Rendering a Comp group to stereo or mono?

[Mark Swanson]

I used to know the answer to this simple question, and I am sorry to have to ask it again! I am using Waveform 13, and doing some comping with vocal tracks.
When it comes time to render the finished comp, it automatically gives me a stereo track and I want a MONO resulting track. I cannot find or recall how to change it, selecting "render to a new track" just gives me a stereo track with no other options. Thanks for your help- I know it's simple but I can't find it.

[Watchful]

It's a mono track if you center it. It's not until you pan it that it becomes stereo by changing the balance off center. The way you make it mono is by keeping it centered--then you have equal output going down each channel. In other words, you shouldn't hear a difference between a pure mono track split between headphones, for example, and a centered stereo track on those same headphones.

Waveform uses a summed R+L to produce mono. Some DAWs don't, and you need two channels to produce stereo. That's why, when you're comping vocals, you see only a mono track on each lane/take.

Caveat: if you're using a stereo reverb, stereo delay, stereo saturation, etc., on a centered track, yes--you can impart stereo onto a centered track.

Let me know if you're hearing something different and we'll try to figure out what's going on.

There's a Waveform plugin--Mono Switch--which you get to by going to Waveform > Utility in the plugin menu. You might use that to test my claim, here (which I'd appreciate), but it's really meant more for swapping polarity. Having said that, it might be what you need to "kill" any stereo imparted on your track by an effect plugin.

[dysjoint]

Not something I use much but had a quick check out of interest. Source: mono drum track recorded from Roland TD11kv.
Record multi takes in loop mode. Show takes. Perform comp 'swiping'. (Note in case relevant: 'Enable seperate edit cursor' checked in the general settings tab.)
1: Render Track: fails, only captures audio from first take.
2: Render clip: works. Produces a mono or stereo (dual mono) clip, depending on whether you select 'stereo' in the render dialog.
3: Left click/Swipe to highlight the comped clip, followed by right click 'Consolidate' produces a mono clip automatically.

[dysjoint]

PS: as an aside about creating mono from summed stereo, the way I know to do it perfectly is use Kilohearts Gain plugin inside a rack. Feed left and right inputs to the same (either) input on Gain plugin. Set Kilohearts Gain plugin to percentage mode and type 50%. This sums left and right and precisely halves the level. Then route this summed signal to both left and right rack outputs.
To isolate the side signal, do the same thing but add a volume and pan plugin to one (either) of the inputs, before Kilohearts Gain, and invert the polarity.

[Mark Swanson]

Thanks for your help so far friends.
The answer I am looking for isn't in any way as complicated and I don't need to use a plug in to accomplish it.
Here is what I am seeing-
Gather a few tracks and assemble them into a Comp Group.
Using the Comp Editor, make a few sweeps from the different tracks. Then click the Comp Group menu and select "Render comp to another track". Then the rendering begins, the popup shows but there is NO dialog or anything that allows me to make any choices or selections about what I want the finished track to be, and it spits out a stereo track showing two waveforms, as any stereo track will. All I want it to do is give me back a mono track, just like the other tracks in the Comp group.
I know there is a way to use the rendering dialog to tell Waveform what I want it to do, because I remember using it some time ago but I don't remember just how to do it.
Dysjoint, thank you but the way you tested this feature didn't work the same way as my example shows. You must work within the Comp Editor and render from there to see what I am talking about.
Thanks!

[dysjoint]

Right, gotcha. I see what you mean yes, that doesn't work the same way. A quick workaround seems to be that the comp tracks can still be packed to a submix, and if you render the submix track you get the full render dialog with option for stereo or mono.

[Mark Swanson]

Yes but if you render the submix track all you end up with is all of the takes in the Comp group mixed rogether- you don't get the rendered Comp unless you render it under the "Comp group" selection.

[dysjoint]

OK, I'm lost then, we might be talking about different things. Using the submix method I get a rendered comp.
Also selecting all the clips and using the 'pack clips to takes' option gives a comp clip that can then be rendered down with the stereo or mono option available.

The whole thing is a bit clumsy, I'll give you that. Shouldn't be necessary to find a workaround for something so simple.

Screenshot 2026-02-23 160214.png

[Mark Swanson]

Ok, thanks for your work here- I will have to look a bit deeper I guess. I swear I just recall a simple setting somewhere, but maybe I am dreaming!