iZotope RX 12 Import, Export and Safe Saving

Use three separate files for serious RX work: an untouched source, an RX Document for reversible editing, and a newly exported audio file for the DAW or delivery. Saving an .rxdoc preserves the source and edit history, while exporting WAV, AIFF, FLAC, OGG or MP3 creates audio other applications can open.

Do not choose Overwrite Original File merely because it is faster. It is appropriate when a controlled external-editor round trip must update a known working copy, but it replaces that file on disk. Duplicate the source or rely on a verified DAW copy before using it.

These instructions use the standalone Audio Editor included with RX 12 Standard and Advanced. Elements is a plug-in package; when using an RX insert in a DAW, export through that host instead. Check the RX edition comparison if the Editor or a particular stem-splitting module is missing.

Save, Save As, RX Document and Export are different

The RX 12 saving and export reference distinguishes Save, Save As, RX Documents and audio export. The current keyboard shortcut guide also lists Overwrite Original File. Choose by the file you need to preserve or deliver, not by how similar the labels sound.

Nine steps for a reversible RX file workflow

1. Protect the source. Duplicate the recording or confirm that the DAW created a separate working media file. Keep the untouched original outside the export destination.
2. Open and inspect the working copy. Turn Composite view off for a single-file job. Check duration, channels, sample rate and required start time before repair.
3. Save a named RX Document. Use File > Save RX Document and a stable project, take and revision name to preserve a starting checkpoint.
4. Apply the approved repair. Audition with Preview or Compare where available, then Render the chosen processing. Preview alone does not commit the repair.
5. Save the revised checkpoint. Name useful Undo History events and save the RX Document again. Preserve settings separately when you need to repeat a process.
6. Choose the export scope. For an ordinary excerpt, turn Instant Process off, use the Time selection tool (T), and check active channels. Otherwise choose the whole file, named regions or the intended stem view.
7. Match the destination. If the required sample rate differs, use Resample with Change tag only off, apply the conversion, and recheck peaks. Choose suitable bit depth and metadata; plan dither at the final integer quantization.
8. Export to a new path. Write the chosen audio format separately from the source and RX Document. Do not add a second dither stage if one already completed this same output conversion.
9. Verify the actual output. Reopen or re-import the exported file and check duration, channels, sync, sample rate, bit depth, peaks, metadata and audible transitions. Save the RX Document after any final processing changes.

The result is an identifiable source, a saved restoration checkpoint and a delivery file. If a repair is rejected, return to the RX Document or protected recording. The module-control reference distinguishes auditioning settings from rendering them; an export is not a command to apply a repair you only previewed.

What an RX Document actually preserves

An RX Document is not just a renamed WAV. iZotope's file documentation says it includes the original file, the edits applied to it, and the most recent selection and view state. The document opens in RX Audio Editor rather than a normal DAW or media player.

An .rxdoc is useful when a client requests a softer De-click pass or a different Spectral Repair choice. Return to an earlier history state and apply the revised treatment; later processing may need to be repeated. Do not assume a rendered history event behaves like a live plug-in insert whose parameter can be changed without rebuilding later edits. Repeated whole-file processes can make the document very large, so allow for archive and backup space.

The separate RX 12 Undo History reference also documents Export History as XML. That XML is an audit log of actions; it is not an audio master and should not be treated as a replayable replacement for the RX Document.

Autosave is recovery, not an archive plan

With Reopen previous audio files when app starts enabled in Preferences > Misc, RX can retain open tabs and unsaved session changes across relaunches. The working-files manual describes this recovery behavior. It does not guarantee that every crash or damaged session can be recovered.

A recovery state can be changed, cleared or tied to one workstation. A named RX Document stored with the project is easier to identify, copy and retain. Use autosave as a safety net; use an .rxdoc and normal project backups as the record you expect to survive.

iZotope’s session-data troubleshooting instructions warn that clearing that folder can lose unsaved work. Save recoverable work as named documents before following any cache-reset procedure. A WAV export alone will not retain RX Undo History.

For day-to-day audition and rollback inside one open session, the RX Preview, Compare and History workflow explains how to keep candidate repairs and selections intelligible.

Import without changing the project assumptions

Before processing, note the incoming file's channel count, duration, sample rate, bit depth and any production timecode or Broadcast Wave metadata that matters. A repair can sound correct yet fail delivery because a stereo source became mono, a selected excerpt replaced the full take or a timestamp disappeared.

