Problem exporting WAV Dolby 5.1 in VEGAS Pro (1 min works, 1h46 fails)

mamomo wrote on 3/19/2025, 7:58 AM

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to export a WAV file in Dolby 5.1 using VEGAS Pro 22.0, but I'm encountering a problem.

🔹 Issue description:

If I export a short segment (1 minute), the render completes successfully.

But when I try to export the full file (1 hour and 46 minutes), I get an error saying that the file exceeds the maximum size allowed for the selected format.

I know that Sony Wave64 (.w64) supports Dolby 5.1, but I need to export it as a standard WAV file.

My hardware shouldn't be the issue (RTX 3070, i9, 64GB RAM, plenty of disk space).

🔹 What I've tried so far:
✅ Reducing dynamic RAM preview allocation.
✅ Testing different bit depths (16, 24, 32-bit).
✅ Checking if RF64 can be enabled in VEGAS, but I can't find the option.
✅ Exporting in Sony Wave64 and then trying to convert to WAV, but I can't find a tool that maintains Dolby 5.1 intact.

🔹 Additional question: Easy LTRT conversion?
I also need to convert the Dolby 5.1 mix into LTRT (LtRt) stereo.

Is there a simple way to do this in VEGAS Pro, or do I need an external tool?

If an external tool is needed, which one would you recommend for a fast and accurate conversion?

🔹 Questions:
1️⃣ Does VEGAS Pro have a file size limitation for WAV Dolby 5.1 exports?
2️⃣ How can I enable RF64 in VEGAS Pro to bypass the WAV file size limitation?
3️⃣ What is the easiest way to convert Dolby 5.1 to LTRT (LtRt) stereo while maintaining quality?

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

Comments

Dexcon wrote on 3/19/2025, 8:09 AM

Have you tried this with Vegas Pro 22 beta build 243? ... especially if your computer has a clean install of Windows 11 24H2 where AC3 support has been dropped by Windows 11. Though I haven't tried it, beta build 243 has a Vegas fix for AC3:

  • Support for AC3 media on Windows 11 systems with update 24H2 installed 

Cameras: Sony FDR-AX100E; GoPro Hero 11 Black Creator Edition

Installed: Vegas Pro 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 & 22, HitFilm Pro 2021.3, DaVinci Resolve Studio 19.0.3, BCC 2025, Mocha Pro 2025.0, NBFX TotalFX 7, Neat NR, DVD Architect 6.0, MAGIX Travel Maps, Sound Forge Pro 16, SpectraLayers Pro 11, iZotope RX11 Advanced and many other iZ plugins, Vegasaur 4.0

Windows 11

Dell Alienware Aurora 11:

10th Gen Intel i9 10900KF - 10 cores (20 threads) - 3.7 to 5.3 GHz

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8GB GDDR6 - liquid cooled

64GB RAM - Dual Channel HyperX FURY DDR4 XMP at 3200MHz

C drive: 2TB Samsung 990 PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 PCIe SSD

D: drive: 4TB Samsung 870 SATA SSD (used for media for editing current projects)

E: drive: 2TB Samsung 870 SATA SSD

F: drive: 6TB WD 7200 rpm Black HDD 3.5"

Dell Ultrasharp 32" 4K Color Calibrated Monitor

 

LAPTOP:

Dell Inspiron 5310 EVO 13.3"

i5-11320H CPU

C Drive: 1TB Corsair Gen4 NVMe M.2 2230 SSD (upgraded from the original 500 GB SSD)

Monitor is 2560 x 1600 @ 60 Hz

mamomo wrote on 3/19/2025, 8:25 AM

Well, I haven't tried it because I don't have it, now I see that it can be downloaded. Thank you, I try it and I tell you ...

DMT3 wrote on 3/19/2025, 8:25 AM

The standard WAV file format is limited to 4gb.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadcast_Wave_Format

mamomo wrote on 3/19/2025, 11:11 AM

Hi everyone,

I’ve now tested VEGAS Pro 22 beta build 243, and unfortunately, the issue with exporting WAV in Dolby 5.1 still persists.

