Can't enable all channels / Right channel appears grayed out in Waveform

[alexs99565313]

I batch converted all my clips from mono to stereo, and now I'm having an issue. I'm new to Adobe Audition, so I'm hoping this is something super simple that I'm just missing!

In the multi-track, I can hear the sound coming from both channels. But when I go into the Waveform for each clip, the sound comes from only the left channel. I see waveforms in the right channel, but it appears grayed out. When I click on Edit/Enable Channels, it looks like only the Left channel is selected — but when I click on "All Channels" or "Right Channel" to enable them, nothing happens.

Any idea what could be happening here?

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

For a start, you haven't achieved anything by converting your files - they're still mono, just spread across two channels; that doesn't confer any more operability with them - you can do nothing useful with a dual mono file that you can't do with just the single channel one.

If you can't turn one of the channels on, then the chances are that the metadata was corrupted somehow, or Audition has got itself into a faulty mode (this has happened before...). So firstly, close it and re-start it. If that doesn't fix anything, then restart it with the shift key held down. This will restart Audition with all the preferences set to their initial state. If that doesn't work, then you'll have to post the file somewhere so we can have a look at it.

But just to be clear - you have a file with information in both channels, but one is greyed out. And you can't click on the little square on the RHS of the waveform display to make it go green again?

[alexs99565313]

That's correct — in the Waveform, there's information in both channels, but the right one is grayed out. The little "R" square is also grayed out, so I can't click on it to enable that channel.

In the multi-track, the same clip looks like it's a mono clip, meaning I only see one waveform. But when I look at it in the Files window, it says it's "Stereo" (under Channels).

To be specific, this is what I did before this happened: I used Batch Process to apply an effect to multiple clips, and in the Export Settings for that Batch Process, I had it export the new files as Stereo.

Let me know if this additional information gives you any other ideas as to what might be happening? I just re-started Audition and nothing changed. If there isn't any other simple explanation for it, I'll try restarting with Shift to reset the preferences, but I'd like to only use that as a last resort. 

Like I said, I'm quite new to this so I apologize if there's a dead simple explanation I'm not aware of!

[alexs99565313]

Looks like I'm having the exact same issue as this person: https://community.adobe.com/t5/Audition/All-the-stereo-track-shows-in-mono-on-my-multitrack-project/...

Perhaps the simplest solution is to convert all my files back to mono? But I am quite confused about why this is happening!

[_durin_]

What probably happened is this:

• You had mono clips in stereo tracks in Audition's multitrack.  The clips reference the first (and only) channel in the file.
• You converted the source media using Batch Process.
• The multitrack project clips are still mono clips, referencing the first (now of two) channels in the original file
• You double-click the clip to view the file in waveform view.  By default, since multitrack is only referencing a single channel, only that channel will be enabled.

As Steve mentioned, you haven't actually created stereo files, and Audition isn't using the second channel in any way.  two-channel audio files with duplicate content in both channels simply take up twice as much disk space.  You CAN convert everything back to mono if it's too late to start over with the original mono clips.  But you can also just continue with what you've got now and just take care next time.  This won't work if you're trying to cut sections out of the files in waveform view, but I wouldn't recommend editing that way.  Instead, apply your cuts in Multitrack view, which will be non-destructive and not change the original files at all.  IF you MUST delete sections of the originals, double click the WAV file itself in the Files panel to open it in Waveform view with both channels enabled.

[alexs99565313]

This is helpful, thank you! 

For the purposes of this project, I ended up converting everything back to mono, which worked just fine. I had found the original instructions to batch convert everything into stereo in a course I watched, but it does seem like that's a pointless operation.

Just for my understanding — is there no way to get the multitrack project clips to reference both channels in the file?

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

I don't know if it's exactly the same, but it's similar, yes.

But like I said, there's no point in converting mono files to stereo, regardless. If you place mono files into a stereo session, you get a Pan control on the track, so you can position them where you want them in the stereo field anyway, and if you play them on their own, most systems will output them to both channels.

[defaultqe1e0yo3nvz7]

There is a point. Stop saying that. If your goal is to merge all the audio files into one file to edit then yes there IS A POINT. 

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

Please keep your competely irrelevant comments to yourself.