floor modulation for a slightly higher noise level, and skip noise shaping below 44.1 kHz. The reasoning behind those choices is the same as in the [Sound Forge bit depth and dither guide](https://soundforgepro.com/sound-forge-bit-depth-dither/). Still deciding between formats? The [WAV vs FLAC vs MP3 comparison](https://soundforgepro.com/wav-vs-flac-vs-mp3-editing-mastering-archive/) covers which one suits editing, mastering and archiving, and the [audio file size calculator](https://soundforgepro.com/audio-file-size-calculator/) shows what each costs in disk space. VEGAS Pro 2027 lists [AIFF, AAC, MP3, OGG Vorbis, WAV, WMA and FLAC](https://cdn.borisfx.com/borisfx/Documentation/vegas/2027/en/content/topics/1-before/specifications.htm?ref=soundforgepro.com) among its audio export formats. ## Render only part of a song with a loop region Drag a time selection across the chorus, verse or edit you want. In File > Render, tick Render loop region only, which sits at the bottom of the dialog beside the gear button. That option appears only while a loop selection exists, and the [multichannel rendering help](https://cdn.borisfx.com/borisfx/Documentation/vegas/2027/en/content/topics/10-export/rendering%5Fmultichannel%5Faudio%5Ffiles.htm?ref=soundforgepro.com) notes that Loop Playback doesn't have to be on. Estimated file size shrinks to match, which is a quick sign the option took. Leaving that switch off is the classic mistake. Both public threads in which [the whole timeline rendered instead of the selection](https://forum.borisfx.com/t/rendering-full-video-instead-of-rendering-only-loop-region/21815?ref=soundforgepro.com) came from one 2026 user whose box was unticked. For several songs on one timeline, mark each as a region. The same gear menu has Save project markers in rendered media file, which writes markers, regions and command markers into formats that support them. VEGAS also ships a Batch Render script under [Tools > Scripting](https://cdn.borisfx.com/borisfx/Documentation/vegas/2027/en/content/topics/11-autoscript/scripting%5Fvegas.htm?ref=soundforgepro.com) that renders regions. Forum users report that it [names files by region index](https://forum.borisfx.com/t/batch-render-via-region-names/23791?ref=soundforgepro.com) unless you edit it, and that in VEGAS Pro 2026 it [failed with a Stereo3DOutputMode error until Build 143](https://forum.borisfx.com/t/batch-render-script-still-broken-fixed-in-b143/21682?ref=soundforgepro.com). ## How to render stems: solo, Render to New Track or one multichannel file Stems come down to one question: do you need separate files, or one file with separate channels? VEGAS has a route for each, plus a fourth for outboard gear. ![Decision chart with four stem routes in VEGAS Pro: Solo (X) then File > Render, Tools > Render to New Track (Ctrl+M), busses with Enable multichannel mapping and Channels..., and File > Real-Time Render for hardware inserts](https://soundforgepro.com/content/images/2026/10/stems-route-diagram.webp) Pick the stem route by what the next person needs: separate files, one multichannel file or a pass through outboard gear. **Separate stem files.** [Solo](https://cdn.borisfx.com/borisfx/Documentation/vegas/2027/en/content/topics/9-audio/audiotrack.htm?ref=soundforgepro.com) mutes every unsoloed track, so press X on the drum tracks, run File > Render, then change the solo group and repeat for bass, music and vocals. Master and bus effects still process each pass. I'd bypass the [master limiter](https://soundforgepro.com/vegas-pro-limit-volume/) for stems unless the mix engineer asked for printed processing, because a limiter fed one stem won't react the way it does on the full mix. **A stem on the timeline.** [Tools > Render to New Track](https://cdn.borisfx.com/borisfx/Documentation/vegas/2027/en/content/topics/7-edit/toolmix2trk.htm?ref=soundforgepro.com) (Ctrl+M) mixes the soloed tracks, or the Master Bus output when nothing is soloed, into a single stereo track saved as a new file. Envelopes and track effects are printed in, a time selection limits the length, and you pick the location and format. It's a handy way to freeze a CPU-heavy vocal chain, and the help itself suggests mixing down to save processing power. **One multichannel file.