Quote: I have multiple mono audio tracks that I want to mix with my videos. They are the audio from separate individual microphones.
I have them as separate WAV files.
I can put them into the project just fine and create multiple tracks.

But they all get played in the center position, ie. on both left and right speakers.

How do I tell Powerdirector where to pan them ?
The mixing room only appears to have the gain, but no way to position tracks in the left or right channel.

I do not know if it helps you but Powerdirector 9 has the Wave Editor for audio editing.
I do not know what you can do in the Wave Editor. As I use another audio editor that is very capable.

Look for Audacity.
Carl312: Windows 10 64-bit 8 GB RAM,AMD Phenom II X4 965 3.4 GHz,ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB,240GB SSD,two 1TB HDs.

Carl,

Thanks for your response. It doesn't really help.
I can already do my audio mixing in an external audio program called Reaper.

I was just looking to see if there was a way to do it all within PD. I guess not.
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Hi Julien Pierre -

PD isn't a dedicated audio editor. It cannot edit channel separately. I guess that's why WaveEditor tags along!

If you're familiar with other audio editing software, you'll see that Wave Editor can be used to create a left to right pan.



That may not help you, because you may as well use your preferred audio software. Just thought I'd pop it here for other members using WaveEditor.

Cheers - Tony
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ynotfish,

I realize that PD is not a full-fledged audio editor.
I am not expecting it to be.

However, PD does include mixing functionality.
It lets you create many audio tracks, and then mixes them.

Given this, I think it's not unreasonable to expect PD to at least be able to position the tracks on one channel or another. And it lets you control the volume for each audio track as well.

I am not talking about anything complex like fading or anything like that.

Just a simple thing like the ability to put a mono WAV file on audio track 1, and have that be the left channel; and another mono WAV file on audio track 2, and have that be the right channel.
This is the bare minimum that I would expect.

Right now, if I create two audio tracks, and put my two mono WAV files on each of them, the whole result is mono - there is no way to change that, and that just seems silly.

I am not sure if PD claims to support DD 5.1 as target audio - I think I saw it somewhere.

If so, how would I tell it which of my audio source material should be routed to which of the 6 channels ?

IMO, this basic functionality that should be part of PD.

For now I will continue use Reaper to mix my 9 mono WAV files into one stereo WAV file.

As I am strictly using Reaper for panning and volume adjustments, and not otherwise modifying the audio, I think my workflow could be greatly simplified by not having that intermediate step of using reaper - and just creating 9 audio tracks in PD. I tried to do that but the whole mixed result was unfortunately mono .
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480 GB Patriot Ignite SSD (boot)
2 x 480 GB Sandisk Ultra II SSD (striped)
6 x 1 TB Samsung 860 SSD (striped)

2 x LG 32UD59-B 32" 4K
Asus PB238 23" HD (portrait)

Quote: I think it's not unreasonable to expect PD to at least be able to position the tracks on one channel or another. And it lets you control the volume for each audio track as well.

I agree. Perhaps the suggested “additions” to the Audio Mixing Room, shown in the image below, could be added in a future PD release.

Just a simple thing like the ability to put a mono WAV file on audio track 1, and have that be the left channel; and another mono WAV file on audio track 2, and have that be the right channel.

Now that is possible via a workaround that I experimented with a while back. It does work, but it is also a bit of work too.

1 - Place a say Piano audio in Audio Track #2, and your Guitar audio in Audio Track #3.
2 - Do any duration, or any other edits to both audio tracks first, to maintain sync.
3 - Highlight track #2.
4 - Then click on the Edit Audio button to open track #2 in WaveEditor.
5 - Click on the Edit Single Channel Button, at the top right corner of window.
6 - Click on the Left Channel, and drag range finder to span the whole Left Channel.
7 - Now click on the CUT (scissors) Icon (to remove the left channel audio)
8 - Then click on the Edit Both Channels button.
9 - Click on the X to close WaveEditor, and at the prompt to save, choose Yes.

Once back in PD9, you will now notice that the Piano audio in track #2, is only audible in the right channel.

Now repeat steps 3 through 9, for the Guitar audio in Track #3, in order to cut/remove the right channel audio.
When finished, upon playback, your 2 instruments will be isolated on their own left and right channel(s).

