Easiest way to make a left only audio track mono in MS Pro?

[Hulk]

Hello guys, I just got back from an interview project I am starting. I'm creating a WWII documentary, interviewing all of the WWII vets I know, I'm hoping to create a "living history" while these true heros are still with us. I have to tell you that I was really moved by the afternoon I spent with this fellow. He was infantry during the battle of the bulge. He had some great mementos, including a painting of him and his wife painted by a German prisoner he was in charge of. The prisoner used a picture of his wife to do the painting. What a nice cut away that will make, you know a nice slow pull out on the picture while he tells the story. He also had a picture of him at his dest in Germany with that painting on the wall! I'm looking forward to putting that segment together.

Anyway, I've never done any interviews so I borrowed a Sony 77b omni lavalier mic for the interview. I only recorded audio on one channel and was wondering what the easiest way essentially make the track mono would be?

I guess I could pull out the track and turn it into mono in SoundForge but I was hoping for a simpler way. Next time I'm going to merge the one track to two going to tape to avoid this problem.

I really had no idea how to shoot the video so I just set the shutter to 1/60, locked the focus, and set the exposure manually to about -2. The auto exposure setting seemed a little hot on the whites. Hopefully it came out okay, I'm going to be doing 5 more of these and I'm sure I'll get better as I go along. I do know the audio did sound pretty good.

Any advice appreciated!

Mark

[Jerry Jones]

I'm sorry...

...I'm not quite understanding what you're trying to do here...

Do you mean you wish the left channel mono audio to be on both the left and right stereo channels?

I assume you used a mono mic, right?

(Stereo microphones really shouldn't be used for dialogue.)

I use an XLR Pro from Studio 1:

http://www.studio1productions.com/xlr-pro.htm

It takes a mono microphone feed and puts the audio on both left and right stereo channels (DV).

If I don't use it, my mono microphone - plugged directly into the camcorder's external mic jack - only puts sound on the left channel.

When that happens, I bring the video into Audio Editor and choose the EDIT>SPLIT command.

That allows me to delete the blank audio track (right) and I then save the *left* channel audio as a *stereo* file, putting the sound on both the left and right channels. I always choose the 16-bit, 48kHz setting.

Then I open Video Editor, insert the original DV file...

...right mouse click and choose SPLIT...

...delete the original mono left channel audio...

...insert the new stereo audio track with mono sound on both left and right channels and render out a new DV file.

I don't do that very often as it's very time consuming.

It's easier to just do it right the first time around with the XLR Pro, which routes the mono audio onto both left and right stereo tracks.

Is this what you meant?

Or are you really trying to put stereo mic audio onto the left channel only as mono?

If that's the case then I would follow almost the same procedure...

...open clip in Audio Editor...
...EDIT>SPLIT...
...FILE SAVE AS and then choose 16-bit mono at 48khz...
...etc...

Jerry

[Hulk]

Sorry for the confusion.

You did answer my question.

I recorded the audio in stereo but with a mono mic so I have audio on one track and silence on the other. So I need to make the audio track a mono track.

Bah! I need to think a little more before I type!

Thanks.

[hippie91]

instead of getting that XLR PRO thing (which seems like a pita to carry around just to switch mono to stereo) you could just get a mini mono to stereo cable. that would do the same thing, cost all of $3 and be a lot lighter (and make your mic cord longer)

[Patrick]

But the XLR-PRO is on special for only $219!!!

hippie91, you're much too practical...

[Jerry Jones]

I'm afraid that little mono-to-stereo cable isn't going to give one anywhere close to the noise protection and true *balanced* audio of the XLR adapters.

But if your budget only permits the cable mentioned, then I suppose it could suffice.

Audio expert Jay Rose wrote a nice article about *balanced* audio in DV MAGAZINE here:

http://www.dv.com/magazine/2001/1001/rose1001.html

"...most DV cameras have unbalanced inputs. There are two good ways to deal with this."

"1. Get a transformer-coupled balancing adapter. It is inherently balanced, and the few inches of unbalanced cable from adapter to camera isn't long enough to cause trouble. Both BeachTek (www.beachtek.com) and Studio 1 Productions (www.studio1productions.com) make excellent units, but they have slightly different designs so it's worth comparing features before buying. A few camera manufacturers also make transformer adapters, but the third-party boxes are the most common."

"2. Use a mixer with balanced inputs, located near the camera..."

I consider these professional balanced adapters essential for the type of videos I shoot.

Beachtek makes them, too.

http://www.beachtek.com

The XLR Pro Jr. is the same device... except it only has one XLR input... and costs $159.

http://www.studio1productions.com/xlr-projr.htm

Jerry Jones