Quality Audio Gain vs. Audio Mixer

Is there a quality difference between using Audio gain or normalization instead of only increasing oder decreasing audio volume in the audio mixer?

A friend of mine - coming from Audio Applications working with ProTools and Logic says, that Gain always require resample and new quantization that results in quality loss...?! I don't hear any difference...!?

Similar Messages

Audio Mixer Won't Slide

We are currently editing a project that has lots of sound fx. When I open the audio mixer I can only adjust the level slider on 3 of my tracks. All of the other tracks say -inf, and they won't move. Even if I enter a number in the box it stays at 0. Any ideas?

You have to have your playhead in the timeline parked over what you want to adjust. If there is no audio where the playhead is located, the audio mixer will behave like you describe.
In order to adjust audio where your playhead is not, highlight the clip/s in the timeline and use modify -> audio -> gain +/-

Getting a good Audio mix

SPOILER ALERT - rookie here...
..it's getting better, but i've had some difficulties getting a good final audio output.   There are 2 tracks, dialog and "background" music,
and i basically mix to bring up the dialog sometimes, (while also reducing the music), or vice versa, depending on the clip.
I'm using the audio mixer with the "Touch" method of automation. Actually, my first burn had an acceptable "mix", although
the ENTIRE level was too low, so i remixed, turning down my computer speakers, and running each track a little hotter. I'm a little
confused as to which meter i should be watching - the master meter in the mixer, or the meter that appears alongside the
timeline, which seems to vary somewhat.   If i use the timeline meter, it's hard to get it UP to -12db, and the audio mixer meter
doesn't seem to be adjustable.    Often, the audio 1 dialog can be pretty high, but the output volume just isn't a lot.
I've also played with the normalize track feature, and discovered that if i set it at, say "-8db",
it churns for awhile and gives me an errmsg regarding having to go to 0db, therefore not possible. I've been through a few tuts
but not finding some of the fundamentals i think i need to get this right. In short, the mix is pretty good, it's just that the final output
level seems too low.   (I have to play it at about 85 % volume on the dvd player).   MAYBE this is much ado about nothing, and
it's all perfectly normal, but i don't know enough yet to know one way or the other.    After working with vectorscopes and RGB parades
for awhile, i find it comforting for the system to tell me if it's correct, instead of relying on my own observation, although i guess that's
what needs to prevail at the end of the day/

Using the audio gain feature is for sure the easiest method of turning an entire sequence up, just as Jim correctly described by nesting everything then turning the gain up.
One thing I'd really recommend though taking a look at using in the future is a compressor. Once I started using one for my audio levels I found that it made my life extremely easy. Once you have it setup correctly it will raise your lows and lower your peaks for you. Basically what it does is reduce volume once it reaches a certain threshold. Then using the makeup gain option it also adds gain to the audio. I generally just apply the dynamics effect to entire audio tracks. The other great part about the dynamics effect is that it has a limiter on it as well. Which is wonderful because you can set a limit of -10db for example and it won't allow anything to go over that point. So it makes it very easy to achieve consistent audio levels. So normally I always put a dynamics effect on my master track, with only the limiter enabled. So that nothing can go over whatever value I set. Then I use the dynamics effect using the compressor/makeup gain only as needed for the rest of the tracks. However depending on what your exact needs are that setup may or may not make since for you. I really think that it sounds like using this effect could be helpful for you though, so you might want to try it out.

How do I increase my sound using the Audio Mixer?

I needed to raise the volume of a clip I had in my Premiere Elements project. Somehow, I managed to do it. When I play the clip with the Audio Mixer open, I see the slider bar way at the top at a +3 which is great for the clip I have. I have another clip from the same event and I also need to raise the sound to a +3. I THOUGHT I had selected the clip, and then simply slid the bar up. I did this a few days ago. Now I am trying to raise the volume on another clip by sliding the bar up but it has no effect. I may have edited the start and end of the clip but I wouldn't think that would have any impact. I would think that any volume changes could be made to a trimmed clip. Anyone have any thoughts? Thanks.

