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I'm looking for a quick way to get an in-process Pro Tools mix onto an audio CD.

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As with any DAW, export it to a stereo .WAV file (in Pro Tools I believe this is called "bounce to disk", and then burn that file to an audio CD in your favorite CD burning program.

TomWij gave a great answer using Pro Tools and iTunes but this can be done with most any DAW and burning software.

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Does this help you?

To create an audio CD that can be played in any standard audio CD player:

  1. Export your tracks from ProTools as AIFF or WAV files (i.e. "Bounce to disk"). Save them to a folder in a known location, such as the Desktop.

  2. Launch iTunes from the Dock (if not on the Dock, you'll find it in the Applications folder on your hard drive).

  3. Click the "+" icon on the lower left side of iTunes to create a new playlist. Name the playlist whatever you like.

  4. Drag your AIFF or WAV files into the playlist. Drag files up or down in the playlist to change their order. If necessary, adjust track volume or start and stop times by selecting a track and hitting Cmd-I (for Get Info), then selecting the Options tab.

  5. Insert a blank CD

  6. Make sure the playlist is selected -- not a track or tracks -- and click the Burn icon in the top right corner of iTunes. Burning will begin.

To create a data CD that can be read on either Macs or PCs:

  1. Insert a blank CD. After a few moments, it will appear on the desktop.

  2. If you like, rename the blank to something like "Audio Backup" (to rename a file or folder on the Mac, click its name and then wait a moment -- the name will become editable). When the recipient of the CD inserts it into their computer, this is the name with which the disc will appear in their Finder or Explorer.

  3. Drag your files or folders onto the blank CD icon.

  4. When done, drag the CD icon to the trash. The trash icon will turn into a "burn" icon. The Mac will ask if you actually want to burn the CD at maximum speed. Click Burn and burning will begin.

Note: Test your burned CD on both a PC and a Mac before mailing to others!

— Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism - Knight Digital Media Center - Audio - Pro Tools - Burning

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As a little bonus you can also bring out the levels on your premix by importing the bounce back into Pro Tools and adding some compression and EQ, then again bouncing that new mix. Just be aware that doing so can possibly skew the the original sound of the mix but it's a cheap way to boost the levels for CD output.

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  • You shouldn't do this. You want to make an actual professional master of your mixdown after it is done. This way you won't skew your sound while boosting your levels. Compression and EQ are a big part of this, but that's way too basic for making a professional sounding master. You can buy mastering plugins for pro tools or an automatic mastering system if you don't know how mastering is done. Automatic mastering systems are great for anything electronic, but I suggest to master manually for any non electronic songs as what is needed for the master tends to vary a lot more from song to song.
    – Michael MacDonald
    Commented Mar 7, 2012 at 20:34
  • @MichaelMacDonald, It didn't sound like the OP was looking for info on mastering, rather a quick route to CD.
    – JoshP
    Commented Oct 9, 2012 at 14:12

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