Audio mastering workflow

[Brian Parker]

Just wondering how people edit the audio in complex projects using CS3.

If you only have Soundbooth, do you manually "edit in soundbooth" each audio clip?
Do you actually use "render and replace"? What if you want to start editing that video clip's audio from scratch again later? You have delete the clip and bring it onto the timeline again to get the original audio.

My method so far has been to put audio clips from the same source (same location etc.) on the same track, export the whole track, and work on it in audition/soundbooth. Then import it, put it on the timeline and mute the original track. The main problem with that is, you have to make the audio editing the very final thing you do. If you want to edit the timing of anything after that, you have to start cutting up your new mastered audio clip. And that feels dirty and makes it more complicated to understand if you come back to re-edit the project after a long break.

I'm praying that in the next version of CS, they'll bring back audition with it's multi-track goodness, and have some amazing "dynamically linked" way to edit your whole Premiere timeline in audition.

[Brian Parker]

Originally Posted by Brian Parker

Just wondering how people edit the audio in complex projects using CS3.

If you only have Soundbooth, do you manually "edit in soundbooth" each audio clip?
Do you actually use "render and replace"? What if you want to start editing that video clip's audio from scratch again later? You have delete the clip and bring it onto the timeline again to get the original audio.

Actually I have a small workaround for this problem.
Alt click on an audio clip and copy and paste it to a new track below. Then you can render and replace to edit it in soundbooth, and still have the original audio file linked to the video, should you need to adjust the endpoints of the clip at a later time.

[Ray Bell]

Another possible way is to seperate the audio from the video then export the audio only and have it place the audio into the source bucket....
that way you don't have to have the original audio on the time line but if you want/need to use the original you just drag it down to the timeline...

[Roger Averdahl]

Originally Posted by Brian Parker

What if you want to start editing that video clip's audio from scratch again later?

Lets say that your media is on Video 1 and Audio 1 and that both tracks are targeted and you want the original audio back:
1. In the Timeline, place the Current Time Indicator at the last frame of the clip
2. Press M on your keyboard to do a Match Frame
3. Press O to set an Out Point
4. In the Timeline, place the Current Time Indicator at the first frame of the clip
5. Press M on your keyboard to do a Match Frame
6. Press I to set an In Point
7. Click on Toggle Take Audio and Video in the source Monitor until you see the audio waves
8. Click on the button to the left of Toggle Take Audio and Video (or press . on your keyboard) to do an Overlay

Result:
Your audio is replaced with the clips original audio.

Additional info:
Premiere Pro 1.x - 2.0 users must replace M with T to perform a Match Frame

[Jon Jaschob]

I use audition, so it's CS2.
I see nothing wrong with exporting the final mix back onto the time line. When I'm cutting something longer than a couple minutes, or if the project has scenes, I use seperate sequences. Yeah it's a hassle to change something in a long project, but the way I do it I only have to change one sequence, or scene. Everything is nested into the final time line in PPRo.
So lets say you need to edit scene 4...
Open the scene 4 sequence and edit video.
Export small size video for Audtion time line.
Replace the old video clip in audition.
Edit the audio tracks to the new video.
Export the audio file.
PPRo updates audio in the time line.
Jump back to the main sequence and adjust your in and out.

This has worked pretty well for me, so far.
Jon

[Brian Parker]

Thanks for the feedback.

Both seem like good workflows. I didnt know about the match frame feature. That will save me duplicating audio clips unnecessarily, and minimize on audio tracks.

Jon, do you take all the audio clips of a scene into audition and mulittrack edit them, or do you work on each clip separately?

[Jon Jaschob]

I export the whole scene into Audtion multi track. Most of the work I've done, all the audio is produced and edited in post. So I have a looped dialog track and a Foley track per each scene. I lay in the sound (music) track at the end and it is not included in the seperate scenes. Note: I would do it the same way if there was live dialog too.

I think at some point you *have to* lock the editing and call it done. This may be a client sign off, or on a personal project saying enough is enough, get er done! This is the point when I start the sound editing. Untill the video editing is done, there is no sence in messing around with sound, music, color correction, fx, and anything else that may be needed. Just like a live performance, I try not to make any mistakes along the way, but some always slip through. So I don't go back and fix small mistakes unless it is really glaring. I try to catch them before I start my audio work.

The only glitch I've had using this workflow is when I have a special fx transition on a scene break. But that doesn't happen much.

Hope this makes sence. I have no formal training, this work flow has been my best guess and I'm always adjusting it as I find better ways of doing things.
Take care and Merry Christmas,
Jon