Adaptive audio workflow tips

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elkins.alex

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Adaptive audio workflow tips

PostThu Sep 02, 2021 12:30 pm

Hi all,

For the purposes of simplicity I'm using adaptive audio tracks as I edit (e.g. 5 channels of different audio - lav 1, lav 2, boom, onboard, mix - housed within a single audio clip). This works well because it means I have fewer audio tracks to worry about as I move things around a timeline.

However, I am amazed that it is still the case after all these years that there is no way to adjust the levels of individual channels within that audio clip.

Any tips? I'm cutting a feature so have no real desire to switch back to using single tracks per audio channel as it very quickly becomes unwieldy, but this limitation is very irritating.

I'm inclined to just wait it out and trust that this is on Blackmagic's to-do list.
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Jim Simon

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Re: Adaptive audio workflow tips

PostThu Sep 02, 2021 3:38 pm

I think separate adjustments requiring separate tracks will always be the case.

I tend to use one track per person, or at least per microphone, so I can make track-wide adjustments. Yes, this can mean several dozen tracks (or more) for a feature film, but that does seem to be the norm.
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elkins.alex

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Re: Adaptive audio workflow tips

PostThu Sep 16, 2021 4:05 pm

I think separate adjustments requiring separate tracks will always be the case


Think outside the box, Jim! Why should this always be the case? In the Fairlight page we can already go in and see each individual channel. It doesn't seem to be a huge leap of faith to think that at some point we might also be able to adjust the levels of those channels.

Screenshot 2021-09-16 at 16.58.45.png
Screenshot 2021-09-16 at 16.58.45.png (40.38 KiB) Viewed 1486 times


It's only 'the norm' to have 1 timeline track per channel because Avid and Premiere don't have a suitable alternative. Resolve and FCP both do. FCP handles this well but Resolve has this pretty glaring limitation.

For what it's worth, my current workflow/workaround is basically to not worry too much about audio (knowing that further down the line someone is going to mix it properly and will want every channel I can give them). For any sound that is particularly bad I'm muting the bad channels using clip attributes. Prior to sending to the sound mix I will use the 'convert to linked group' command in order to split each adaptive track out to mono.
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Rick van den Berg

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Re: Adaptive audio workflow tips

PostSun Feb 25, 2024 8:56 pm

reviving this thread, wondering if there has been some development going on in the meantime?
i could see this being useful, but i do need a little bit of flexibility in channel volumes, while editing, to really make it work. Otherwise i'll just stick to the traditional tracks. which is fine. But then i honestly wonder what workflow could actually benefit from using adaptive tracks..
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Joe Shapiro

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Re: Adaptive audio workflow tips

PostSun Feb 25, 2024 9:33 pm

I’m right with you Rick.
I do use Adaptive and successfully delivered a feature that way to ProTools without even having to convert the tracks.

But man with this new feature I’m working on I sure would love to adjust the levels in the takes before putting them in the timeline. And afterwards as well of course.

To me the easy way to do this and many other things is to let all container-like objects be openable as - and preferably inherit everything from - timelines.

This would include synced clips, multichannel audio (even stereo), compound clips, and multicam.

Multicam pretty much already does this but the others don’t.

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Rick van den Berg

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Re: Adaptive audio workflow tips

PostMon Feb 26, 2024 10:27 am

Hey Joe,

So you do work with adaptive audio tracks? Do you see any advantages at this moment over traditional tracks (other than the visual simplicity)? I mean, i have never experienced a project which didn't require any (rough) volume adjustments between the audio channels. There is no way i can comfortably work without the ability to do any some kind of quick mixing on the fly. Or do you just accept that, even if it the channels are heavily out of proportion?
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Joe Shapiro

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Re: Adaptive audio workflow tips

PostMon Feb 26, 2024 2:53 pm

I do indeed work with adaptive tracks. To me it’s a huge advantage both visually and in making split edits.

I care a great deal about smooth audio in the cut. I can’t really feel how the cut is working if the audio is out of whack. To do this I choose which tracks I hear using clip attributes. I start off with all clips set to either boom or stereo mix depending on the project. I then go in as needed switching to an iso. Mostly I don’t need to.
Director, Editor, Problem Solver. Been cutting indie features for 23 years. FCP editor from version 2 to 7.
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Rick van den Berg

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Re: Adaptive audio workflow tips

PostMon Feb 26, 2024 4:21 pm

Joe Shapiro wrote:and in making split edits.


well, if you work the traditional way, there is not really a difference in creating split edits right? the audio is linked to the video, and acts as "one" clip, if your selection is set to linked selection. Also all cross dissolves are operated as one
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Joe Shapiro

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Re: Adaptive audio workflow tips

PostMon Feb 26, 2024 6:42 pm

Do you find it’s just as easy to do split edits with a gazillion tracks in practice? I don’t. Cut a clip for instance and the right hand downstream clip often loses its link relationship.

Plus the gazillion tracks and scrolling is just a non starter for me.
Director, Editor, Problem Solver. Been cutting indie features for 23 years. FCP editor from version 2 to 7.
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Rick van den Berg

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Re: Adaptive audio workflow tips

PostMon Feb 26, 2024 8:15 pm

Joe Shapiro wrote:Cut a clip for instance and the right hand downstream clip often loses its link relationship.


Hmm that's weird behaviour i guess.. From the top of my head (not behind my desk now), cutting a clip shouldn't disconnect the audio from the video on the right side.

That said, i work with shortcuts for the most part (before adding graphics and other effect stuff), so often i don't even look that much at all the tracks.

So that would leave the question why i'm even interested in adaptive tracks.. I guess just the visual part.. keeping everything clean and tighty. Brings me an idea, would be nice to be able to "toggle" through the audio channels when the clip is selected.

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