[While there are many programs than can convert audio file types, such as those that are
specifically intended for audio use (Cool Edit, Audacity, Tunebite, etc.), and also others 
that are primarily intended for video editing, Sony Vegas offers more options than most 
other programs do for audio file conversions.]


To convert audio file types using Sony Vegas -- 

A) Open Sony Vegas. 

B) Go to "File" (the far left selection in the top bar of Vegas - the one that also has 
"View", "Insert", "Tools", etc. [some Vegas versions may call this "Project"]). 

C) Click on "File", and from the drop-down menu, select "Import", then "Media". 

D) Navigate in the window that opens to where the files you want are. 

E) Click on one of the files in the selection window (with "All Media Files" selected 
for the "Files Of Type" line if you can't find it otherwise in the correct location on the 
computer). Click on "Open" while the file selection is highlighted. It will then appear in 
the Vegas "Project Media" window. If that is not open above the Vegas window selection 
tabs ("Transitions", "Project Media", "Video FX", "Media Generators"), click on the 
"Project Media" tab. 

F) In the "Project Media" window, click on the file with the left mouse button, and (with 
the button held down), drag the file onto an empty timeline audio track and then let go of 
the mouse button. The file will open in that track. It is best not to place the new audio 
over or under any other audio in the timeline (although those other tracks can be "silenced" 
instead, if desired). It does not matter if other audio in the project has different file 
characteristics from the new one (such as MP3 vs. WAV). 

G) Note that a blue line appears above the file, giving its time length. In the area just above 
the timeline footage scale (hours: minutes: seconds; frames) and below the blue line, click 
near the left end above the audio file when a "<-->" icon appears instead of the mouse 
pointer, and, while holding the mouse button down, slide the mouse to the other end of the 
audio file to make a "grey bar" over it to mark the "Loop Region" for the file rendering. 

H) Go again to "File" (or "Project" in some program versions) and select "Render As". 
In the box that opens, under "Save In" at the top, name the file location where you want it; 
under "File Name", choose a name (it can be the same as the original, since the file type 
will be different); and under "Save as Type", select the type of file you want. Click on 
"Custom" to make sure it properly describes what you want, such as "PCM, 44,100, 16, 
and stereo" for WAV for CD, and hit "Cancel" or "OK" if it is correct, or select other 
values if not (the WAV audio sample rate should be 48,000 for video, for instance). The 
"Custom" MP3 box permits a wide selection of choices, and I recommend "128Kbps, 
44,100Hz" as a good general compromise between quality and file size. Also choose for 
MP3s "Quality", and "Stereo" (which deselects other options automatically). If you want 
to save a custom settings combination, you can do that by naming it under "Template" 
and clicking on the "Floppy Disk" icon in the "Custom" window to save it. 

I) Make sure to put a check mark in the "Render Loop Region Only" box, then click on 
"Save" and the file will be rendered and it will appear where you specified. 

J) Repeat with the other files you want to convert, and you then have files you are ready 
to write to a CD (if 44,100 KHz 16-bit stereo) using a program that can write audio CDs 
(not just data CDs...) such as Windows Media Player or iTunes, send in emails (if compact 
highly-compressed MP3s), etc. 

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