Blackmagic Forum

Is there a way to take a stereo audio track, and split it into two different channels set to duel mono in DaVinci Resolve? The reason why is because with the pocket, I sometimes set Channel 1 and Channel 2 at different levels (one high and one low), and based on my needs, I pick the channel with the best audio, dual mono it, and delete the other.

No problem, you can do that in the clip attributes (starting from page 213 in the manual).

Channel 1 vs Channel 2, choice of weapons at dawn!
Sorry, could not resist!

Uli Plank wrote:No problem, you can do that in the clip attributes (starting from page 213 in the manual).

Gave that a try. Somewhat what I wanted, but there's some issues. One, when applying it to one clip, there seems to be a bug where it applies the same thing to other clips in the media pool. It also bugs out, where instead of being mono, it's still playing the second channel in stereo mode when listening, while the peak meter is in duel mono. The second problem is when I take it to the timeline. The reason why I sometimes record Channel 2 lower then Channel 1 is for peaking reasons. Sometimes an actor starts his lines very quiet, and then screams really loud. Instead of doing two takes with different settings, I'd make two copies of the audio track, delete channel 1 from one, and channel 2 from the other, duel mono both tracks, cut out the part of track A where it peaked, and replace it with track B. And since they're both duel mono, they play on both channel 1 and 2 and blend together without the peaking. Then turn them into a Compound clip, so they remain stacked together. However, seems despite setting the track type to Mono, and the meters showing it in duel mode, headphone wise, it's still only playing in the left ear, and nothing out of the right. Where as real duel mono I'd hear it in both ears. I tried turning the compound clip into stereo instead, and left the clips inside set to mono, but it still played back as only 1 channel to the left ear. Even in the export.

I see that those audio channels are still duelling! Or are they dual mono?

Open clip attributes and on channel format select the second icon (mono), on audio tracks write 2 instead of 1. Click ok. Now resolve reads correctly dual mono. You can do it in batch for all the dual mono files.

Also, and forgive me if I am stating the obvious, you need to set your channel mixer in the timeline to the output channels you want it to output to. Also, each track in your timeline would need to be set to mono as well.


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Thankfully, I found this post! I am using a C100ii and had the audio set up as Ch1 and was having the worst time! Here's my set-up:

Channel 1: Sennheiser AVX into for groom audio C100ii set to external audio...
Channel 2: Internal audio for ambient room sound

In post, when I'd change my track to mono, it'd kill the audio I had! Then I ran across this post. I have a bit of a different solution, though. I would change the clip attributes to mono, but leave it as 1 channel. Then change the Embedded Channel to channel 2 for my external audio! It worked like a charm!

lucaimmesi wrote:Open clip attributes and on channel format select the second icon (mono), on audio tracks write 2 instead of 1. Click ok. Now resolve reads correctly dual mono. You can do it in batch for all the dual mono files.

It looks like this is how it was intended, but in my case the channel properties are grayed out, and there is no way to change anything there. It has been like that since the version 12 and keeps happening in 15.2.2.

The only way I can manipulate channels is to copy a track to the new track. disable L in one and R in another and flip channel assignment in the new track. Clearly, there should be a less convoluted solution to this problem.

Chris Chiasson wrote:


... The reason why I sometimes record Channel 2 lower then Channel 1 is for peaking reasons. Sometimes an actor starts his lines very quiet, and then screams really loud....

Sounds like you need a hardware limiter in your signal chain before you get to the recorder.

I just figured it out. It is indeed possible to split a stereo track into two separate mono tracks using the Channel Format pane in Clip Attributes. The trick is, the channel format parameters are enabled only when clip attributes are accessed from the Media Pool. If you open Clip Attributes of a clip already sitting in a timeline, it won't work. Go figure...

Indeed. Something that every pro filmmaker does: Record two seperate tracks with different inputs, in the two stereo channels.
I cannot believe it's so difficult to seperate the two in Resolve.

