PPro CS 5.5 and Multi-Camera Audio

[James Wong]

Hi everyone, coming from FCP 7 and getting myself acclimated to Premiere Pro as well... So my approaches are from an FCP standpoint :)

I'm editing a multi-camera sequence composed of 3 clips with synched sound.

I've created a sequence with the 3 clips and they've been synchronized by Timecode just fine. I then drag this sequence as a Nested sequence into my Timeline where I am starting to assembly edit.

Here are several situations that I'm having trouble with in terms of holding on particular audio tracks...

Scenario A:
1. Angle 1 then cut to Angle 2 but I want to hold on Angle 1's audio.
Note that I tend to place the entire multiclip/nested sequence onto the timeline. From there I'll cut down selects, then I'd like to change the audio angles with the cuts on the timeline. This doesn't seem to be working for me :)

Scenario B:
2. Halfway through Angle 1, I want to switch to Angle 2's audio (the lav audio for one person is on Angle A while the other is on Angle B). During this whole take I want to hold on Angle 1's video track though.

What solutions are possible for these cases? Thanks again in advance.

[Pete Bauer]

If I understand, you have already done your rough cut in the target sequence and want to create L Cuts in it?

One way is to UNLINK the audio and video clips on both sides of a cut (drag to select the clips, right-click to get a pop-up menu), then change just the audio track to a different camera as desired. Now you can use the rolling edit tool, or others, on just the audio track to move the audio transition points as desired to create the L cuts. Finally, re-link and/or re-group any audio and video tracks that should be tied together and not move in relation to each other any longer.

To experiment on this without fear, simply make a duplicate copy of your target sequence (In the program window, select the target sequence, then right click>>duplicate).

You can also select all clips on a track to copy/paste them all to another track at any time to preserve a copy of the current state of your edit (for example, your first rough cut through the whole multicam) right above or below the tracks you're actively working on.

Does that point you in the right direction?

[Peter Manojlovic]

Hey James.....

I'm still with CS4.0, but i'll assume it's similair.

In your multicamera window, there's a flyout tab on the top right corner. Make sure that you unchecked "audio follows video".

That means that your main sequence won't keep cutting between the different cameras audios..

Now, when you actually WANT to mix the audio, simply go to the main timeline, highlight the audio you want to change by Alt>clicking it. Alt clicking temporarily selects the specific stream, and ignores any link. It's very handy.
With the highlighted audio, right click go to camera 1,2,3 or 4, and choose the appropriate audio track.

So this way, you can mix and match audio and video selects..

Good luck!!!

Update.
Just re read your post...

Same as what i said earlier, except you can Alt>Razor the audio track at the specific point, and then Alt>click your audio clip, right click>Camera 1,2 or 3 audio...

[James Wong]

Originally Posted by Pete Bauer

You can also select all clips on a track to copy/paste them all to another track at any time to preserve a copy of the current state of your edit (for example, your first rough cut through the whole multicam) right above or below the tracks you're actively working on.

Does that point you in the right direction?

Thanks! The J and L cuts makes sense. I didn't realize that the context/right click menu shows the Multi-Camera angle for the Audio clip as well.

In my projects I always duplicate sequences as I progress. For the short videos I cut together, I'll make a "v1.x" where x jumps a number anytime I make a significant edit to the sequence :)

I've used Premiere casually years ago but am learning to embrace it at work. It's a slight uphill run initially ;)

[James Wong]

Originally Posted by Peter Manojlovic

In your multicamera window, there's a flyout tab on the top right corner. Make sure that you unchecked "audio follows video".

That means that your main sequence won't keep cutting between the different cameras audios..

I noticed that I'll look at my assembled sequence, which has my multicamera cuts. When I bring up the Multi-Camera panel, I'll switch an angle and it will make a cut (even though the record button in the Multi-Camera window is off). Is this pretty much the expected behavior of the Multi-Camera window?

(I learned that if I double click on the multiclip in the timeline and change the angle in the Source panel (not multi-camera window), it can change the angle for that entire cut. Sometimes I prefer that during editing.)

Originally Posted by Peter Manojlovic

Now, when you actually WANT to mix the audio, simply go to the main timeline, highlight the audio you want to change by Alt>clicking it. Alt clicking temporarily selects the specific stream, and ignores any link. It's very handy.
With the highlighted audio, right click go to camera 1,2,3 or 4, and choose the appropriate audio track.