If the separation is or feels too distinct, you could put a mono mix of both instruments in Track #4, and slowly bring up it’s volume up a little bit to suit, so as to round out the middle of the audio field, while still preserving a good left/right separation coming out of your speakers.

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Cranston,

Yes, adding that simple pan dial on each audio track would do the trick. Or maybe something slightly more elaborate for 5.1 positioning since PD claims to support DD 5.1 . I don't need it for now, but I do need stereo at the bare minimum.

Your method is interesting, but I am afraid that the WaveEditor save will be a destructive option, ie. it will overwrite my WAV masters.

When I mix my audio with Reaper, it works just like PD - I drag each WAV file on each track, and trim, and Reaper never touches the original master WAVs. It only records the offsets. Then I tell Reaper to "Render" the mix into one stereo WAV file.
The operation and implementation is so similar to what PD does that it really seems like it should belong in PD.

There are a few things that I haven't figured out with PD though, like how to trim the same section of multiple audio tracks together. My 9 mono tracks are all synced with each other and I can easily do the trim in reaper in two operations (start/end).
Not sure how I can do it as easily in PD without working on each audio track separately, and painfully realigning all the audio tracks after the trim.

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2 x 480 GB Sandisk Ultra II SSD (striped)
6 x 1 TB Samsung 860 SSD (striped)

2 x LG 32UD59-B 32" 4K
Asus PB238 23" HD (portrait)

Quote: Your method is interesting, but I am afraid that the WaveEditor save will be a destructive option, ie. it will overwrite my WAV masters.

No, it will not overwrite your masters. Your masters, in their home folders, will remain unaffected. You will just be creating a second altered/modified version to your designated output folder. Changes made in PD's editing module are non-destructive to any of your files, which always safely remain intact in their home folders, regardless of actions taken in PD.

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Cranston,

Quote:

Quote: Your method is interesting, but I am afraid that the WaveEditor save will be a destructive option, ie. it will overwrite my WAV masters.

No, it will not overwrite your masters. Your masters, in their home folders, will remain unaffected. You will just be creating a second altered/modified version to your designated output folder. Changes made in PD's editing module are non-destructive to any of your files, which always safely remain intact in their home folders, regardless of actions taken in PD.

I stand corrected - that's good to know.
But it sounds like I would have to do it for each of my 9 mono WAV tracks, and make them into 9 stereo WAV tracks, thus tripling the amount of storage needed, before I can mix them all in PD.
By comparison, using Reaper to mix 9 mono WAVs into 1 stereo track uses much less storage and would be much quicker.

MSI X99A Raider
Intel i7-5820k @ 4.4 GHz
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Gigabyte nVidia GTX 960 4GB
480 GB Patriot Ignite SSD (boot)
2 x 480 GB Sandisk Ultra II SSD (striped)
6 x 1 TB Samsung 860 SSD (striped)

2 x LG 32UD59-B 32" 4K
Asus PB238 23" HD (portrait)

Hi Julien,

In my workaround reply, I was "only" addressing your statement regarding your "two mono WAV files" scenario.

Right now, if I create two audio tracks, and put my two mono WAV files on each of them, the whole result is mono - there is no way to change that, and that just seems silly.

But yes, with 9 individual mono Wav files, the workaround above would be all but pointless. Especially with all the available (some free), multi-track recording programs out there. I too do most of my audio recording/editing/customizing with a third party app.

However, for your simple "two Mono WMV files" scenario, I was just sharing that if one is in a pinch, that there is a workaround, that albeit a bit awkward, is indeed feasible.

But for 9 tracks? Nah. Fuhgetabowdit.
PD simply can't do a panned mix with multiple tracks.
Well, not yet anyway.

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Quote:

Quote: I think it's not unreasonable to expect PD to at least be able to position the tracks on one channel or another. And it lets you control the volume for each audio track as well.

I agree. Perhaps the suggested “additions” to the Audio Mixing Room, shown in the image below, could be added in a future PD release.

Just a simple thing like the ability to put a mono WAV file on audio track 1, and have that be the left channel; and another mono WAV file on audio track 2, and have that be the right channel.

I second this design. Simple control like that would be very powerful for even simple things like trying to sync audio tracks (by playing one track on the right, the other audio track on the left, and adjusting one track relative to the other until there is no echo).