Audio channel mapping in Premiere Pro

Audio channel mapping allows you to route individual audio channels from a clip to specific tracks in the timeline. This can be useful with multi-channel audio clips, such as those recorded with a surround sound microphone or a multi-track audio recorder.

When you import a clip with multiple audio channels, Premiere Pro automatically creates a sequence with the appropriate number of audio tracks to accommodate all channels. By default, each audio channel in the clip is mapped to its audio track in the sequence.

However, you can change the audio channel mapping. You can do this on import or by right-clicking the audio in the Project panel and selecting Modify > Audio Channels.

Map source audio channels on import

You can specify how Premiere Pro automatically maps clip audio channels to audio tracks and the Mix Track on import or capture.

Change the source audio channel mapping

Map sequence audio channels to audio output device hardware channels

You can specify the channel in a target hardware audio device for each channel in a sequence Mix track. Map channels in the Audio Output Mapping pane of the Preferences dialog box. Premiere Pro plays each sequence channel through the hardware channel you specify.

For example, your project could have a 5.1-channel sequence, but your system hardware might support only two channels. You could specify which of the two hardware channels carries each of the six sequence channels.

16-channel sequences, however, remain mapped to 16 output channels if the selected hardware device has fewer than 16 channels.

For example, the selected device could have only two channels. You could then map only the first two channels of a 16-channel sequence to the two hardware channels.

To map sequence channels for a hardware device, you first select the device in the Map Output For menu. The list below the Map Output For menu shows the hardware channels supported by the device chosen. You then map sequence channels to each hardware channel using channel tiles.

For example, if you choose a third-party 16-channel audio device, the list shows 16 hardware channels. If you choose a stereo device, the list shows only two hardware channels. Tiles to the right of each channel name in the list represent the three types of sequence channels you can map to that hardware channel: stereo, 5.1, and 16-channel.

Extract audio from clips

You can extract audio from clips and generate new audio source clips in a project. The original source clips are preserved. Any source channel mappings, gain, speed, duration, and interpret footage adjustments in the original source clips are applied to the new, extracted audio clips.

Break a stereo track into mono tracks

The Breakout To Mono command creates mono audio source clips from a clip’s stereo, or 5.1 surround audio channels. Breaking out a stereo clip results in two mono audio source clips—one for each channel. Breaking out a 5.1 surround clip results in six mono audio source clips—again, one for each channel. Premiere Pro preserves the original source clip. The Breakout To Mono command does not create new files, only new source clips with appropriate source channel mapping.

Break all stereo tracks into mono tracks

Premiere Pro can automatically break out individual stereo and surround channels to discrete monaural clips as each clip is captured or imported.

Use a mono clip as stereo

You may sometimes find it useful to use a mono audio clip as a stereo clip. Using the Modify Clip dialog box, you can apply a mono clip to a pair of left and right stereo channels.

If you have a stereo clip with sound recorded in only one channel, or if you have a stereo clip that has sound in one channel that you want to replace with the sound from the other channel, you can use source clip channel mapping, the Fill Left audio filter, or the Fill Right audio filter.

Link multiple audio clips

You can link one video clip to multiple audio clips and you can link multiple audio clips together. When you link audio clips in a sequence, you link only the instances of the master clips. The original master audio clips in the Project panel are untouched.

Linked clips remain synchronized as you move them or trim them in a Timeline panel. You can apply audio effects, including Volume and Panning effects, to all channels in the linked clips. If you make an edit that moves one of the linked clips without moving the others, out-of-sync indicators appear.

You can display and trim a multi-clip link in the Source Monitor. You can view and play only one channel at a time in the Source Monitor. If the linked clips contain markers, the Source Monitor timeline displays markers only for the displayed track. If the Source Monitor displays a multi-clip link from the Project panel, you can use the Overwrite or Insert buttons to add the linked clips to separate tracks in a Timeline panel.

The Effect Controls panel displays all the video and audio tracks in a multi-clip link, with the applied effects grouped together by track. You can apply effects from the Effects panel to a specific group in the Effect Controls panel.

Link audio clips

The audio clips must have the same channel type and each clip must be on a different track. If clips are already linked, such as an audio clip linked to a video clip, they must be unlinked before you can create a multi-clip link.

Edit a multi-clip link in the Source Monitor

Related resources

• Overview of audio and the Audio Track Mixer
• Advanced mixing

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