WAV, AIFF, FLAC, MP3 and OGG are among the documented inputs. The file reference also lists AAC, Audible AAX, BWF, CAF, M4A, SD2 and WMA, with platform or format dependencies. Treat that as a format catalogue, not a promise that every container or codec combination will open on your system. Supported video imports load audio only; RX does not play the picture. If an import fails, obtain a compatible audio export from the originating application and verify its timing and channels.

Lossy input such as MP3 or OGG has already discarded information; another lossy encode can introduce more loss. If the uncompressed production source exists, use it for repair. FLAC is different: its compression is lossless, so a compressed filename alone does not mean the audio has suffered a lossy generation.

Choose the right export scope

Export Selection writes the current selection rather than the entire file. For a normal full-band excerpt, use the Time selection tool (T) with Instant Process off so drawing the range does not apply another repair. Inspect the channel selectors as well: disabled channels are excluded from selections. For stereo work, verify both channels and confirm the channel count in the exported file. The default shortcut is Shift-Command-E on Mac or Ctrl-Shift-E on Windows; custom shortcuts can differ.

Export Regions to Files exports each region in the current file separately. Filenames use region names and an optional suffix; duplicate names receive sequential numbers. The documented default destination is the source folder, so select your delivery folder explicitly. For processing separate input files rather than regions of one recording, use the RX Batch Processor workflow.

For separated audio, follow the RX 12 stem export instructions. Displaying one stem in its Stems tab lets File > Export write that stem, or Export Selection write its selected audio. With All Stems displayed in Stems view, File > Export writes all stems to separate files; Export as Single File writes their sum. Lane playback and editing controls are not a substitute for choosing the right export command.

WAV, AIFF, FLAC, OGG or MP3

RX 12 currently exports WAV, AIFF, FLAC, OGG and MP3. Choose by destination, not by which extension looks familiar.

• WAV or BWF: the usual production handoff when uncompressed audio and metadata compatibility matter.
• AIFF: another uncompressed option when the receiving workflow requests it.
• FLAC: lossless compression for smaller archival or review files when the receiver supports it.
• MP3 or OGG: lossy delivery or preview formats, not the preferred intermediate for another restoration pass.

WAV export offers BWF for extended Broadcast Wave header information and Preserve Non-Audio Data for source metadata. AIFF also offers Preserve Non-Audio Data. Set these for the receiving workflow and inspect the actual output; a file extension by itself does not verify a required timecode or description field.

Bit depth, dither and production metadata

Keep sufficient resolution while further repairs remain. Dither addresses quantization when converting to a lower integer bit depth; it does not change sample rate. Complete processing and any required sample-rate conversion before the output’s dither stage. Avoid unnecessary intermediate reductions and do not dither twice for the same conversion.

iZotope’s dithering guidance includes floating-point processing to 24-bit integer as a case for dither, not just 24-to-16-bit delivery. It recommends no dither for a 32-bit floating-point export. If the next editor accepts a floating-point intermediate, that avoids an early integer reduction; if 24-bit is required, treat that export as its own quantization step. Use either the final export dither or a deliberately configured last dither module for that conversion, not both.

RX 12's WAV export offers 16-bit, 24-bit, 32-bit float and 32-bit integer choices; AIFF exposes the same current choices. FLAC supports 8-, 16- and 24-bit output. The RX 12 reference also documents BWF and Preserve Non-Audio Data options for WAV, so decide whether production metadata must travel with the rendered audio.

For a sample-rate change, use the Resample module and apply the conversion before exporting. Leave Change tag only off for normal conversion: it changes the declared rate without resampling and therefore changes playback speed and pitch. Recheck output peaks because resampling can alter them. Preserve the project’s required duration and start alignment.

“Preserve metadata” is still something to verify, not assume. After export, inspect the receiving application and compare any timestamp, description or origin fields essential to conform and archive work.

When Overwrite Original File is appropriate

Overwrite Original File is used in external-editor workflows that must update a known media file. The iZotope Premiere Pro handoff describes revealing the source, editing it in RX and overwriting it, and explicitly warns that this is destructive. The RX 12 shortcut guide still lists the command; verify that the destination is your backed-up working copy.

The safe version is to let the DAW duplicate or render the clip first, verify the new file path, open that copy in RX, and overwrite only that controlled copy. The RX and Premiere Pro workflow explains why a duplicated timeline clip may still reference the same media and therefore is not automatically a disk-level backup.

For a true send-and-return process, follow the RX Editor, plug-in and Connect decision guide. Do not substitute Overwrite Original for Connect without understanding which file the host expects back.