"It is indeed possible to split a stereo track into two separate mono tracks using the Channel Format pane in Clip Attributes. The trick is, the channel format parameters are enabled only when clip attributes are accessed from the Media Pool. If you open Clip Attributes of a clip already sitting in a timeline, it won't work. Go figure..."

However!! It's an awkward process done with logic and a lot of trial and error. Add two new tracks. Then assign one to L and the other to R, then import it into the timeline. Then select the clip and unlink clips.

I just came across this and it has saved me from going mad.

It is pretty absurd but I am grateful that others have figured it out for me.

Rob

With the clips in the Master Bin, but before putting them in the Timeline, you can split the audio into two mono tracks. You can either do one clip or select all that you wish to treat this way.

With the clip or clips selected, right click on one of them and choose Clip Attributes.
Select the Audio tab.
Change the Format box to Mono.
The Tracks box should say 2.
Click Add which will give you two mono tracks.
You can delete the top stereo pair by clicking the Bin symbol next to it.

Now the clip or all the clips you selected will be dual mono and will import into the Timeline as such.
This is what you should see after doing this, and also what you will see in the Timeline where I have also panned the tracks hard left and right.

Robert Castiglione wrote: others have figured it out for me.

There's a better way.

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/produc ... e/training

Meh, I want to split after I put clips in the timeline and edited them :/ it should just split and put the other track in next channel! What I do now is copy the tracks and select mono and track one on one and two on the other.. but cumbersome.

aquinox wrote:Meh, I want to split after I put clips in the timeline and edited them :/ it should just split and put the other track in next channel!

On the Fairlight Timeline right click the Track header and select the "Convert to Linked Group" option.

Unlink via Fairlight menu > Link Group.

aquinox wrote:I want to split after I put clips in the timeline and edited them

Stop wanting that.

Problem solved.

aquinox wrote:it should just split and put the other track in next channel!

Ooof, bad idea. What if that next channel is already filled? What if you want that channel used somewhere else?

The way it works now is best, I think.

next available channel

Charles Bennett, thanks so much for the straightforward summary and screenshots. Works perfectly!

Hello folks.
I got another solution by digging under the hood...
I recorded an interview. 1 audio track, LEFT input is a Lavalier mic (would be the voice, or VOX), RIGHT input is internal right camera mic (the AMBient, with a little voice in it).

- I create 2 Sub Bus stereo tracks: AMB and VOX
- In menu Fairlight/Patch Input/Ouputs, I chose the source Track Send and destination Sub Bus Return
I patched Audio-L > VOX-L and VOX-R - - - (it becomes a nice mono sounding voice in the middle)
I patched Audio-R > AMB-L and AMB-R - - - (not true stereo)
- Then Mute the Audio track Main1 (if not you add this audio to the 2 Subs, making saturation and too high levels)

Note that having 2 times 1 audio source becoming stereo tracks, it's not a true stereo. TO make this, use the Mid/Side method: duplicate the mono track, 1 make it hard L, the other hard R, then one track inverse the polarity.

I'm terribly sorry, but the more I read, the more I get the impression that Resolve is just not meant for editing audio. In any other audio editor, this is a one-click process, and it's also just as easy to combine two (separate) mono clips back into one stereo clip.

Either this is programmed by people who haven't got the foggiest idea of how audio editing works, or they just can't be bothered implementing basic functionality that has been industry standard for the last 30 or so years.

Agreed Daedalus. I can switch over to Audition, import a stereo music track and simply select "extract to mono channels" and it's done. Left & right mono stems created from my stereo mix.

Eddy Juillerat wrote:
"... Use the Mid/Side method: duplicate the mono track, 1 make it hard L, the other hard R, then one track inverse the polarity.

Please do not do this!!! This is not MidSide. This will simply cancel in Mono. The Mid/Side or Blumlein methods require L+R and L-R signals. There is no L-R in your source tracks.