Audio Missing On Video Import - Premiere Pro CS6

[Mark-2090]

Yes, I still use CS6.

Conditions

I converted a MP4 video that had a variable frame rate (VFR) to constant frame rate (CFR) using HandBrake because Premier Pro CS6 had audio to video sync issues with VFR videos. When I did the conversion, I chose to use MP3 audio codecs in the HandBrake conversion. This means the audio, contained with the MP4 video, was changed from the standard AAC codec to an MP3 codec.

(Note: I chose to use MP3 codec because it seemed to give me a smaller file size versus using AAC).

Issue

The HandBrake conversion worked very well, but when I imported the converted MP4 video file with the MP3 audio, the audio was missing when trying to do any editing of the video in Premiere Pro CS6. I cleared the media cache used by Premiere Pro but that made no difference, the audio was still missing on import.

As much as Premiere Pro supports MP3, it is not importing it with the video container (MP4).

Any reason why and is there a work-around or fix?

[John T Smith]

The only times I have ever used MP3 was to import music to go along with pictures... never as part of a file

What happens if you convert again and you don't use MP3 as converted output?

[Mark-2090]

Work Around (Solution)

I believe this solution will work for any video import issues where the audio is excluded by Premiere Pro.

Premiere Pro supports the use of MP3 audio, and this led me to find a work around to this issue. Since Premiere Pro was rejecting the MP3 audio codecs embedded in the MP4 video container during import, the work around is this; 

1. Separate the audio from the MP4 video, I used Audacity, which opened the MP4 and took only the audio from it. I then saved that same audio (no editing) as MP3. 
2. I imported the MP4 video into Premiere Pro, since it rejected the audo in the MP4 file and shows no audio in the new sequence time-line. 
3. I then imported the MP3 I extracted and added it to the video time-line.
4. Since the MP3 audio was a match to the video in the first place, it should sync correctly in the time-line.
5. Now the MP3 audio is with the video and I can export it after any editing. 

@John T Smith - the reply to your question is Yes, if I use Handbrake and leave it as the standard AAC audio, there is no problem importing the MP4 with its AAC audio into Premiere Pro, it accepts and shows both on the time-line. 

Conclusion

Premiere Pro CS6 supports MP3, but at specific bit rates (128, 192, 256), where as HandBrake supports MP3 at the same and more bit rates. That said, Premiere Pro CS6 should have no problem with MP4 video containers that contain MP3 audio codecs, but it does, at least when Handbrake is used.

The problem is either Premiere Pro CS6 does not support MP3 combined with video codecs in a container (MP4) during import -- or the MP3 codecs (even at the matching bit rate) used by Handbrake are different in someway that causes Premiere Pro CS6 to ignore them, leaving them out during import.

I think it is the latter, because during my Google research into the issue, someone had said that as Premiere Pro reads the video file and finds something different that it cannot accept, it will leave that part out (ie: audio codec) or not import the entire video file (showing an error). This is not surprising since some APPs or software sometimes formats a codec in a different way that Adobe products won't recognize. 

The work around above does not fix the issue, it only allows a way to use MP3 audio in Premiere Pro CS6, so I have to import the audio and video as separate files, combining them in Premiere Pro CS6.