A naming pattern that survives revisions

Use names that expose identity and state: project_scene_take_source.wav, project_scene_take_restore-v01.rxdoc, and project_scene_take_restore-v01_24b.wav. Add a revision only when the content changes; add the delivery property only when it prevents ambiguity.

Keep source, RX documents and renders in separate folders. “Final,” “new” and “fixed” do not sort reliably and tell the next editor nothing about channel layout or approval state. A short readme or delivery manifest can record the chosen source, exported filename and intended destination.

Verify the file after export

• Reopen or re-import the actual exported file, not the still-open RX tab.
• Compare duration, start position, channel count and channel order with the requirement.
• Confirm sample rate and bit depth in the destination application.
• Listen across the first repair, the loudest section, selection boundaries and the tail.
• Check peaks after lossy encoding when MP3 or OGG is required.
• Verify BWF or other required metadata in the receiving workflow.
• Confirm that the untouched source and RX Document are still present and readable.

A successful export dialog only proves that a file was written. It does not prove that the right range, channels, version or metadata were delivered. The Learn iZotope RX hub connects this file discipline with selections, spectrogram navigation, Module Chains and the beginner workflow.

Common saving mistakes

Saving an RX Document and sending it to a client as audio: export a normal WAV, AIFF, FLAC, OGG or MP3 as requested. Keep the .rxdoc as the editable archive.

Trusting Undo History after closing the project: preserve the state in an RX Document instead of assuming temporary recovery will remain available.

Exporting the wrong selection: choose Time selection for an ordinary excerpt, check active channels and reopen the result. Do not assume a spectral editing rectangle represents the full-band audio you intend to deliver.

Overwriting a DAW source that multiple clips share: create and verify a new media file first. A duplicated clip on the timeline may still point to the same disk file.

Adding dither automatically on every save: avoid needless reductions; use one deliberate dither stage for each required final integer quantization. Check for a second enabled dither stage in the export settings or downstream host.

Export disabled in a trial: iZotope’s RX 12 Standard download page states that export is disabled in its 10-day trial. The demo policy also identifies saving and exporting as disabled in the standalone RX trial/demo. This is a product-mode limitation, not necessarily a broken file or wrong selection; plan delivery with a licensed installation.

Hand off the render without losing the edit trail

A delivery folder should make the approved file obvious without exposing the client to scratch renders. Include the rendered audio, a short manifest with source and output properties, and any requested checksum or notes. Keep the RX Document and untouched source in the working archive unless the recipient specifically needs them.

Record the RX version, exported filename, whole-file or selection scope, channel layout, sample rate, bit depth and whether dither or a lossy codec was used. For picture work, add the expected start time or timecode. These notes help the recipient place the correct revision and investigate a mismatch without guessing.

If another editor must continue the restoration, send the RX Document only after confirming that their RX installation can open it and that the transfer has enough space. Also provide a reference WAV so they can hear the approved state without first reconstructing the session. The reference is not a substitute for the editable archive; it is a clear target for comparison.

Frequently asked questions

How do I export audio from iZotope RX 12?

In a normal audio tab, choose File > Export for the whole file or File > Export Selection for the current selection. Choose format, encoding and a new destination, then reopen the output. In Stems view, Export writes separate stems; Export as Single File writes their sum.

Does an RX Document contain the audio?

Yes. iZotope says an RX Document includes the original file, applied edits, and the latest selection and view state. It can be large and opens only in RX Audio Editor.

Does exporting a WAV keep RX Undo History?

No. The WAV contains rendered audio, not the editable RX history. Save an RX Document when the ability to revisit earlier processing matters.

Will Save overwrite my original file?

For uncompressed WAV or AIFF sources, RX documents Save as updating the original file on disk. Protect the source or use Save As and verify the new path.

What does Overwrite Original File do?

It replaces the opened file on disk. Use it only for an intentional external-editor round trip after confirming that the target is a protected working copy.

Can RX export only part of a recording?

Yes. Use Export Selection for the chosen excerpt. For ordinary full-band audio, turn Instant Process off, select the time range with T, check active channels and verify the exported duration and channel count.

Which audio formats can RX 12 export?

The current RX 12 reference lists WAV, AIFF, FLAC, OGG and MP3. Use uncompressed or lossless output for production intermediates unless the destination requires a lossy format.

Is RX autosave enough for a long restoration?

No. Session reopening can help with recovery when enabled, but it is not a guaranteed crash backup. Save a named RX Document and include it in the project’s normal backup plan when edit history must remain recoverable.