To separate audio tracks that are contained within a single multi-channel source clip in Premiere Pro, you need to modify the clip's audio channels before placing it in your sequence. This process allows you to treat each source channel (like different microphones recorded simultaneously) as an individual audio track or clip in your timeline, giving you separate control over mixing and editing.
The primary method involves using the Modify Audio Channels option.
Modifying Audio Channels to Separate Tracks
Often, audio recorders or cameras capture multiple microphone sources into a single audio file with multiple channels. Premiere Pro can interpret these multi-channel files and split them into individual mono or stereo clips that you can edit separately on different timeline tracks.
Here's how to do it:
- Import Your Footage: Make sure the multi-channel audio clip is imported into your project bin in Premiere Pro.
- Select the Clip: In the Project panel, select the source clip that contains the multi-channel audio you want to separate. Do not drag it to a sequence yet if you want to modify it first.
- Access Audio Channel Settings: Go to the menu bar and select
Clip > Modify > Audio Channels.... - Configure the Output:
- Clip Channel Format: Choose the desired format for the output tracks. For separating distinct microphone sources (like a lavalier and a boom mic), select Mono. This will create one output channel for each original source channel.
- Number of Audio Clips: This setting determines how many separate clips Premiere Pro will generate from the single source clip. If you have, say, a 4-channel source and set the format to Mono, set this to 4 to get four individual mono clips.
- Number of Channels: This shows the total number of audio channels you will end up with across the generated clips.
- Map Source Channels to Output: In the grid below, you will see Source Channels on the left (representing the original channels in your file) and Output Channels on the right (representing the channels in the new clip(s) Premiere will create).
- By default, Premiere Pro usually maps Source Channel 1 to Output 1, Source Channel 2 to Output 2, and so on. This standard mapping ensures that each original source channel becomes its own distinct output channel in the resulting clip structure.
- For example, if your source file has 4 channels, and you configure it for 4 Mono clips, the grid will show checkmarks mapping Source 1 to Output 1, Source 2 to Output 2, Source 3 to Output 3, and Source 4 to Output 4.
- As referenced in the provided information, this mapping means that "Channel number two in the source file is gonna be treated as channel number one clip two" (interpreting "clip two" as the second generated mono clip, and "channel one" as the single audio channel within that mono clip). Essentially, the audio from Source Channel 2 is directed to become the content of the second output channel/clip.
- Confirm Changes: Click OK to apply the modifications.
Now, when you drag this modified clip from the Project panel into a sequence, instead of getting a single clip with embedded multi-channel audio, you will get separate audio components placed on different tracks in your timeline – one for each source channel you configured (e.g., four separate mono clips on four different audio tracks).
Why Modify Before Editing?
Modifying audio channels before placing the clip in a sequence is generally the most straightforward workflow. If you modify a clip that's already in a sequence, it might affect existing edits unpredictably. By modifying the source clip in the Project panel, any time you drag it into a sequence, it will automatically separate the tracks as configured.
Example Mapping (4-Channel Source -> 4 Mono Clips)
Here's a visual representation of the standard mapping for a 4-channel source split into 4 mono clips:
| Source Channel | Output Channel 1 (Clip 1) | Output Channel 2 (Clip 2) | Output Channel 3 (Clip 3) | Output Channel 4 (Clip 4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source 1 | ✓ | |||
| Source 2 | ✓ | |||
| Source 3 | ✓ | |||
| Source 4 | ✓ |
By configuring this mapping in the Modify Audio Channels dialog, you effectively separate the audio from each source channel onto its own editable timeline track.
