Precise Audio Replacement Without Resetting Edits (Idea 3)

[yash-lucid]

Current Challenge: I often face this situation:

• A 20-minute MP4 video is edited down to a 1-minute final cut.
• Later, the sound designer provides a cleaned and enhanced 20-minute WAV file.
  (Using the full 20-minute audio is preferable as it enables future re-edits without requiring the sound designer again.)
  

Current Solutions:

1. Re-edit the video with the new audio file from scratch.
   Unrealistic and time-consuming.
2. Re-export the source video as ProRes with the new WAV file, then replace footage.
   Cumbersome and error-prone.
3. Duplicate sequence with media, replace the video file with the new audio file to retain cuts, and copy-paste the updated edits into your original timeline for seamless audio replacement.
   Cumbersome and time-consuming
   
   

Proposed Solution

#3. Synchronize feature that allows you to synchronize:
Allow the Synchronize feature to be intelligent enough to see that the selected new audio file matches segments from the existing edited timeline, and so it simply cuts according to the edited target, thus matching all waveforms up, and thereby synchronizing (PluralEyes- now discontinued, used to do this)

[Michael Grenadier]

gotta say that I've never had a problem with option 2 unlinking media and then relinking to an updated file.  Do this on a fairly regular basis.   Wondering if there's something wonky in your original source file.  By any chance is this from an iphone or a screen recording?  If so, could be an issue with variable frame rate...

[yash-lucid]

@Michael Grenadier thanks however this would cause me to reach my Adobe Cloud storage limit much quicker and it also adds an additional large audio+video file to mix, especially if the source video is perfectly compressed to begin with. It's also not an intuitive solution I or others would think of when the situation arises. Sources vary but mostly are screen recordings. Appreciate your input.