Skip to main content
E
eawood_
Inspiring
March 2, 2021
Answered

premiere pro is mixing up my audio files with different clips

  • March 2, 2021
  • 4 replies
  • 7275 views

*editing on Macbook pro, using the most recent updated version of premiere, filming on Canon XA11*

 

Ive been using premiere for like 6 years now, and only in the last few months have I had this problem, and it is driving me INSANE...wondering if anyone out there will have a solution, because I went as far as to CALL adobe, and they didnt even know what was wrong, so here goes....

 

premiere is mixing up my audio files with different clips. it'll play video with audio from a completely different clip. i film, upload from SD card to external LaCie solid state drive, then upload them into my premiere project file where I proceed to organize footage into bins and label them. I use a mic that I plug into camera's XLR port, so audio is already synced when I upload footage.

 

Basically what's happening is the SD card will have files w/ simialar names, like a file from a week ago and this week will both be automatically labeled something like ".000001" just the numbers sd cards label things in order. I have them all under one project folder in my LaCie SSD, but each day's shoots are in seperate folders, all under the one project folder on the SSD. I've cleared media cache, that doesnt seem to help.

 

Adobe customer service told me to make the media w/ incorrect audio offline, then re link it. This works about 50% of the time, and the other half of the time it just stays the same with the same wrong audio. It's really weird! I'll go to relink the footage, direct it to search the folder where I know it to be, and then I'll play the clip off my SSD to make sure, and sometimes premiere will think the audio is different/wrong even coming straight off the harddirve where it's searching for it, but when I play that same video from my harddrive, it's the right audio. In addition, sometimes the clips will play fine, then after I render they'll be audio from another clip again.

 

I don't know why this is happening, and it's insanely frustarting. It's never happened before. I'm currently editing a 90 minute project, and this is taking up an obscene amount of time when I could be cutting sequences together.  Is there a different way I could be directing the camera to label the footage on the SD card?? I'm currently using AVCHD format, should I switch it to MP4 when filming? AVCHD is slightly higher quality, which is why I've been doing that. I'm just so confused and no one seems to know what to do....please help!!!

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Kevin-Monahan

    Eawood,

    Sorry about this frustrating anomaly.

    The deal is that with card based media, you must import the footage via the Media Browser. I suspect you may not have imported card-based footage via Media Browser. It does warn you about this in the documentation. If you do not do so, the metadata needed to differentiate clips that are named the same thing by your camera's manufacturer does not carry over into Premiere. Same thing with "spanned" clips.

     

    Problem: once you change the directory or move the clips at all, they become "lost" without that metadata. Relinking errors would then ensue. That is why you are seeing this problem that can only be solved by good import "hygene," meaning to always import with the Media Browser and avoid dragging footage directly from the folders into the project. 

     

    To fix this problem, there is no quick way that I know of. You have to manually link the clips to the proper original media. Not always an easy thing to do. If anyone else has tips, please let me know. It sounds like a feature request for some kind of warning is in order. For example, when importing certain kinds of media, a warning box stating the proper way to import the clips must be followed could be launched. One thought is that if you moved clips back into their original directory, the paths might be able to be relink clips more easily.

    Thanks,
    Kevin

    4 replies

    A
    Adeleke33706407emql
    Participant
    November 18, 2023

    I had a very similar challenge recently andd here is the simple hack I applied. Select the entire files in the specified folder, right click and 'make offline'. Now, select the same files again, right click and 'link media'.

    That's it!

      K
      Kalie27003246wfm4
      Participant
      September 20, 2024

      This advice worked for me just a few minutes ago, THANK YOU!

      M
      Maya28328242o3yg
      Participating Frequently
      February 9, 2023

      Hi! I'm having the same exact problem nearly two years later. You're the first person I've found who's had the same problem. Did you ever resolve the audio mix up issue? 

      R Neil Haugen
      R Neil Haugen
      Legend
      February 9, 2023

      Are you working a format with the audio files same as above? All named the same thing in-cam?

