Clip with Mono Audio sounds distorted after import

Hello @Adri34219162fz9t,

I am currently on leave. I will respond once I return to the office. I hope someone from the team can respond.

Thanks,
Kevin

hmm, maybe people dont use footage from instagram that much...

In the last days I had to convert 86 files, atleast from 10 different accounts. From what I saw it happens here and there, not a very straight pattern and not only very few accounts for sure. From what I seen is that it affects stories/highlights much more then Reels (for whatever reason). 

That is a rarely used audio codec. As in very rarely used. I doubt it would be worth the engineering budget to include it.

As in over a decade of active participation here and elsewhere, this is only the second time I've seen this come up.

Can we get a word from @Kevin-Monahan  if Adobe is aware of this issue?

@Adri34219162fz9t,

Bottom line, I don't see a way other than converting. This is not my area of expertise; anyone who can set us both straight(er) is welcome!

From MediaInfo, this file is using for audio:

Format : AAC LC SBR
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity with Spectral Band Replication
Commercial name : HE-AAC

See this post from 2020:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/premiere-pro-discussions/premiere-doesn-t-render-audio-properly-from-downloaded-video-clips-slowed-down-pitch-bent-etc/m-p/11539012

There the user converted, believing the problem was variable frame rate. PR handles variable framerate better now. And I suspect the fix, back then, was not only because they converted to fixed rate in Handbrake, but that it converted the audio to more regular AAC. There is no mention of HE-AAC in PR supported formats. But I also did not find AAC LC, which is what Handbrake converted it to (below).

When imported to PR, the audio is running "slow." When I change the clip duration/rate to 200%, I can understand the dialogue, but it does not run full length. The clip itself has a lot of background noise, like traffic. In VLC player, the background noise is there, but the dialogue is clear and complete.

I converted in Handbrake, but I did not try to determine the right settings. I ended up with a (still variable frame rate) stereo clip that MediaInfo said was AAC LC. It worked correctly in PR.

Note that, for whatever reason, PR auto-tags this (original and handbrake versions) as SFX and applies "Heavy Reverb"). Or is that removing heavy reverb? lol. Just pick "clear audio type."

Stan

@Stan Jones
This is an example for an Instagram story, made with mono audio. All you have to do to replicate my issue should be to download it and drag it into the timeline and play it in premiere and compare it to normal file playback. 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12hp7iP_znU2zBtXYS2vgfUJE7xpt-eUD/view?usp=sharing

The free utility app MediaInfo can tell you the full details of can audio and/or video file. Finding one that doesn't work, see what the difference is between that and one that does.

> downloading a bunch of stories or reels on instagram and then just hope you get one with mono audio

How about posting a link to one file that shows the problem? Dropbox etc.

That would make it easier to test.

Stan

I know that converting with Handbrake works, but its just super annoying when you ahve tons of small files and you dont know which ones work. 

Im just very confused why this is happening, I still have some hope that this is something I can fix but doesnt really seem thatw ay when even AE has the same problem. 

Testing is always good. Yes, so true. Even what seems to be simple parts of a workflow should be tested in with everything else. Then you know what just works.

I know Premiere doesn't work well with mp3 audio in general, that converting to WAV is a better option. There's a couple others that aren't good in Premiere.