Splicing Source Clips

Question

Hopefully the answer isn't obvious, as I failed at finding it via forum search and multiple bing/google attempts.
I am a Premiere Pro novice, but working on changing that.
My camcorder records AVCHD clips at roughly 2GB (11 minutes) each.
I recently recorded a series of readings at my son's school (about 17 in all).  Some of the children were nigh inaudible, so I'm trying to use Premiere Pro CS5 to up the gain on the sections that need it.  I actually think I have that part figured out.
The recording was about 22 minutes, spanning 2 MTS files.  I can load them as individual clips and create subclips from the clip panel for tweaking the gain as needed (I'm doing two clips per child, one for performance and one for applause, since the latter is plenty loud enough).
The annoyance I have is that the clip panel resets the time indicator to 0 when I switch to the second clip, and I'm using the sequence/program-monitor panels to navigate the full 22 minute duration (the waveform makes it easy to see applause and jump around), but am unable to make a subclip from my in/out markers in the Program Monitor
Is there a preferred method for joining two (or more) clips in sequence into one clip, so I can work on the full duration as a whole?
I'm currently watching Encoder do an export of the concatenated sequence, but I shudder to think that for every 11 minutes of recording, I need to spend an hour encoding an export simply so I can concatenate clips.
Thanks.

Answer 1

I might be missing exactly what you wish to do, but if I am correct, I think that you will be better served attenuating the Audio with either Keyframes, or with the Audio Mixer (basically adding Keyframes, but Track Keyframes vs Clip Keyframes).
Let's say that you have your two Clips on the Timeline and wish to alter the Audio of one up, and the other one down, with Clip Keyframes, Select one Clip, say the recitation Clip, and open Effects Control Panel. This will reveal the fixed Effects for that Clip, including Volume (for Clips with Audio). Then you can add Keyframes to control the Volume over the Duration of that Clip. These will appear in the mini-Timeline in that Panel, and also, depending on the Keyframe display of the Track, there too. You can attenuate the Volume up/down, as is required, placing Keyframes along that mini-Timeline. You will have great control, and can "ramp" the Volume adjustments for smooth changes in the Volume.
The second method is to use the Audio Mixer to automate those same changes in the Volume. The big differences will be that these Keyframes are attached to the Track, and NOT to the Clip. If you later alter the Clip(s), the changes will stay exactly where you placed them on the Track, regardless of what Clip now appears on that Track. This is best done AFTER all Video editing is done, for obvious reasons. Also, this process, while wonderfully powerful, is a bit more involved, and one should read up on Audio Mixer, and understand exactly how to apply changes, and also exactly what those changes are, and how they are applied.
For a beginning user, I would choose the manual Clip Keyframes method, as one is working with the Clip, and not the Track, and the visual representation is right in front of you. Reading on Keyframing Effects would still be highly recommended.
Here is an example of Audio Keyframes in the PrPro 2.0 Effects Control Panel. CS5 will be similar, but there will likely be some differences:
Hope that this helps. Now, if I missed your intent, or your need, just ignore me.
Hunt