** In the Mixing Console, add a bus per channel or stereo pair and assign the tracks. Then open File > Render, choose Enable multichannel mapping from the gear menu, click Channels... and tick each bus; (Mono downmix) folds a bus to one channel. Without a mapping, the [2027 help says no multichannel file is rendered](https://cdn.borisfx.com/borisfx/Documentation/vegas/2027/en/content/topics/10-export/rendering%5Fmultichannel%5Faudio%5Ffiles.htm?ref=soundforgepro.com). WAV/WAV64, AVI and MXF can hold one, and MXF needs video. A template with more channels than your mapping leaves the extras silent, and one with fewer wins over the mapping. WMV/WMA, AC-3 and ATRAC carry surround but don't take channel mapping. The [2026 help](https://cdn.borisfx.com/borisfx/Documentation/vegas/2026/en/content/topics/10-export/rendering%5Fmultichannel%5Faudio%5Ffiles.htm?ref=soundforgepro.com) still describes this as an Enable multichannel rendering check box in Render As. **Outboard hardware.** Busses routed to hardware outputs [aren't included in a rendered mix](https://cdn.borisfx.com/borisfx/Documentation/vegas/2027/en/content/topics/10-export/exportingprojects.htm?ref=soundforgepro.com). [File > Real-Time Render](https://cdn.borisfx.com/borisfx/Documentation/vegas/2027/en/content/topics/9-audio/real-time%5Frendering.htm?ref=soundforgepro.com) records the project to .wav as it plays, so external effects end up in the file. The metronome stays out, and the help asks you to render to a local drive to avoid gaps. Without external hardware, the output matches a normal render, only slower. Plug-in formats and what each VEGAS edition bundles are covered in the [VEGAS Pro plugins guide](https://soundforgepro.com/vegas-pro-plugins/). For detailed edits on a stem or the final mix, the [Sound Forge and VEGAS Pro round trip](https://soundforgepro.com/sound-forge-vegas-pro-workflow-video-editors/) covers sending audio out to Sound Forge and back. ## Audio settings for a music video render The documented YouTube route is Use Case > YouTube > Internet HD 1080p 29.97 fps (AVC/H.264), or the matching frame-rate variant. Customize... shows AAC at 192 kbps and 48 kHz for that template. For a music upload I'd raise AAC to 320 kbps on the Audio tab and save the result as your own template, because the video platform re-encodes your upload and can only work from what you hand it. ![VEGAS Pro Custom Settings window on the Audio tab with Sample rate, Bit depth, Channel mode and AAC bitrate fields, a Template name box and the Save Template button](https://soundforgepro.com/content/images/2026/10/custom-settings-audio-tab.webp) The Audio tab under Customize... is where the AAC bitrate, sample rate and channel mode of a video template change. VEGAS Pro 2027 adds high-resolution audio to video renders: AVC/H.264 and HEVC/H.265 files in MP4 or MOV can carry [24-bit PCM or AAC, up to 192 kHz and up to 32 channels](https://blog.borisfx.com/press/vegas-pro-delivers-professional-color-management-and-faster-renders?ref=soundforgepro.com). The release post adds that the available combinations depend on the export configuration. Where your template offers PCM, I'd use 24-bit 48 kHz PCM for the archive copy of the video and keep AAC for files people stream or share. Check the result in MediaInfo, not in the dialog. Boris FX staff explained that [AAC in VEGAS is variable bitrate with no CBR switch](https://forum.borisfx.com/t/rendered-audio-is-of-significantly-lower-bitrate-than-the-bitrate-of-the-render-template/21593?ref=soundforgepro.com), so the reading won't sit exactly on the template number. A reading near 125 kbps on a 320 kbps template is a different story. VEGAS Pro 2026 [Build 143 lists improved audio bitrate handling for AAC exports](https://forum.borisfx.com/t/patch-vegas-pro-2026-build-143/24204?ref=soundforgepro.com), and