🔹 What I tested in the new beta:
✅ Exporting the same 1-hour-46-minute project to WAV Dolby 5.1 → Fails due to file size limitation.
✅ Trying different bit depths and sample rates → No change.
✅ Checking for RF64 support in VEGAS → Still not available.

Since WAV has a 4GB size limit, this seems to be the core problem. RF64 support would be the ideal solution, but it's still missing in VEGAS.

Current Workaround

For now, I’m exporting in Sony Wave64 (.w64) since it supports large files and Dolby 5.1. However, this is not ideal because many external tools don't support converting .w64 to standard WAV without losing metadata or surround channels.

🔹 Any official word on RF64 support?
🔹 Is there any external tool that can safely convert .w64 to WAV without downmixing or affecting Dolby 5.1?

Additionally, I’m still looking for a simple way to convert Dolby 5.1 to LTRT (LtRt) stereo while preserving phase accuracy. Any recommendations?

Thanks again for the help!

john_dennis wrote on 3/19/2025, 1:15 PM

@mamomo

I don't have time to try the workflow but I'll give you a hint of where I would start.

Concatenating multiple multi-channel wav files : r/shutterencoder

john_dennis wrote on 3/19/2025, 8:17 PM

@mamomo Does this method meet your requirements?

I don't work with surround sound so I used some OTA ATSC files from my DVR.

mamomo wrote on 3/24/2025, 3:32 PM

✅ I’d like to share that this beta version is working exceptionally well for me. In my experience, it’s much more stable than the latest official release.

One of the most frustrating issues I used to face was with the “Auto Ripple” tool (the one that shifts all events forward when you move a clip). In previous versions, VEGAS would freeze if I used Auto Ripple and then hit "undo" (Ctrl+Z) — especially in large and complex projects.

Since installing this beta, that behavior is completely gone. I can now use Auto Ripple and undo actions without any crashes or instability.

I’ve been working for several days with this build and beyond this specific fix, overall I notice improved stability and performance, especially when editing multitrack audio.

👍 Very happy with this version. Thanks to the development team for continuing to refine the software!

mamomo wrote on 4/16/2025, 3:10 PM

🎧 How to Properly Export 5.1 Audio from VEGAS Pro 22 (Build 248)

Alternative workflow using WMA Pro + Adobe Audition

🔹 The issue:
Since VEGAS Pro 22 Build 248, exporting to Wave64 or standard Microsoft WAV (PCM) using 5.1 surround no longer works as expected. When importing the exported file back into VEGAS, only the first stereo pair appears—the remaining channels are either blank or missing entirely.

🔹 The workaround that works for me:

🎬 Export from VEGAS using Windows Media Audio V11 (WMA Pro):

Go to Render As > Windows Media Audio V11.

Set the audio format to:
Windows Media Audio 10 Professional

Use custom attributes:
768 kbps, 48 kHz, 5.1 channel 24 bit CBR

Save this template as:
WMA Pro 768kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 24bit

✅ This will generate a high-quality WMA file that preserves all 6 channels.

🎛️ Convert to Multichannel WAV using Adobe Audition:

Open the .wma file in Adobe Audition.

Make sure Audition recognizes the 5.1 channel layout.

Go to File > Export > File, and choose:

Format: WAV (PCM)

Sample Type: 48000 Hz, 5.1 channels, 32-bit float (or 24-bit if preferred)

Enable ✅ Include markers and other metadata

The result is a fully compatible multichannel WAV file ready for use in other DAWs or playback platforms.

🔹 Why this works:

This WMA Pro format supports true 5.1 with much smaller file sizes than WAV.

Adobe Audition correctly extracts and re-renders the multichannel audio to uncompressed PCM.

🔹 Limitations:

Not every platform supports WMA Pro natively.

Requires Adobe Audition (or similar) to convert to WAV.

📣 Has anyone else experienced this issue with 5.1 export in the latest VEGAS build?
Have you found another solution that keeps all channels intact?

john_dennis wrote on 4/17/2025, 11:28 AM

Could you post a Mediainfo report for the file generated by Adobe Audition?

mamomo wrote on 4/17/2025, 1:42 PM