Rick
Have you explored Normalizing the clips....Clip Menu/Audio Options/Audio Gain
Please see "Adjust the Input Level of Clips" in the following Adobe document
Adobe Premiere Elements Help | Mixing audio and adjusting volume
Are you working with Music Score Soundtracks?
Are you working with 5.1 channel audio?
Generalizing...you should be able to volume change an audio clip that has been trimmed.
ATR

Audio Mix Problem

This has been driving me crazy for the last three hours and the deadline is end of day tomorrow. Here's what's happening:
I'm working with FCP 4.5 on a G5 Dual 2Ghz, OS 10.3.9. I finished editing a short 15 minute piece for a client. It consisted of some live footage of various places. The footage was all imported via a DV converter from VHS-C and Hi8 cameras. Audio was set to 48kHz There was a lot of editing to get the 2 hours of footage down to 15 minutes. As I was editing I was adjusting the audio volume of each clip so that the levels were similar from clip to clip. When playing back the timeline and watching the Audio Mixer window everything was fine. The faders would change as the playhead moved over each clip. Then we did a voice over. I made sure that the sample rate was set to 48k. That all went well. I then exported a mix for Soundtrack and created a music bed in Soundtrack. The Soundtrack project was set for 48k. I exported that mix and then imported the resulting .aif file into FCP. I added that to the timeline and that's where my problem began. The piece opens with some graphics for the first 30 seconds. The voiceover starts right away. When I play the timeline and look at the Audio Mixer everything looks fine. The voiceover channel (3) shows the audio level and the fader is at 0. The music bed channels (4/5) shows the levels and the fader is at zero (except for a brief bump up to +2 for a few seconds and then back to zero. And the audio for the video clips (channels 1/2) shows -inf on the fader and there is no signal, which is correct. Now when the playhead hits the 30 second mark and the audio from the video clips is supposed to enter; the channels for that audio never indicate any level, and the faders don't move from -inf. Also all of the other channel meters stop indicating the level. They just stop working. But the audio from the video clips is not even playing. I should be able to hear the on-scene audio when the video clips start. Even though all of the meters stop working the audio from the voiceover channel and the music bed do continue to play.
I looked through all of the appropriate settings and found the one for 'number of channels for live mixing' (or something similar) and it was set for 4. I thought that was going to solve everything, but unfortunately it didn't do anything. FWIW playback quality was set to 'low' on that same settings page.
Interestingly enough, if I just click in the timeline in random places while it is stopped, the faders will all move to what they are supposed to be set for at that point in time. However, if I play the timeline from that point there still won't be any audio levels indicated on the meters and the faders will not change as the timeline continues to play.
I can't think of anything else to try. I did reboot. I searched the archives here and didn't see anything similar to this problem. I'd really appreciate if someone could offer some suggestions. I hope I explained everything clearly enough.
Thanks,
Chris

Did the audio that won't play back now, playback
before you brought in the files from Soundtrack?
Yes, the audio tracks from the video clip played back fine before I brought in the Soundtrack music.
Is it possible you could have overwritten those
channels when you brought in the Soundtrack file?
No, because the Soundtrack music bed is on audio tracks 4/5 and the original audio from the video is on audio tracks 1/2. Also I can delete the Soundtrack file from the timeline and the audio on tracks 1/2 will play again and the meters and faders will respond properly.
If you load the problem clips in the viewer, do they
playback their sound?
I think they did, but I'm going to have to try again to be sure. I'm on another computer right now. I will do that within the hour and update this post.
Have you tried doing an audio mixdown?
rh
By mixdown, do you mean exporting the audio from the timeline? If so, I haven't done that because since I'm not hearing the audio from the video tracks I'm assuming it won't be in the mix when I export.
Thanks for helping out. I'm going to try a few more things and post back.
Regards,
Chris

Unable to perform multi audio tracks mixing with Audio Mixer

How do you get a simple multi track mix with the Premier Pro 1.5 Audio Mixer?
I got 2 audio clips, each sitting at the start of its own separate track (Audio 1 and Audio 2). I just want to mix them into the Master track. Simple enough.
So I go to the Audio Mixer. Position the CTI at the start of the tracks and hit the red RECORD button. The red spot starts blinking. Then I hit the START/STOP button expecting the tracks to start mixing into the Master track. Instead, I get this error message
"PLAYER ERROR: You cannot record without enabling at least one track for recording."
I get the same problem if I try the mix onto a submix track.
What am I missing? I combed through the Premiere Pro User Guide and J. Rosenberg's Premiere Pro Studio Techniques but to no avail.
Thanks for any help.
JB.

