Magix Vegas Pro 23 rendering AC3

[Donnje]

hi all,
Is it possible to rendering AC3 for free?
Voukoder has become a paid service
thanks

[fred_abila]

Yes — you do not need Voukoder for AC3.

Easiest free path with Vegas Pro 23:

1) Render the video from Vegas with a free audio format it already ships (AAC or PCM/WAV in an MP4/MOV/MXF template — whatever your template allows without a paid encoder pack).
2) Remux/re-encode only the audio to AC3 with ffmpeg (free):

ffmpeg -i vegas-export.mp4 -c:v copy -c:a ac3 -b:a 384k -ar 48000 final-ac3.mp4

Use 192k–448k for stereo; 384k is a solid default. `-c:v copy` keeps the picture untouched so it is fast.

If you need AC3 in a transport stream / DVD-style layout instead of MP4, write an MKV or M2TS after:

ffmpeg -i vegas-export.mp4 -c:v copy -c:a ac3 -b:a 384k final.mkv

Notes:
- Vegas's built-in MainConcept/Magix templates rarely expose a free AC3 checkbox the way older Sony builds did; that is why people leaned on Voukoder.
- Older free Voukoder builds still float around, but ffmpeg after export is the reliable free route and does not depend on a Vegas plug-in license.
- If Magix Hub offered an AC3/DVD encoder pack with your license, install that from your account downloads — that is the only in-Vegas free option, and many Pro 23 seats do not include it.

Say whether you need AC3 for Blu-ray/DVD authoring or just a file that MediaInfo reports as AC3, and we can tighten the ffmpeg line.

[Donnje]

I currently save with Vegas in WAV and then with Audacity I convert it to AC3 but I wanted to use only Vegas so there is no solution

[fred_abila]

Right — Magix Vegas Pro 23 still does not ship a free AC3 encoder in the stock render templates, so there is no pure Vegas-only free path. WAV out of Vegas, then convert, is the free route most people use. You can skip Audacity and do the same step with ffmpeg if you prefer one command: ffmpeg -i timeline.wav -c:a ac3 -b:a 448k timeline.ac3 then mux that AC3 back onto your video if needed. Magix sometimes sells or bundles an AC3 option through their store or older MainConcept packs, but that is paid. For a free workflow, Vegas to WAV plus ffmpeg or Audacity is the practical answer.

[Donnje]

thanks