Audio missing from imported MP4 file in Premiere Pro 6

[Chet Hedden]

That's all I can think of to say about it.

[Peru Bob]

Please use the free MediaInfo and post a screenshot of the properties of your media in tree view:
https://mediaarea.net/en/MediaInfo

Many users are having issues with VFR. If the file is variable frame rate, use Handbrake to convert to constant frame rate:
https://handbrake.fr/downloads.php
Here is a tutorial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=34&v=xlvxgVREX-Y

Shutter Encoder may also be used to convert to Constant Frame Rate:
https://www.shutterencoder.com/en/

[R Neil Haugen]

Without any further information, I don't have anything to offer.

What's the file? What made that file? And how did you import the file? Do you mean into Premiere there's no audio, or that on a sequence there's no audio?

And what do you mean by Premiere Pro 6? The ancient CS6 version from a decade back?

Neil

[Chet Hedden]

• Without any further information, I don't have anything to offer.

  What's the file? What made that file? And how did you import the file? Do you mean into Premiere there's no audio, or that on a sequence there's no audio?

  It's an MP4 file made by VSO Blu-ray Converter Ultimate 4 from original edited in Vegas Pro 13. Audio is present when file is played with Windows Media Player, but not when imported into Premiere using FILE IMPORT.

  And what do you mean by Premiere Pro 6? The ancient CS6 version from a decade back?

  Yes.

[Peru Bob]

Please post the MediaInfo screenshot requested in my earlier reply.

[Chet Hedden]

Bob,

Happy to do that. I am unfamiliar witht the program and my attempts have all failed. Please advise steps to do it.

Thank you,

Chet

[Peru Bob]

Download MediaInfo from the link.

File > Open and choose the file.

View > Tree

Take a screenshot and post it using the Insert Photos icon in the reply box.

[Chet Hedden]

Bob, thank you for your patience with me. I understand the process. The problem is that when I take a screen shot, I save the SCREEN, not the WINDOW. Unfortunately, the window is large and one needs to scroll down to see all of it. When I take a screen shot, only the portion of the window that appears on the screen is captured, not the whole window. This appears to be a problem on my end, but I do not seem able to capture the entire window and save that as a screen shot. There must be a way to just capture the window, but I have not been able to do that.

[R Neil Haugen]

In both Windows and Macs, there's a utility that comes with the OS for doing screengrabs. And you can start it, then click-drag a bounding box of the section of screen you want to capture.

On PCs it's the "Snippet" tool, I think. Not sure what it is on Macs.

Neil

[Chet Hedden]

Neil, it's the window I need to grab instead of the screen. The problem is that the contents of the window is larger than the window itself, so when I grab the screen, no matter how big I make the window, the window is still smaller than the screen, so only part of the tree data that is displayed in the window is captured.

[Peru Bob]

Take multiple screenshots.

Take a screenshot, scroll, take a screenshot...

[Chet Hedden]

Brilliant! This might work .  .  .

[Chet Hedden]

Apparently Premiere does not want to import audio from MP4 files. I have been successful importing both picture and sound with *.AVI files. The issue I have with that approach is that the AVI video is not as sharp as MP4. The ideal remains import the MP4 video with audio. Any suggestion would be welcome!

[R Neil Haugen]

I and many others import mp4 all the time without issue.

The problem here would be the particular codec inside the mp4 wrapper.

The codec is "isom", which I had to look up, never having heard of it. That's supposedly a proprietary, rarely used codec. That from a quick online search, is problematic in all sorts of applications.

Whatever is producing those files, see if you can get a different codec.

Neil

[Chet Hedden]

I've found and downloaded several codec updaters, but they all want me to agree to other changes I don't want to bother with. They don't isolate the codec (e.g., "isom," which I can't find anywhere), but claim to be identifying all sorts of codec update packages I could get involved with. If you and others don't have this issue, it is clear that the problem is, as you suggest, with my machine, but I don't know how to go about resolving the issue without trying a bunch of "updaters." I wonder if reinstalling Premiere would help, but MP4 appears to be a recent development and my version of Premiere was probably finished before MP4 became a thing.

[R Neil Haugen]

Again, mp4 is a major used codec in Premiere and has been for years. I've done a ton, your concept that Premiere can't work with it is simply silly.

Have you tried Handbrake, ShutterEncoder, or ffmpeg? Those could probably handle the mod to a different codec within the mp4 wrapper pretty easily. Handbrake is good but the UI is rather ancient. ShutterEncoder has a newer UI, easier for more people to use at first.

ffmpeg is a full-on pro level open-source converter, with TONS of capabilities. And needs a bit of study to use.

Neil

[Chet Hedden]

I apologize if I am wrong about the age of the MP4 codec. But I don't believe I suggested that Premiere can't work with it. I meant to say that MY instellation of Premiere Pro CS6 does not play audio when an MP4 file that otherwise does play audio (when played in Windows Media Player, for example) is played with Permiere.

I have installed and examined the converters that you mention (HandBrake, ShutterEncoder, etc.), but these are converters. I have no difficulty understanding how to convert a file with these, but I am working with a good conversion that plays both audio and video using Windows Media Player. The problem is that when I import that file into Premiere, although the video is excellent and fits within space limits of a DVD burn, the audio simply is not there.

How about I send you the file and you see if it will run in your copy of Premiere Pro CS6? My goal is to take advantage of the additional controls in Premiere that can optimize the quality of a DVD burn.

[R Neil Haugen]

CS6 ... wow, that's a while back now!

I'd be happy to look at the file ... send a link.

Neil

[Chet Hedden]

I don't use the program often enough to justify the expense of a monthly subscription. I'll send the file. Thank you.

[Chet Hedden]

OOPS. I just need to know where to send it. Reply to 

[Personal information removed by moderator. Send a PM via the forum.]

[Chet Hedden]

Neil, I sent the file using WeTransfer last week but have received no notification that it was downloaded. What am I missing or doing wrong? Thanks.

[R Neil Haugen]

Just found it ... had somehow been dumped in my spam folder.

I'll look at it now.

Neil

[R Neil Haugen]

Loaded into Pr22.5 on my PC with no trouble at all, both audio and video ... enjoyed both the watching and listening, btw.

So at least here, on this Win 10 machine with Pr2022, it works just fine. Would you like the wav file export of the audio?

Neil

[Chet Hedden]

Thanks, Neil.

Slow Dance was originally shot using two cameras and edited with Sony Vegas Pro as a stereoscopic (3D) piece. Unfortunately the hardware manufacturers have phased out the equipment needed to display 3D -- primarily TVs with emitters and compatible disc players (glasses are still available). So I have rebuilt the film in 2D (flat) using just the left eye (camera) image, and output as MP4. The result when displayed as a Windows Media file looks and sounds great, but burning directly from Windows Media to disc produces an image that is not as sharp as it is when displayed in a Windows Media window, so I want to import the project into Premiere and try to burn from there because Premiere has more controls over burning that Windows Media.

That the problem of the missing audio appears to exist on my end is not a surprise. But I'm not clear on what to do about it. I could re-install Premiere and try again. I could upgrade and try again.I could run the converter again.

But your offer to send a WAV sound track is intriguing. Do you think that I could import that separately into a Premiere timeline containing just the picture and the problem would be solved?

[R Neil Haugen]

As the file would be a very standard 'modern' WAV file, it would work perfectly in your rig.

Interesting job, by the by ... 

Neil