Jacques, I havn't seen 1.5 for a while, so I need to stress that what I'm about to say is more of an educated guess linked to a rough memory.
Each audio track in the mixer has a small chip (tickbox in 1.5??) that you click in order to enable that track for recording. In CS3 it's a little microphone.
Having said that, I DON'T think that's going to give you what you want, as the intention of the recording functionality in PP is to record audio FROM AN EXTERNAL SOURCE (like a microphone) straight to an audio track, say, when doing a Voice Over for some video.
You can't "mix down" to the master, as the master is not a track per se. It's just a "final" level control. The master will always be the sum of the active tracks, and THAT'S what will be rendered in the final output.
You can still "live mix" your audio with the faders, it's just that those movements get recorded as keyframes on each of the tracks you modify (including, BTW, the Master).
The advantage to this workflow is that every fader move you make is infinitley editable... a small error when riding the faders can easily be fixed by dragging keyframes.
HTH.
Matthew

How do I fix bad Quality audio recording in Captivate 4

I am having trouble recording decent quality audio in Captivate 4.
What is happening is after I do the screen and audio recording when I play it back the audio is choppy.
It also kind of sounds like the audio is quickly echoed and then clipped.
Finally this clipping and choppiness seems random when it happens.
I tested this by recording 5 minutes of the demonstration (which recorded with only 1 glitch in the beginning).
When I just recorded the second half when I played it back in Captivate it was very choppy again throughout the audio making the complete session unusable.
I am doing full motion recording of an application at 1024x768. I have tried all audio recording bitrates and have even gone up to 128kbps 16bit mp3.
I am using a high quality Audio-Technica AT2020 USB microphone.
I am running Windows Vista Service pack 2 fully updated with 4GB of memory on an Intel xeon W3503 2.4Ghz in 64 bit mode.
I have installed the latest patch update http://www.adobe.com/support/captivate/downloads.html 4.4.0.1 hoping that it waould solve the audio bugs to no avail.
Please let me know what else I may need to do to get Captivate 4 working like it should.
Are there any other settings or tests I should perform to get audio recording working.
Why would I even want to pay for Captivate 5 if Captivate 4 has worked so randomly for me.
Using 3rd party software like Audacity and even Adobe Soundbooth seems absurd when Captivate has audio recording built in.
For the time being I have gone back to Camtasia on another system because it actually seems to work but need to get Captivate working on my own system.

Try "Rapid Recorder" from store....it works well.

__is there a way to save a preset for audio mixer settings...??

I have CS5
Looking to speed up the process so that I don't have to redo the audio mixer settings for every project - rather just tweak where needed.
So wanted to setup the audio mixer how I want it - and just have it set as default for all projects or have some automated way to apply the same audio mixer settings to each new project.
What's the best way to do this my people ?
Thanks!

I agree with Jim Simon. Creating your own template is a good workaround to what would be a good feature.
The ability to save audio presets (and more) is in my feature request list for Pr:
http://forums.adobe.com/message/4392211#4392211
Please add your voice to the chorus requesting this feature, and any (or all) of the other useful features on my list. Adobe listens. Strength in numbers. Here's the feature request link:
https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform
Bookmark it.

5.1 Surround audio mixing

Does anyone have some recommendations for a good 5.1 surround audio mixing program?