      Everyone's mileage always varies ...
      M
      Maya28328242o3yg
      Participating Frequently
      February 9, 2023

      Yes, I recorded in AVCHD and my clips come in as MTS files (Ex: 00001.MTS). My problem is almost exactly the same. For example, a clip named 00001.MTS from shooting Day 1 will mix up with a clip named .00001.MTS from shooting Day 2.

       

      I've tried relinking. That doesn't work. I've tried renaming clips in the AVCHD folder by clicking the "Show Package Content" pathway. The clips disappear from the AVCHD folder and I can't find them when I'm trying to relink. I have videos of all of this happening if that would be helpful.

       

      The solution this board came up with in 2021 was importing AVCHD media through media browser. However, I already do that and my problem still remains. Thank you for any help you can offer!

      R Neil Haugen
      R Neil Haugen
      Legend
      March 2, 2021

      I work daily with colorists ... some of whom also edit ... but they all have to 'conform' project into whichever grading app they're using. And one thing I'll hear "screamed" every once in a while is "AVCHD should DIE!!!!!!!!!!"

       

      I personally avoid it if at all possible because of the way it separates the audio and video in separate folders and data-bits that then have to be re-linked for any usage.

       

      When working with AVCHD or any other spanned type media, you need to copy the folder structure from the camera card to the computer whole. Which sucks right off the bat.

       

      Then to give PrPro the best chance of keeping audio/video linked, you must import via PrPro's MediaBrowswer panel, select a folder of media and "import" or ingest the folder. That's far more likely to keep links working than drag/drop from Finder/Explorer, or in my experience, even right-clicking in a bin of the project file.

       

      You might test whether in your deliverables the AVCHD is actually visually better quality than the mp4.

       

      Neil

      Everyone's mileage always varies ...
        Kevin-Monahan
        Community Manager
        Kevin-MonahanCommunity ManagerCorrect answer
        Community Manager
        March 2, 2021

        Eawood,

        Sorry about this frustrating anomaly.

        The deal is that with card based media, you must import the footage via the Media Browser. I suspect you may not have imported card-based footage via Media Browser. It does warn you about this in the documentation. If you do not do so, the metadata needed to differentiate clips that are named the same thing by your camera's manufacturer does not carry over into Premiere. Same thing with "spanned" clips.

         

        Problem: once you change the directory or move the clips at all, they become "lost" without that metadata. Relinking errors would then ensue. That is why you are seeing this problem that can only be solved by good import "hygene," meaning to always import with the Media Browser and avoid dragging footage directly from the folders into the project. 

         

        To fix this problem, there is no quick way that I know of. You have to manually link the clips to the proper original media. Not always an easy thing to do. If anyone else has tips, please let me know. It sounds like a feature request for some kind of warning is in order. For example, when importing certain kinds of media, a warning box stating the proper way to import the clips must be followed could be launched. One thought is that if you moved clips back into their original directory, the paths might be able to be relink clips more easily.

        Thanks,
        Kevin

        Kevin Monahan - Sr. Community and Engagement Strategist – Adobe Pro Video and Audio
          E
          eawood_Author
          Inspiring
          March 2, 2021

          This may be a dumb question but how to do import thru the Media Browser? I've always just clicked and dragged from SD card, to external harddrive, to premiere pro... How do I do this the "correct" way w/ the Media Browser? 

           

          I think you're right about that feature request as well....This definetley feels like a bug that Adobe should look into, or at least prompt doing it the right way via a warning of some kind, similar to the "change existing settings" pop up when importing clips into the timeline that automatically fixes aspect ratio problems...that's just what came to mind when you said that. Let me know about the Media Browser, thanks!

          R Neil Haugen
          R Neil Haugen
          Legend
          March 2, 2021

          Upload the full contents of the camera card to a folder on your computer. That's the first step.

           

          Then once that's done, in PrPro, go to the MediaBrowser panel, navigate to the folder of media, right-click and "import" or "ingest" media.

           

          Neil

          Everyone's mileage always varies ...
          Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
          Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices