Determining audio track type in timeline

[aynsb]

Hey there,

Is there a way to know what type of audio tracks exist in a sequence after it's been created?  I've tried everything I can think of, and can't find this information.  Really hoping there is a direct way to know whether audio tracks that exist in a sequence are mono, stereo, adaptive, etc.

Thanks!

[R Neil Haugen]

Right-click on a sequence in the Project panel, 'Modify/Audio Channels", and you get a dialog with that sort of info. Also, if you right-click on the audio on a sequence, you can select "Audio channels" and you get that info.

Neil

[Trevor_Asq · Accepted solution]

There's little symbols on each track (you may have to increase the track heigh)

speaker icon for mono

routing icon for adaptive

5.1 for...

no icon for 'standard'

[aynsb]

Thanks, Neil and Trevor.

Neil, I think what you're describing is maybe the output produced by the overall sequence- the configuration of its master audio I guess you could say.  I'm actually wanting to know that information for each individual track within the timeline.  Thanks for the info, though, that is also helpful!

Trevor, I think I see what you're you're referring to.  Very helpful!  And very easy to miss.

[I just edited out a big chunk I had previously written in this thread... answered my own question.]

Cheers!

[Trevor_Asq]

I see you figured out the following and edited your question but, in case it helps you or others:

Absence of icon = standard track (which is a 'stereo' track).

There are different pan/gains applied for mono source in standard/stereo timeline tracks and stereo source in mono timeline tracks. See notes below

Audio gain can also be applied via clip mixer / clip gain and (this is a major gotcha for inexperienced in premiere editors) the track mixer.

Best practice is to not use a PP sequence template but to create your own & have everyone use that, for consistency.

Heres my notes on sequence 'master' modes:

SEQUENCE AUDIO MASTER MODES:

Mono - 1 output only - no pan, no assignment, no mapping

Stereo - 2 outputs only - LR pan - no assignment - mapping to 2 inputs to 2 outputs on adaptive tracks

Multichannel - 1 to 32 outputs - LR pan - assignment of mono/stereo to 16 pairs (even when only 1 output) - mapping n inputs to n outputs on adaptive

5.1 - 6 outputs only - no pan - no assignment - mapping 6 ins to 6 outs on adaptive tracks

And Heres my notes on sequence 'track' modes:

AUDIO TIMELINE TRACKS:

Mono - Take mono (unity), stereo (centre pan -6dB) can be panned and MC assigned

Standard - Take mono (centre pan -3dB), stereo (unity) can be balanced and MC assigned

Adaptive - Take mono (centre pan, unity), stereo (unity), adaptive

  Allow INPUT mapping (e.g. Front Left to all 4 tracks)

  Allow OUTPUT mapping of that track (e.g. 1 to 1,5 &12, 2 to none) BEWARE have seen summing of previous material

also NB - Adaptive tracks have the same number of channels as its sequence - can be mapped, balanced and MC assigned

5.1 - Take 5.1 only

ensure sequence audio tracks are 'adaptive' for stereo or multichannel. - REALLY? I think they can be Stereo and less complicated

LR pan on multichannel inputs is amount of input passed through

[R Neil Haugen]

Trevor's responses are awesomely informative, aren't they?

Actually ... when you do as I suggested, it gives you a list of the tracks & types. But it's not nearly as quick to use as Trevor's comment about expanding track height if you know the icons for track types.

A much more useful & elegant answer.

Neil

[aynsb]

Hi Neil,

I don't know if maybe I"m misunderstanding, but when I right click on the sequence in the project panel and select Modify/Audio Channels, I don't get a list of all the different timeline tracks.  I appear to be getting information about the sequence audio master mode- the output config of the sequence as a whole.  And when I right click on the audio in a sequence and select Audio Channels, I get information about the clip itself, as opposed to the timeline track that it's on.

If I'm understanding correctly, the icons that Trevor is describing in the timeline pertain to the timeline tracks and how they deal with the audio clips contained within them.  For example, I could have a single channel mono clip in a standard timeline track.  The absence of icon in on the timeline will tell me that the timeline track is a "standard" one, while right clicking on the clip within that track will tell me that the clip is single channel mono audio.  (And when that clip is played in the standard track, my understanding from Trevor's info is that it will play centre panned, at -3 db.)

I really appreciate all the discussion of this.  For whatever reason the audio configurations in PP have been something I've only ever partially understood every time I've tried to get a handle on them.  And Trevor, really glad that you saw my additional question before I edited it out!  (Won't do that again...)  The info about how different kinds of timeline tracks deal with gain etc on different types of audio is exactly the information I needed, and would never have expected.  It is super helpful to see this breakdown.

I am left with one big question, though:  does anyone know WHY Premiere chooses this grab bag of default gain settings for different track/clip combinations?  Why does it not just default to outputting everything at unity??  I realize now that it was these differences in gain that were at the root of my confusion, and I was really tearing my hair out trying to figure out what was going on.  Maybe I'm missing something fundamental about audio mixing, but I really can't see the purpose of this.

Thanks for your input, all!

[R Neil Haugen]

PrPro can at times show different things ... so what I'm seeing you may not be. Again, don't know why.

Even with all this time in PrPro, I didn't understand that base differences in gain settings for various types of tracks vary. So ... yea, that was a ​most​ helpful post of Trevor!

The Adobe ... Help? ... files/"manual" are rather spotty. At the top layers, they're more engineer-speak for what a "feature" does than info on how to use that tool. They normally do have links in those pages though, and by drilling down through the links one can often get to information that is like Trevor's post, very useful to know. However ... sometimes when you drill down, you get to a page that is for two main builds back.

You're more than welcome to post a feature-request form for better manuals/help files ...

Neil

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

[aynsb]

Awesome, thanks so much for this, Neil!  This is great insight into the quirks of both the software and documentation.  All around a very productive thread; kudos to you both!