You might be interested in my post from the Compressor forum on exporting from FCP to Compressor 2 for Dolby Digital:
Here is my procedure for a basic 5 channel project consiting of one stereo pair for the front speakers, a mono track for the center, and a stereo pair for the rear speakers.
First make a copy of your FCP surround project and name it as such.
i.e. My Project saved as My Project_surround
This will leave your original project untouched as a two channel mix should you wish to provide the user of your DVD with a seperate mix optimized for stereo only playback.
We will now be changing audio track assignments.
"My Project_surround" will now not play all tracks in your stereo audio monitoring environment unless you have a soundcard with at least 5 outputs.feeding a surround speaker set-up.
(or you use the Audio Mixer from the Tools drop down to monitor a downmix to two channels)
Open My Project_surround.
Let's assume that your timeline has a stereo pair "A1/A2" for the front L/R speakers, a mono file "A5" for the Center, and a stereo pair "A3/A4" for the rear speakers, Ls, Rs.
Use command "0" (zero) to open the project properties.
Go to the Audio Outputs tab.
Choose 6 from the Outputs Tab.
in the 1/2 grouping choose stereo (leave downmix at "0").
in the 3/4 grouping choose stereo (leave downmix at "0")
in the 5/6 grouping choose "dual mono" (turn off 6 using the downmix drop-down)
Click OK. (ignore the warning that pops up)
In your timeline we will assign your tracks to the appropriate output channels.
In the empty gray area next to the lock icon on track A1 right click, or control click, and you will get a dropdown menu
In the audio outputs sub menu choose 1 & 2.
Do the same for A2. (choose 1 & 2)
For A3 and A4 use the same procedure now choosing outputs 3 & 4.
For A5 choose 5.
Save the project.
In FCP export menu choose Export/Audio to AIFF(s)
(create a new folder on your media drive to hold your exported files)
You will get four files named after the project appended by: 1-2, 3-4, 5 and 6.
Delete "6" as it is a dummy/empty file.
Close your project.
Close FCP.
Open Compressor. In the batch window click on the speaker icon to open the "import surround sound group".
In the graphical interface either drag the file with the 1-2 suffix to the left speaker icon, or click the icon and choose the file.
Compressor will intelligently assign the left channel of the file.
Repeat by dragging or choosing the same file for the right speaker.
Compressor will intelligently assign the right channel of the file.
For the mono center file either drag the file with the "5" suffix to the center speaker icon, or click the icon and choose the file.
Use the same procedure for the Ls and Rs assignments.
Once done click OK.
Click to select your new group in the Batch window and from the dropdown menu choose "audio formats/Dolby 5.1"
Setting up your Dolby settings as a preset for this project is now up to you.

What's the highest quality audio format to import CD?

I've a 40 GB iPod. the system default to AAC. But i'm planning to buy a Shure e4c ear-plug and want to make sure i've the best quality audio format recording in the ipod.
could someone tell me what audio format yields the best audio quality to import CD? i'm only used less than 20GB of the ipod.
so i don't mind using the best audio format which may take the most space.

Simple answer: Apple Lossless. You will hear the song at the same audio quality level as on the CD--at about half the size.

Audio levels on the timeline & Audio Mixer

I'm confused why when you change the audio levels on a clip using the Audio Mixer it changes the levels for everything on the track?
I'm from an FCP & Avid background where you can adjust each clip using the Audio Mixer, is there a way I can do this? I find using the yellow sliders in each clip is very unaccurate and having to open each audio clip in the viewer is such a time waster.
Thanks, Andy

Audio in Premiere Pro is different--but quite a lot, in many circumstances. I'd recommend going through the help file's audio section to get a better idea of what some of the main controls are: Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 & CS5.5 * Editing Audio
But to answer your question more directly: the Audio Mixer controls track volume, not clip volume. By default, the Audio Mixer isn't set to drop keyframes, so it will affect the level of a track as a whole; check out Recording audio mixes to get more background on setting up the Audio Mixer for automation, so that you can record level changes.
The rubberbands (the yellow lines you're referring to) can be more finitely controlled by holding down the Ctrl/Cmd key as you drag; the values will move in smaller increments, then.
You don't have to load a clip into the Source Monitor to adjust the levels, if you want to adjust by the numbers. Just single click a clip in the sequence, and if the Effects Controls panel is forward, you'll be able to adjust the volume with the standard effects sliders/dials. Note that keyframing is enabled by default for the Level property, so if all you want to do is adjust the total level of a clip, it might be faster to do it in the sequence.
Audio mixing in Premiere Pro is pretty capable and the feature set is pretty deep, but I'll grant you it's a little overwhelming coming from a different NLE. I don't know if any of the previous helps you, but post back with any specific questions and we'll try to figure out a way to approach this in a fashion that makes sense to you.

