This is a good time for me to reiterate a longtime feature request of mine. I'd like to have the ability to preset pans on a track by track basis in the timeline, so that when we cut a clip into that track it automatically pans as we set it? This would allow us, for instance, to listen to 2 tracks of audio in the source window with proper separation, but center pan our tracks when they land on our dialog tracks. I've been saying this for years, and I always get the same blank stares from people.

Cutting 2 channel production tracks in Avid is a complete kludge. If  I have wireless on channel 2 and boom on channel 1, I only want to cut in the track that's appropriate at any given moment. I know a bunch of people cut in both tracks, but that's crap. Why can't I have separate pan control over the source window and the timeline?

Off my soapbox now.

Chris Conlee
Feature Editor

Nice to know some tings in the forum Never change Chris!  
So I will change and support your request this time.  For me Avid has always been about providing a variety of ways to do anything enabling anyone to choose a method works for them.
Your workflow is valid so why not have the option to facilitate it.

"I know a bunch of people cut in both tracks, but that's crap." I do both. Often get a sound that I like better in Protools by blending a percentage of the "off mic" track.  Different strokes.

It's good to be back, Andrew. I've been so doggone slammed these past few months that I haven't had much chance to drop in.

Thanks for the show of support as well ;)

While I agree that often times there's value in cutting in both tracks, there are equally as many times when one mic is completely off mic, is filled with static, or is worthless for any number of other reasons, and I don't want to cut it in. And even if you are cutting in both tracks, generally I want them panned center so they sound right during the edit, but I don't want to hear them panned center in my source window for the reasons I just mentioned above.

Sorry to be so doggone stubborn about this, but it's a function that I got used to in another editing package years ago, and haven't been able to let go of. To me it seems like a completely basic necessity, and it irks me years later that it's still not possible in what's otherwise my absolute favorite editor.

Chris

I'd like to see these options!  Vote YES to preseting audio track pans.

 

Michael.

I usually middle the audiotracks immedeately when I load a clip (or whole tape) in the source monitor. Only with XDcam it's a problem as a tape is imported as a whole bunch of clips. I usually throw that into a sequence and middle  IN to OUT, but when I matchframe it goes to the original xdcam clip which is still panned left-right.
So, a great idea to set the panning for a whole audiotrack!
iedjie

The problem with this approach is that you can't tell which track is compromised by a static hit, or off mic situation. That's why I'd prefer to have the source window play eacy track properly panned (ie, left and right) and they I can choose which track to cut in and the that track would properly pan center when it lands on the timeline.

Please Avid. This isn't difficult stuff. But 5 years later I'm still dealing with manually center panning my clips after I've cut them into my sequence. Sucky.

Chris

 I'd like to add my support for this as well. It would be invaluable to hear a full split of audio when playing source and then have it auto center when going into the timeline. That would be a HUGE time saver. But there would need to be an override for the intentional placement of stereo tracks.

When I load a stereo track into my source monitor, I get accurate separation. I just checked it. Drum beats on the Left side, white noise on the right. I can clearly hear which is happening on which channel.

Then when I select just the drums and insert that onto an audio track in the timeline, it plays Left-channel only (so I'd have to use the audio mix tool to center-pan it).

If I then go to my Settings under Audio, and set the Default Pan to Centered, the source playback mixes both channels equally together, but when I select a single track to insert onto the timeline it plays back centered as one would expect.

Is this what we're talking about here? The ability to hear clear and distinct separation in the Source Window, but having a little option switch somewhere in the settings to make a single audio track center-pan upon insertion onto a timeline?

If so, I motion for that feature to be included too.

Note:

I also just noticed that if I have the Audio Mix tool open when I'm playing the source window, any pan/level adjustments I make, are remembered even if the source clip/bin is closed. That's rather handy. Just play your source window, pick the channel that's good, mark the pan as center and any insertion into a timeline will be centered for you. Handy that. Never even thought to try that until now.

malefunktion:

Is this what we're talking about here? The ability to hear clear and distinct separation in the Source Window, but having a little option switch somewhere in the settings to make a single audio track center-pan upon insertion onto a timeline?

 

 Yes, that's exactly what we're talking about. You've got lav mic on A1 and camera mic on A2, you have them split panned in the source, but you choose A1 for the timeline - you want it "auto-mono" as you edit it in. No additional strokes or clicks to do it.

And yes, you can preset any source clip's audio level when viewing it either in the source window, or in it's own pop-up window via the audio mixer, and the change will be saved to the clip in the bin. That feature goes back to the earliest versions of MC.

Larry Rubin:

Yes, that's exactly what we're talking about. You've got lav mic on A1 and camera mic on A2, you have them split panned in the source, but you choose A1 for the timeline - you want it "auto-mono" as you edit it in. No additional strokes or clicks to do it.

And yes, you can preset any source clip's audio level when viewing it either in the source window, or in it's own pop-up window via the audio mixer, and the change will be saved to the clip in the bin. That feature goes back to the earliest versions of MC.

Ahh, got it now. Just making sure I understood the feature request, and yeah, I didn't know about the audio mix tool being applicable on source monitor material. (Ahh the things I never got told in my editing class/units).

 

 Did they give you any instruction on audio keyframing, automation, and rubberbanding?

Larry Rubin:

 Did they give you any instruction on audio keyframing, automation, and rubberbanding?

Bwahahahaha! Must be kidding right...? Oh my goodness, you're probably not.

I think a lot of what I know about Avid (now) comes from having my own copy to play with and screw up as much as I like... oh, and visiting this place quite a bit.

 You know I hate to say this, but I'm seeing more and more prospective editors and shooters that have a shocking lack of the basic fundamentals in this business, so nothing would surprise me anymore. Especially after a recent interview with an editing candidate on behalf of a freelance client who, when the subject of time code came up said "What's time code?" 

Excuse me while I go jump out a window...AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

{Splat}