earlier builds produced exactly that. On an older build, render the audio as WAV and combine it with the video afterward, the workaround posted in [the bad-audio-quality thread](https://forum.borisfx.com/t/rendered-video-has-bad-audio-quality/23540?ref=soundforgepro.com). One VEGAS Pro 2027 known issue looks scarier than it is: the release notes say the render preview can look too dark, and the output file isn't affected. ## Check the rendered file before you send it Open the gear menu in the Render dialog and tick Save loudness log next to media file. VEGAS writes a text file with the same name plus \_loud.txt in the render folder. The [loudness logging help](https://cdn.borisfx.com/borisfx/Documentation/vegas/2027/en/content/topics/9-audio/loudness.htm?ref=soundforgepro.com) says the measurement happens after the plug-in chain but before the codec, so for MP3 or AAC copies run Tools > Generate Loudness Log on the saved result, since compression can shift levels. - Compare the integrated value with your platform's target from the [streaming loudness standards table](https://soundforgepro.com/streaming-loudness-standards/), and read the [LUFS meter guide](https://soundforgepro.com/lufs-meter/) if the log's terms are new. - Check [true peak](https://soundforgepro.com/true-peak-explained/) on lossy copies, not only on the WAV. - Confirm sample rate, bit depth, channels and duration in MediaInfo or the file properties. - Listen to the last few seconds. One 2026 thread reported [MP3 source clips losing their last second on the timeline](https://forum.borisfx.com/t/mp3-files-cut-off-at-end/23331?ref=soundforgepro.com), which carries into the render; converting those MP3 sources to WAV solved it. The full pre-delivery routine, from file naming to the last listen, is in the [audio export QA checklist](https://soundforgepro.com/audio-export-qa-checklist/). ## What 18 support threads say goes wrong Across 18 published support threads, 15 on the Boris FX forum, 2 on CreativeCOW and 1 on Microsoft Q&A, audio-render problems fall into ten causes. The counts below are threads. | Cause | Threads | What fixed it | | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | ------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | AAC in AVC/HEVC renders stuck near 125–128 kbps (VEGAS Pro 2026) | 4 of 18 | Build 143; before it, WAV render plus mux | | Format or template seemed missing | 3 of 18 | Clear Hide additional formats; in Vegas Pro 11, [More Filter Options > Video templates only](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/2526401/sony-vegas-pro-11-shows-only-audio-templates-for-r?ref=soundforgepro.com); [no built-in mono MP3 in VEGAS Pro 23](https://forum.borisfx.com/t/does-export-to-mono-mp3-not-exist-anymore/24409?ref=soundforgepro.com) | | Whole timeline rendered instead of the selection | 2 of 18 | Turn on Render loop region only | | No sound or missing processing | 2 of 18 | [Include Audio switched off](https://creativecow.net/forums/thread/when-i-render-i-get-no-sound-at-all/?ref=soundforgepro.com) in older templates; a [master VST lost with busses](https://creativecow.net/forums/thread/vegas-pro-150-audio-in-timeline-but-not-in-render/?ref=soundforgepro.com) in Vegas Pro 15 | | Batch Render script errors | 2 of 18 | Build 143; edit the script for region names | | MP3 source clips cut off | 1 of 18 | Convert the MP3 sources to WAV | | Render louder and clipping | 1 of 18 | Traced to a [changed internal Multi Stream setting](https://forum.borisfx.com/t/vp-2026-audio-renders-much-louder-than-in-vp-23/22627?ref=soundforgepro.com) | | MP3 render with a VST chain far slower in 2027 | 1 of 18 | [Open; the new render engine was suspected](https://forum.borisfx.com/t/audio-renders-100x-slower-in-vp-2027/26244?ref=soundforgepro.com) | | About 60 ms audio delay with the CPU AVC encoder | 1 of 18 | [Open; QSV and NVENC renders were in sync](https://forum.borisfx.com/t/rendered-audio-is-delayed-about-60-milliseconds/23657?ref=soundforgepro.com) | | 32-bit float WAV