Hi All,
 
I'm preparing to make an audio file of my piece - which has several audio tracks that feed into a bus (and a bunch of midi tracks).  How do I get the bus "output" to get recorded in the audio track that everything else is getting recorded on with no problem?  I suspect I am revealing my lack of knowledge of how all of this works
 
Thanks,
Eric

Yes, but we've all been there! DAWs work a bit differently. Rather than record a bus, you assign the bus output to the master bus along with all the other tracks, then bounce everything to a new track - select all > Tracks > Bounce to Track(s).
 
This has several really useful benefits. The two main ones are you can bounce more than once, and try different processing in the master. Another is that the final mix gets saved with the project. Also, if you like the beginning of one bounce you tried but think the mix was better on a second bounce, you can cut and split the two together.
 
The bounce/export dialog is the same, and you could also choose to export tracks. Spend some time with the help looking at bouncing and exporting, and you'll get the hang of it.

Craig I would add a potential third benefit (which I've read from you in the past).

If you mix the majority of your song down to a single stereo audio track, and then mute or archive the rest of the real tracks - you can potentially overcome latency challenges (should you have latency challenges).

Thank you. So I just make bus output master, and record master?

ericphilo
Thank you. So I just make bus output master, and record master?

No. You don't record anything. You bounce or export, depending on whether you want the audio to stay inside the project or exported for other uses (CD or so). And if everything is routed through Master Bus, as adviced, you set that as the source of the bounce/export.

Hi there,
 
Here is a little clarity; apologies for not "cutting to the chase" earlier.  Here's the thing - I can get an audio track to record the synth - the synth output is routed to the M Audio Fast Track Pro, et voila.  However, when I record I can't seem to pick up the audio I've recorded on audio tracks on the audio track I'm recording the synth on.  I figured that I just set the new audio track to record and it gets all the tracks - MIDI and audio.  Not so.  What might I be doing wrong?  Again, sorry for not being clearer at outset.

 when I record I can't seem to pick up the audio I've recorded on audio tracks on the audio track I'm recording the synth on.

 
Sorry Eric, but this doesn't make any sense at all.
It sounds as though you are trying to bounce your synth track, along with all your other tracks to the same synth track.
It doesn't work like that.
 
As already stated, you can either bounce ALL of your tracks* (or any number of tracks) to a single, stereo track, OR Export to a separate file stored elsewhere on your hard drive.
 
*Tracks in this context are either audio tracks which you have recorded or as a result of a soft synth driven by Midi
 

Ok does this make sense: I have an audio track that's recording the synth tracks.  I can't get that audio track to record the tracks with my guitar (they are audio tracks of course).  That's the problem.

So are you trying to record your guitar on the same audio track that you synth track is being recorded to?

no, sorry -     I have audio tracks with my guitar already done.  I was unclear.  Trying to get those onto the audio track I've created for putting the whole thing (synth and audio tracks) into, which then becomes MP3, etc.