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Multichannel audio workflow

Last updated on Apr 10, 2024

Multichannel Audio Workflow

You can use Adobe Audition to easily work with multichannel audio up to 32 channels. In the Waveform Editor, you can individually edit and process specific audio channels. You can also work with multichannel files in the Multitrack Editor as a single clip or with the channels split across multiple clips.

Waveform Editor

If you have multichannel audio or video files, you can edit each audio channel separately in the Waveform Editor by following these steps.

Select File > Open. The opened file appears in the Files Panel.
Expand the drop-down to see each of the channels within the file.

Channel list
To disable other channels, double-click on an individual channel.

Note:

Channel names from iXML metadata would be shown if available.

Enable specific channels

Waveform editor

Multitrack Editor

To use multichannel audio or video files within a session, you can bring each of the channels of the file into the Multitrack Editor as one single multichannel clip (default behavior). You can also automatically split each channel or groups of channels into different clips by holding Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) while dragging.

Importing audio as one multichannel clip

Importing audio to Multitrack Editor as different clips

Select and drag the channels you want to import to the Multitrack panel. You can also select multiple channels and drag them to the same track or different tracks.
To add channels to different tracks, hold Alt (Windows) or Option (MAC).

Note:

To channelize the clip according to the channelization of the destination track, use the double-modifier behavior using Command+Option (MAC) and Control+Alt (Windows).

Modify the channels in a specific clip

To modify the channels you have added to specific clip, follow these steps.

Note:

You cannot modify the number of channels in a clip you have added to a track. You can, however, replace one channel with another.

Select the clip you want to edit.
In the Properties panel, select Source Channel Routing.
Use radio buttons to modify the source channel routing of the selected clip

Specific Channel Routing

Effects channelization

While working with effects, you can assign different in/out channels, and query for the different channel configurations they support. Easily route specific audio clip or track channels to mono, stereo, or surround/immersive effects, and quickly see at-a-glance existing routing configurations.

To modify effect layout, open an effect from the Effects Rack or Effects menu. The Effects window opens. Now, select the Channel map editor.

Channel map editor
Choose Request Layout. The Request Effect Layout window opens.

Request layout
The new Request Effect layout window allows you to choose the input type. Choose from Mono, Stereo, and 5.1 from the drop-down.

Choose input from drop-drown

Note:

The output is always follows the input and cannot be changed.
For custom channel configurations, choose Custom and assign or edit Channel Label

Custom audio channel layout
Use the plus and minus icons shown below to add and remove channels.

Add or remove channels
You can now modify the effect input and effect output for all individual channels.

Modify effect input and effect output