So this way, you can mix and match audio and video selects..

Good luck!!!

Update.
Just re read your post...

Same as what i said earlier, except you can Alt>Razor the audio track at the specific point, and then Alt>click your audio clip, right click>Camera 1,2 or 3 audio...

Alt+Click doesn't seem to work for me. Sorry, I forgot to mention that I'm editing on Mac, might you know the equivalent? I tried alt/option, command and shift. Doesn't seem to work :/ But right clicking on the audio tracks does work and I realized this morning from the replies that I can change the angle in the right-click/context menu.

[Angelo Ucciferri]

I am having a similar problem, so rather than create new thread, I thought I would share it here. Perhaps James and I can both benefit from a solution to my issue since it sounds like we are doing similar work.

I am referencing this Adobe tutorial:
Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 & CS5.5 * Editing multi?camera sequences

My scenario:
I have 3 audio tracks (2 stereo and 1 mono) & 2 video tracks all synced up in my source sequence. But when I nest that sequence in to my target sequence for editing - and enable multicam - all I hear is 1 audio track instead of the 3 mixed tracks in my source sequence.

Which track am I hearing? Well, it depends...
-When I first nest the source sequence in to my target sequence and don't enable multicam I hear the full mixed sequence as intended.
- But as soon as I enable multicam I only hear Track 1 / camera 1 audio, which is what the sequence defaults to.
- If I right click and change the sequence to Cam 2, I hear the audio from camera 2.
- I do NOT have "audio follows video checked" in the multicam monitor.

Then it gets strange...
As soon as I record an edit, the audio then locks to whatever Camera was selected on the nested sequence. So if I performed my first edit while Cam 1 was selected, I would only hear audio from Cam 1 during the whole edit. If I had previously right clicked, and changed the camera angle to Cam 2 - I would hear audio from Cam 2 the whole edit.

After reading the above tutorial link, I learned the following:
"In order to retain audio from more than one track simultaneously, mix all the desired tracks to a single track in the source sequence, select the resulting audio track, and deselect the Audio Follows Video option."

OK, I understand that. What it seems to be saying is that the nested multicam sequence can only play 1 audio track from the source sequence. So if you have multiple audio tracks in your source sequence, you have to mix them to a single track and then select it in the nested sequence. By "select it" - what I assume Adobe means is to choose the track from the audio drop down menu in the multi-cam monitor. (why can't the nested sequence just refer to the Master output track of the source sequence! That would be logical!)

Fine, so I create a submix - which is what I assume Adobe means by saying a "mix all the desired tracks to a single track. I had 3 audio tracks, so I assume the submix is now considered track 4. I confirm the output of all 3 tracks are now coming out of the submix sitting on track 4. At this point I have 2 video tracks, 3 audio tracks and 1 submix track (and the master, which is evidently ignored by the nested target sequence).

I go back to my nested sequence and open the multi-cam monitor - select track 4 from the audio drop down menu....and NOTHING happens. Changing the audio drop down menu has no effect on what I am hearing. I am still hearing the audio from the previously selected angle that the nested sequence is first assigned to.

My workaround will be to do the audio syncing in the target sequence - so I only nest the video, and have unlinked audio tracks synced up underneath it. But it really frustrates me that I can just do all my audio mixing in the source sequence, and simply edit the nested target sequence with multicam.

Sorry for the really long post, but there are a lot of details in this scenario.

Any help is appreciated.
Angelo

[Adam Gold]

I do a mix of the original tracks and export to a wav file, then drop this new file into track 2 of the actual multi-cam nested sequence (Sequence 02 or whatever you've named it). Deselect the audio (the little speaker icon) from track 1.

Always works perfectly for me. But it does mean you need to do your audio mix before the actual video editing.

[Angelo Ucciferri]

Thanks for your reply Adam,

I do this too, especially during live concert shoots. In fact, I usually do a mix in Pro Tools then import the wav to my multicam sequence.

In this case, it would be most desirable to not "commit" to a mix during the editing phase.

I just don't understand why this is not working, I've followed the Adobe tutorial very carefully.

Thanks,
Angelo