support | 1 of 18 | [Works in 2026 and 2027](https://forum.borisfx.com/t/will-32-bit-float-audio-eventually-be-supported-in-v2027/26134?ref=soundforgepro.com) | The AAC group is the only one with enough numbers to summarize. Seven users posted the bitrate they got: their templates asked for 192 to 512 kbps, and the files came out at a median of 125 kbps, range 125–128\. The readings come from the [125 kbps despite 320 kbps thread](https://forum.borisfx.com/t/rendering-audio-at-125-kbps-though-selected-320-kbps-in-the-render-settings/21904?ref=soundforgepro.com), the [H.264 audio locked at 128 thread](https://forum.borisfx.com/t/sound-on-h-264-renders-locked-at-44-1-128bit/22806?ref=soundforgepro.com) and two more linked above, all on VEGAS Pro 2026 before Build 143\. WAV and FLAC renders in the same threads showed no loss. Two habits would have prevented most of these. Read the delivered file instead of the template, because every AAC report surfaced in MediaInfo, not in the dialog. And check the dialog's own switches before blaming the install: five of the 18 came down to a format filter, the loop-region option or Include Audio. ## Save your music render settings as a template In File > Render, select a format and template, click Customize..., type a new name in the Template box, adjust the settings and click Save Template. [Built-in templates can't be edited](https://cdn.borisfx.com/borisfx/Documentation/vegas/2027/en/content/topics/10-export/render%5Ftemplates.htm?ref=soundforgepro.com), and changes you don't save under a new name are stored as "Untitled". Your templates are .sft2 files in C:\\Users\\\\AppData\\Roaming\\Vegas\\Render Templates\\, so you can copy them to another account or PC. VEGAS Pro 2027 also builds file names from [dynamic filename tokens](https://cdn.borisfx.com/borisfx/Documentation/vegas/2027/en/content/topics/10-export/export-dynamic-filenames.htm?ref=soundforgepro.com); right-click the Name box for the token menu. The help's versioned example, %(name)\_v%(version=padded)\_%(acodec)\_%(audiobps=kbps)kbps, turns into MyProject\_v001\_AAC\_320.0kbps. Audio tokens read the selected template, and the version counter scans the output folder for earlier files. I'd put version, codec and bitrate into every delivery name, because then the file name answers which copy is final, and at what quality, before anyone has to ask. ## Verdict My verdict: render a WAV at project settings first, make every MP3, AAC and video file from the same timeline with saved templates, and judge the delivered file by its loudness log and MediaInfo, not by the dialog. On VEGAS Pro 2026, install Build 143 or later before you deliver any AAC. VEGAS Pro 2027 brings the two render changes musicians will notice most, 24-bit PCM inside MP4 and MOV and filename tokens. The broader case for the program is in the [VEGAS Pro 23 review](https://soundforgepro.com/vegas-pro-23-review/). ## FAQ ### What are the best render settings for music in VEGAS Pro? For the master, WAV at the project's sample rate and bit depth, with dither only when you drop to 16 bit. For a listening copy, a 320 kbps MP3\. For a music video, an AVC or HEVC template with AAC raised to 320 kbps, or 24-bit PCM in VEGAS Pro 2027 where the template allows it. ### How do I export MP3 from VEGAS Pro? Choose File > Render, open Audio in the tree, select MP3 and pick a template, then click Render... In VEGAS Pro 22 and older the command is File > Render As, with the same format-then-template logic. Encoder choices themselves are covered in the [MP3 export guide for Sound Forge Pro](https://soundforgepro.com/how-to-export-mp3-from-sound-forge-pro/). ### Why did VEGAS render my whole project instead of the selection? Render loop region only was off. Make the time selection, then tick Render loop region only beside the gear button at the bottom of the Render dialog; it only appears while a loop selection exists. ### Can VEGAS Pro render 32-bit float WAV? Yes. Forum users confirm that 32-bit float WAV renders work in VEGAS Pro 2026 and 2027.