Audio mixing questions

Since starting with Final Cut, I've set levels in the timeline. Problem is, when I set my first keyframe, whose level I don't want to change, most of the time I inadvertently lower the level by a few decibels. Not a huge deal, but a time waster that adds up and minor embarrassment when the client is sitting next to me. Any way to avoid this?
On the other hand, I've tried switching to the audio mixer, and I don't like that you can only set keyframes when the play head is moving. Is there a way to, using the audio mixer, set a keyframe when the playhead isn't moving, scroll to the desired location of the next keyframe, set a keyframe and adjust it's level, all while the playhead isn't moving?
Seems to me that this process is easier in Avid...but maybe there's an FCP feature I'm overlooking or misunderstanding.
Also, is it possible to gang tracks in FCP's audio mixer? I can't seem to figure that out.
Thanks in advance for help.

For me I have a completely different method when working with audio. Others might think this way is crazy but it works for me. I rarely use "rubberbanding" or keyframes when working with audio. I treat my audio clips the same as video...using edits. I will make an edit where I want the audio level to change and then add an audio cross dissolve between the clips. The only time I will add keyframes is if there is a random peak that I can't knock out using the Compressor/Limiter filter. Like I said though, I rarely need to. Not sure if this is the type of answer you're looking for as it changes the workflow, but I hated the finickyness of the audio keyframes so I just avoid using them.

Audio mixer volume problem

I'm working with CS3. My timeline has two audio tracks. Track one is the clip verbal audio, that track is fine. Track 2 is the music that I want to fade in and out at certain chapter intervals. After adjusting all the volumes in track 2, when I go back to listen to the final product, my volume adjuster button keeps popping back to the bottom, no volume. When I did the adjusting I did it in "write" and then immediately saved it, but it keeps going down on its own. There must be a simple solution.

I've always had this problem in Premiere 6.5 too. I simply refuse to use the goofy audio mixer. I either do everything with envelopes, or if it's something much more complex I'll export to Audition and make my changes there.

Editing After Laying Final Audio Mix Into The Time Line - Possible?

Hello Board,
I finished my film recently and layed the final audio mix (stereo track) into the timeline, replacing all the seperate audio tracks. Now, I want to go in and do some edits at the beginning of the movie.
I still have the main video tracks and several other video tracks for noise filter, credits, etc.
Is it possible to link the video track with the stereo audio file and keep everything synced as I make the cuts to eliminate the need to remix the sound?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Lin

Because the video and audio aren't linked, I'm using the razor tool to cut in and out point on the timeline, first to the video and then to the audio seperately. after marking the spots with the razor tool, I delete the unwanted area in between (I do both to the video and audio track) and then pull the pieces together on the video and audio tracks. So far it has stayed synced.
In your case, Lin, I'd recommend using Add Edit and Ripple Delete instead of the Blade tool and the other steps you're doing.
That is...
1. At the point where you want to cut, press Control-V (that's Add Edit)
2. At the next point where you want to cut, press Control-V again
3. Select the region to be cutout and press the Del key, that's the key below Help and to the left of End on your keyboard, not the Delete key.
(This is a Ripple Delete, which clears the selection and moves all clips to the left, leaving no gap)
However it seems like doing transitions would be hard because unless I can match the space on the audio track it will all go out of sync.
I'm honestly confused by what you mean about 'space on the audio track' and things not matching - care to clarify?

Can I use DSD (quality) audio in Premiere?

I have DSD (quality) audio available for a video project. But before the client sends over a very large DSD file, I would like to know if I can import this file into Premiere Pro CC and use it's full capacity. Otherwise which file format can I use to have the same audio quality?
On top of that we need to export it in a way that the audio is combined with the video where the audio plays back in DSD (5.1 surround) quality. Any information on this would be very helpful .

I'll check with the company if they can provide me with a PCM file and get back if this works or not.

Quality Audio Gain vs. Audio Mixer

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