PremierePro

Map audio channels

You can define how a clip’s audio is mapped to channels, audio tracks, or both when the clip is added to a sequence or viewed in the Source Monitor. You can determine how different types of clips are mapped, by default, by setting Audio Output Mapping preferences. Mapping is applied to clips in the Project panel using the Source Channel Mappings command. You can simultaneously apply the command to multiple master clips. When the command is applied, the following controls are available in the Source Channel Mappings dialog box:

Track Format
Defines the type of track in which the clip’s audio channels are grouped—mono, stereo, mono as stereo, or 5.1 surround. When you change a master clip’s track format from stereo or 5.1 surround to mono, Adobe Premiere Pro maps each channel to a separate mono track. When you add the clip to the sequence, the clips on the separate mono tracks are linked together. For more information on multi‑clip links, see Linking multiple audio clips.

Enable
Enables or disables an audio source channel. When you add a clip to a sequence, only the enabled channels are added to the Timeline panel. Disabling a source channel also prevents you from swapping its output channel with another source channel.

Source Channel
Lists the original channels of the clip’s audio.

Track
Displays the order that the channels are placed into the Timeline panel.
Note: Under Track, the numbers don’t correlate with the actual audio track numbers.

Channel
Displays the channel type that the source channel is mapped to.

Playback button and slider
Lets you preview the audio of the selected source channel. You can preview a source channel whether it’s enabled or not. The playback button and slider is unavailable if you’re applying the Source Channel Mappings command to multiple master clips.

You should map source audio channels before adding a clip to a sequence. If you apply the Source Channel Mappings command to a master clip that’s been added to a sequence, you can swap only the output tracks and channels between source channels. The Track Format and Enable controls are unavailable, preventing the master clip’s overall configuration from becoming out of sync with instances of the master clip already in a sequence.

Map audio channels in a clip

  1. Select one or more clips containing audio in the Project panel and choose Clip > Audio Options > Source Channel Mappings.
    Note: If you select more than one audio clip, make sure that the track format is the same for all the selected clips.
  2. In the Source Channel Mappings dialog box, do any of the following:

    • To map the audio to a different track format, click the format you want (Mono, Stereo, Mono As Stereo, or 5.1).

    • To enable or disable an audio channel, select or deselect the Enable option for a source channel. When a clip is added to a sequence, only the enabled channels are added to the Timeline panel.

    • To map a source channel to a different output track or channel, drag a track or channel icon from one source channel row to another source channel row. This step swaps the output channels or tracks for the two source channels.

      Note: When you view a clip with remapped source channels in the Effect Controls panel, the tracks appear in ascending order, but their associated source channels are determined by the mapping.

    • To map less than six source channels to the output channels in 5.1 surround audio, drag the channel icon from one source channel row to another source channel row, or click the 5.1 Channel icon until the source channel is mapped to the desired output channel.

  3. To preview the audio in a channel, select the source channel and click the Playback button or use the slider.
  4. Click OK to apply the source channel mappings to the clip’s audio.

Set the audio output mapping

  1. Choose Edit > Preferences > Audio Output Mapping (Windows) or Premiere Pro > Preferences > Audio Output Mapping (Mac OS).
  2. In the Preferences dialog box, choose Premiere Pro Windows Sound (Windows) or the Built-In input/output appropriate for your system (Mac OS) from the Map Output For menu.
  3. To change the output channels of audio source channels, drag a channel icon from one source channel row to another source channel row. This step swaps the output channels of the two source audio channels.

Track formats for mapping source audio channels

Mono
Maps the source audio channels so that they’re placed on separate mono audio tracks when the clip is added to a sequence. You can apply the Mono track format to clips containing any number of audio channels.

Stereo
Maps the source audio channels so that paired channels are placed on separate stereo audio tracks when the clip is added to a sequence. You can apply the Stereo track format to clips containing any number of audio channels. However, if the clip doesn’t contain an even number of channels, a channel with silence is created and paired with the odd‑numbered channel when the clip is added to a sequence.

Mono As Stereo
Maps the source audio channels so they are placed on separate stereo audio tracks when a clip is added to a sequence. Adobe Premiere Pro duplicates the audio from mono source channels and places it in the left and right channels of the stereo tracks. You can apply the Mono As Stereo format to clips containing any number of audio channels.

5.1
Maps the source audio channels so that one or more groups of six channels are placed into separate 5.1 surround audio channels when the clip is added to the Timeline panel. If the number of source channels isn’t a multiple of six, Adobe Premiere Pro creates a 5.1 surround audio track with silence on one or more channels when the clip is added to the Timeline panel.

Audio output mapping icons

Using the Audio Output Mapping preferences, you can specify how each device channel corresponds with an Adobe Premiere Pro audio output channel. The Stereo and 5.1 columns correspond with the number of channels (outputs) in the current sequence’s master audio track, which you specify when you create a sequence. Mono sequences use the Stereo column because the mono signal is output to both the left and right speakers.

The following icons, under the Stereo Column icon , indicate device channel mapping for stereo mixes:

Left stereo channel

Right stereo channel

In the 5.1 Column, the following icons indicate device channel mapping for 5.1 surround mixes:

Left front channel

Right front channel

Left surround channel

Right surround channel

Center front channel

Low frequency effects channel