Merge clips without splitting stereo audio into 2 different channels

[Fearless_Mind]

I'm working with a pretty standard interview type setup.

I've got my camera and a separate audio recorder recording stereo.

I would like to keep my audio as a single track stereo file, so that i can add stuff like fades and volume changes to both channels simultaneously.

However when I use the merge clips features to sync up the audio automatically, it splits the audio into two separate channel tracks so i can no longer do this.

and when i go to modify the audio channels of the newly created merged file i can not select stereo from the clip channel drop down menu.

I know i can drag the original audio file into the sequence and use the synchronize feature, but i would really like to avoid taking that extra step.

So how can I use merge clips and retain the audio as a single track 2 channel stereo file?

any help is very much appreciated

[Meg The Dog]

Is the original camera clip a stereo or two track mono file?

If it is a two track mono file,  try modifying it to a stereo file (you can do this in bulk) and then merge with the stereo externally recorded track.

MtD

[Fearless_Mind]

thanks for the suggestion, however the original camera clip is also a single track stereo file.

[AVLien]

Meg_The_Dog, any word on this?  I can't believe there aren't more posts about this, since it is still happening 2 years later. It's an inconvenience I grant you, but counting all of the "inconveniences" ("features"?) with Premier now, they're eating up a lot of our time. I can't undersatand how this is expected behavior, since it is modifying tracks from their original format. Maybe if everyone intended to mix in 5.1/7.1, but there are plenty of people who just want to sync different mics.

Anyway, if I do as you suggest then merge the stereo track again, it will just seperate the channels again.

[durendal1]

I have the same problem here. I even tried to import the stero sound and the video on the timeline, drag-drop them in my folders and drag-drop the merged file back, and it still becomes 2Ch Mono.

Happens with wav, mp3, any "merged" sound file goes from stereo to 2 mono

[arteta]

Same problem for me. My audio file is a single track stereo file but it is splitted into two mono tracks once I merge it with a clip.