how to replace audio stream in avi files

[Paul Curtis]

How can i replace the audio in a cineform file (an avi) without reencoding the video. The audio is a replace from onboard camera audio to a proper audio set up. So it's like for like in terms of time.

We've tried audition which *seems* to allow it but it doesn't really. It's done something to the files that is screwing up premiere.

Soundbooth sort of does it but it re-encodes the video which i'd rather it not do.

Is there something else that can do this?

thanks
paul

[Taky Cheung]

The free virtualdub program can do it. you can load a separate audio file to the video file opened. Select "Direct processing" under the video menu will not re-encode the video.

[Marty Baggen]

Paul... Premiere is a chore when attempting to work with audio.

My workflow is like this, and it has served me well. I use Vegas and Sound Forge, with the Waves set of plug-ins.

I set up my edit in Premiere to get a picture lock. Usually for me, this would involve sync sound, VO, and music tracks, each in their own stem or track.

I render each track to a WAV. This creates a sync sound track, VO track, and so on. Be sure to render the entire project for each one, so timing remains locked.

I bring those stems into Vegas and do the mix.

I output a master sound track and add that to my Premiere project.

Many editors have little workarounds to deal with Premiere's audio shortcomings. The best workaround in my opinion is to do your sound work outside of Premiere, using it for timing only.

[Paul Curtis]

Taky : I'll check virtuadub but i don't think it likes prospect cineform files.

Marty : I have a few hundred source files of which some need their audio replacing from a proper sound recording rather than onboard mike. So in reality i need it to flow into premier seamlessly (where 90% of the edit has taken place using the existing audio prior to the proper audio being prepared) - ideally just open the file outside of premiere swap the audio and it all comes back in.

I've not had major problems mixing in premier so far (touch wood!)

I don't believe what im doing is complicated!

cheers
paul

[Marty Baggen]

Paul... if you have new sync audio to swap, why not just drop those new takes into your timeline? If you are simply processing existing sync sound, then a batch processing with Sound Forge would be a good method, but if you are actually replacing sync sound, then you are essentially doing an edit.

A few hundred would be a tedious process, but no matter how you do it, you are going to have to pair up the new sync sound with the appropriate video clip.

What is the source of the new audio? Are they processed only from the original sync sound, a separate field recording, or is it foley and/or dubbed material?

[Graham Hickling]

Another vote for Virtualdub - I was doing exactly this last night with a Cineform avi (Aspect rather than Prospect, though...).

It takes about 10 mouse-clicks: load the avi; under video select 'directstream processing'; under audio select 'wav' instead of original audio; load the wav file; save to a new avi. Done!

[Marty Baggen]

Does Virtual Dub have batch processing capability?

[Graham Hickling]

I don't think so.

TMPGEnc Xpress and Procoder both have batch capability, and can be configured to merge separate video and audio streams and output to avi..... so that might provide a batch option? Haven't tried it myself.

[Jiri Fiala]

VirtualDub has batch processing - when Saving your output file, check "Add to queue" in Save dialog.

[Mitchell Skurnik]

Another way is to use mplayer/mencoder to replace the audio. You can create a bat file and batch process many files :)

[Paul Curtis]

Thank you everybody.

VirtualDub does seem to work where Audition has failed.

Marty: We have around 6 hours of footage across a few hundred xdcam (to prospect) files and we've been editing for a while so the timeline has many subclips sourced from the same master avi file.

Im not aware of any method within premier to re link the sound in this case. i.e. if im using a subclip from C to G from the master file which is A to Z in length, and i have a master sound file which is also A to Z* then how can i automatically in premiere get the sound in the right place without manually syncing up each subclip?

(* and to complicate things the master sound file isn't really from A to Z but a clapperboard provides the sync at the beginning of the file. So i've had someone matching the master file to the audio via the clapperboard.)

And yes, i should have been jamming timecodes between the recorder and the camera. And in fact i should have just had the mics recorded direct on camera as there wasn't as much steadicam as we thought...

but a great response from everyone, thank you so much

paul