1. This assumes you have obtained the mix you want. In the Multitrack View in Adobe Audition (Cool Edit Pro), go to Edit/Mix Down to File/All Waves and click. This will create a 2-track stereo mix of your song. You will automatically be taken to the Edit View displaying the mix waveforms.
2. Play through the song, watching the meters. If the red “Over” lights come on, estimate how hot the signal is. Hit Control/A on the keyboard to select the entire song waveform. Go to Effects/Amplitude/Amplitude and select a volume reduction (I usually start at 3dB unless I’m pretty sure it’ll be smaller, in which case I type in “-1” for the reduction in the data window). Click OK (or hit Enter) and the song will be reduced in volume by the amount you selected. Continue the process until the whole song plays through without “Overs”.
3. Trim the beginning and end of the song. The waveform will typically have some silence at both ends. Highlight the portion you want to trim off, and hit Ctrl/X on the keyboard. Now is the chance for any other tinkering you want to do, such as adding reverb.
4. Hit F11, set the downsamplng to 44,100kHz and 16 bit, enable dithering, then click on OK or hit Enter. This will convert the waveform to 16-bit.
5. Go to Files/Save As and save the converted waveform mixdown with the name of the song. I find it useful to save it in a folder with “16” in the title which lets me know that the conversion has been done.