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Known Participant
June 30, 2013
Question

Feature Request: Modify Audio Channels from the Timeline in Premiere CC.1

  • June 30, 2013
  • 17 replies
  • 33624 views

Why have we never been able to modify audio channels once a clip is added to a sequence?  I'm guessing there's a good reason Adobe has never had this feature.  The lack of this feature is explicitly mentioned a few times in the audio section of the Premiere Pro CC manual, as if it's a benefit NOT to have it.  But the benefit is entirely lost on me. 

In my workflow, I synchronize my double-system video and audio before anything else.  I do this in PluralEyes (and unfortunately I'll have to keep doing it this way, until PPr's sync on sound feature gets fixed—for me it's never worked).

Once PluralEyes has synched hours of footage and audio and placed it on a PLURALEYES GENERATED sequence, I import that sequence into Premiere.  Note:  Since I haven't gone through the step of creating a blank New Sequence, I don't get the opportunity to setup my audio channels the way I'd like in my sequence (i.e. Stereo recordings should occupy ONE track, not two.  Typically these tracks come from a camcorder and are used for reference sound, or ambient noise at best, so I don't need them taking up precious real estate in my sequence). 

Since PluralEyes doesn't merge my clips for me (or rather I don't want it to since I'm usually doing multi-cam sequences where I want to keep all 14, or so, tracks of audio), I have to go through the clips one by one and do a Merge Clip action once I've adjusted any minor sync issues, or determined which tracks I actually want to keep.  But, and here's the key, at this stage I'm not yet 100% certain whether I'll use the nat sound or the wireless mic sound (separate audio recorder, etc).  Furthermore, I don't really want to think about that at this point.  After I've spent a few mind-numbing hours just ingesting files, sync and merges, I want to jump into the edit as soon as possible, before I lose all will to finish this edit.  If I modify my audio channels right now, I'll lose the ability to make some creative decisions later on.

I'd like to start whacking out an assembly edit.  And then after I have a rough program, I can start looking at which audio tracks (nat or double-system) I like better in each circumstance.  This is where I become stumped that at this stage, I'm locked into whatever audio channels I've setup (or not) in the earliest stage of the edit, back before any media was actually on the timeline!  It's at this stage, and usually only at this stage that I want to start Modifying Channels—FROM THE TIMELINE!

Does anyone else feel the same?  If not, what is your workflow?

Feature Summary:  Right-click on any clip, (master clip, sub-clip, merged, nested or otherwise) in the timeline and choose Modify > Audio Channels.

I've submitted a feature request, with a link back to this discussion, so please pipe in—especially if you want this feature. 

http://content.screencast.com/users/cscooper2000/folders/Snagit%20Captures/media/1d08bacb-a4e6-4713-a3a8-81a1c3c193df/06.30.2013-10.02.png

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17 replies

FocusPulling.com
Known Participant
December 9, 2020

Disgusting as usual that Adobe has gotten the clear message on this, but after a decade simply refuses to care or even justify its decision to lock down our choices.  We get it, tsk tsk tsk, should have done it in the Project panel.  If you tell us we're in the penalty box, in truth you have no authority over us:  we'll just keep jumping ship to DaVinci.  Your call, "ref."

 

Or maybe, these Bay Area slackers will finally look up from their lattes and fix this damn obvious problem.  If you took a vote among Premiere power users, 99% would bolt their hand in the air and say YES.

 

I'm so tired of this guy and others like him handicapping Premiere...

 

 

jonpurkis
Participant
September 9, 2021

It is CRAZY that this hasn't been fixed. Please Adobe, come on! This is an absolute nightmare problem to solve once you've already edited the footage. 

Participant
November 1, 2019

Long winded but tidy work-around. Export as FCP XML, import to FCP7, uncheck Stero Pair, Export as XML, Import to Premiere CC.

 

It is annoying like crazy- but have my old Laptop still set up for situations like this. A Jnr editor had spent a couple of days on an edito for me before i realised what was done and needed to fix it.

Inspiring
April 16, 2019

I keep getting caught out by this not being a feature. I've edited the rushes - NOW I want to mono up the audio, but I can't. Only way is to modify the audio in the project panel and drag it back onto the timeline.

This should be a basic, basic function....

R Neil Haugen
Legend
April 16, 2019

Agreed. Go to the system for that sort of request, either vote one or more similar posts up or make a new one.

Then post a link back here, and some more of us will go upvote it.

Adobe *lives* by metrics. That new bug/features UserVoice system goes to the people who read the metrics.

Neil

Everyone's mileage always varies ...
ToasterBaron
Participant
January 23, 2016

I also just ran into this issue today... only moments after I was finished editing the clips in the timeline, I noticed that I forgot to select the correct audio type when I imported the clip (it put 5.1 into 6 separate mono channels by default due to the preset I selected I guess).  I'm a bit out of practice at editing video, so it was an easy step to forget... but apparently a costly one as now I have to settle for a single channel in my video instead of 6 channels all because you can't change the audio type after putting the clip in the timeline!  There are a couple of workarounds I suppose, but they are a pain in the as$!  All it took was a couple of clicks in the project browser to set the master clip to the correct setting... but then it tells me that none of the changes will take effect in any existing timelines WHERE IT COUNTS.  Figures Adobe would not be listening to users' requests when it comes to issues like this... it's just too logical for it to be a standard feature.

R Neil Haugen
Legend
January 23, 2016

It's hit & miss, but they do listen to users ... there were a few of us really "hollering" for better scopes in SpeedGrade, and that got the Lumetri scopes now used also in PrPro, a HUGE improvement from before. Many other such features.

This bit about modifying audio tracks nature or output targeting after the start of a sequence is as you put it, so needed. So please, the way Adobe works is the senior level managers (well above the program teams) who decide budgetary things like what projects engineers get paid time to work on, work heavily from the bug/feature reports that are distilled and passed up to them. You won't get a reply, it feels a waste of time, but they are actually rather important. I've filled out several on this issue over time ... and hope you'll add yours also ...

https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform

Neil

Everyone's mileage always varies ...
jsolterbeck
Known Participant
July 3, 2015

Bumping on here, two year later.  I completely agree with the original post.  I sort of liked how in FCP, a track was a track, even though stereo tracks took two.  Maybe I was just used to it, but ultimately you knew what you were looking at, and there was no bizarre nominal modification of source footage in the bins, you just did what you wanted in the timeline.  And I agree with the idea that, you don't always know which tracks you're going to want when you start, and it makes no sense at all that you can't modify them at will as you work.  I don't get Adobe's rationale most of the time though, so nothing new.  Still waiting for a number of bugs to be fixed in cc2015.  They're still there!

jamesm60817151
Participant
December 10, 2015

Is this still broken in Premiere?

I just bought PluralEyes, did my sync and IMPORTED the resulting XML into Premiere. But the dual mono tracks are combined into stereo tracks.

Is there no way to tell Premiere to interpret the dual mono tracks as separate mono tracks when importing an XML??? 

This is ridiculous! 

yes, I know how to modify clips in a project window to make them dual mono -- I have no idea how to make that the DEFAULT however, which it should be.

jamesm60817151
Participant
December 10, 2015

Looks like the workaround is to duplicate your stereo tracks in the timeline and the drop either the Fill Left with Right or Fill Right with Left plug-ins onto those tracks.

That's the fastest workaround for me.

boggyv4674728
Participant
June 4, 2015

stupid, but it works...

go to effects/audio effects/fill right with left

(or the other way around)

easy, but certainly NOT so intuitive...

there has to be a easy (read: right mouse click) solution - to be made

Jerome Raim
Known Participant
May 14, 2015

Here's a workaround that's faster than match framing and cutting back in the source:

In a timeline, select all (incorrect) stereo clips that live on a particular track (in this example, A1).

Duplicate them on the track beneath it, A2.

  1. Select the first clip on A1 → go to its Effect Controls and set the Right Channel volume to the lowest dB possible (-287.5).
  2. ⌘+C the clip
  3. Select all clips on A1 → paste attributes (Channel Volume only)

Then

  1. Select the first clip on A2 → go to its Effect Controls set the Left Channel volume to the lowest dB possible (-287.5).
  2. ⌘+C the clip
  3. Select all clips on A2 → paste attributes (Channel Volume only)

We've essentially made A1 contain only the left channel and A2 contain only the right channel. Ugly but functional.

info72
Participating Frequently
February 13, 2015

Just converted from FCPX to Premiere CC and ran into this issue today. I have 3 cameras with 2 shotgun mics, a lav and syncing with PluralEyes, had no problems with my FCPX workflow, but Premiere CC is proving to be a major problem! HELP!

Known Participant
February 13, 2015

Have you submitted a feature request? 

http://www.adobe.com/go/wish

Submit your request, and let's get this into the first release of Premiere Pro CC 2015.

info72
Participating Frequently
February 13, 2015

Feature request submitted!

Participant
November 25, 2014

This feature needs to be added ASAP...it is a major time suck having to merge clips only to reinsert them into a new timeline.

I purchased Plural Eyes to save time syncing but only lost that saved time fixing the stereo to mono problem.

Unacceptable.

Participant
November 22, 2014

Hard to believe this is still not feasible... This really is unfortunate for me. Even though I had made the changes in the preferences to treat "stereo" audio as dual mono, it seems to have defaulted back during one of the updates. Now after spending the day prepping my project to edit, I have no option but to start all over and reimport over 11 hours of footage and rebuild all 45 seqs. Go Adobe!!! Ferrrrrrnt! #lame #boohoo

Participant
November 22, 2014

Jahredi, I can empathize.  though its not 45 seqs, mine is 8, still super frustrating.   The work around for a stereo signal using the Audio Effect fill left channel with right, audio effect, might able to help...

Participant
November 23, 2014

Thanks Todd! Yes, I've used that work around before. But there's something about using an 'effect' to accomplish something so foundational and fundamental that makes me a little uneasy. I'm sure the issue can be blamed on my workflow, but it is a similar workflow that I've been using for over 15 years on multiple other NLEs. And, as many editors have unique workflows, it seems that flexibility is an important factor in an NLE. Oh well. I had to vent. I've bucked up and powered through. Just seems like something that Adobe should have addressed at some point over the past 3-4 years... Like my grandpa always said, "Press on."