Mixing Audio > Adjusting audio levels in the Audio Mixer window using automation
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Adjusting audio levels in the Audio Mixer window using automation


Using automation in the Audio Mixer window, you can set audio track levels and pan/balance tracks in real time as you listen to the audio track. Once the adjustments have been applied, fine-tune your changes directly in the Timeline by dragging the handles on the Volume rubberbands in each clip.

Note: Audio Mixer window tracks are not functional when playing back segments of Timeline audio tracks containing previews. The Master Fader, however, remains functional. Use the Audio Mixer before applying audio effects that may cause preview files to be created.

To use automation to adjust the volume for part or all of a track:

1 If necessary, click the triangle to the left of the track name to expand the audio track that you want to adjust.

2 Drag the edit line to the point where you want to start recording automation changes.

3 Choose Window > Audio Mixer.

4 In the Audio Mixer window, locate the mixer track that corresponds to the Timeline track you want to adjust (for example, Track 1 controls the Audio 1 track). The track name appears at the top of each mixer track.

5 Click the Automation Write button () at the top of the mixer channel. To make changes in additional tracks, click the Automation Write button for those tracks also.

6 Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the title bar of the Audio Mixer window to open the Audio Mixer Window Options dialog box. In the Automation Write Options section, choose one of the following and click OK:
  • Choose Touch to modify the stored volume level and pan/balance data only while you drag the volume fader and pan/balance controls. When you release the mouse button, the controls return to their original position.
  • Choose Latch to modify the stored volume level and pan/balance data while you drag the volume fader and pan/balance controls, and to subsequently retain those control settings. When you release the mouse button, the controls remain in their adjusted position.
  • Choose Write to modify the stored volume level and pan/balance data based on the current position of the audio track controls. You will not need to drag the controls during recording to begin the write process. This choice is useful if you want to preset and then maintain a particular control setting throughout a recording or to write automation immediately at the start of playback.
  • Choose Write/Touch to use Write mode for the next playback, but then to have Premiere automatically switch to Touch mode for subsequent playbacks.

    • Note: You can gang tracks in order to make volume changes to several tracks at once, but because you have only one mouse and pointer, you cannot operate each volume fader independently. To make different changes to multiple tracks, play the program a number of times, recording changes for one track at a time. For information on ganging tracks, see "To adjust volume for more than one track at a time" later in this section.
  • Choose one option from the Enable Automation Of drop-down menu. Choose Volume and Pan to modify both the volume and pan/balance data in the clip; choose Volume Only to modify only the volume level; choose Pan Only to modify only the pan/balance data.

    • 7 Click the Play button () in the Audio Mixer window to start recording. You can also click the Loop button () to play the program in a continuous loop or click the Play In to Out button () to play from the In Point to the Out point.

    8 Drag the volume fader up to increase volume level or down to decrease volume level. To avoid distortion, adjust the volume so that the VU meter to the left of the volume fader displays only yellow on the peaks, not red. The clip indicator remains red once the volume reaches clipping levels. To reset the clip indicator once it turns red, lower the volume fader and click the clip indicator.

    9 To stop recording, click the Stop button (). To prevent accidently overwriting automation that has already been applied, click the Auto Read button () for the track you just recorded.

    10 To preview your volume changes, drag the edit line to the beginning of your changes and click the Play button ().

    To adjust volume for more than one track at a time:

    1 Gang the audio tracks you want to work on: Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the volume fader you want to assign to a gang and choose a gang number from the context menu. Repeat this process for the other channels you want to gang, assigning each the same gang number.

    2 Click the Automation Write button () for each audio track in which you want to make changes.

    3 Set your Automation option to either Write or Write/Touch and record your track volume changes, as described in the previous procedure. As you adjust a volume fader on any one of the ganged tracks, the change is applied to all ganged tracks.

    To ungang the audio tracks:

    Do one of the following:
  • To remove a volume fader from a gang, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) each ganged volume fader and choose No Gang.
  • To temporarily override the ganging, hold the Shift key while dragging the volume fader.

    • To select tracks to be monitored during playback:

    Do one of the following:
  • To monitor one or more tracks, click the Solo button for the corresponding tracks.
  • To mute one or more tracks, click the Mute button for the corresponding tracks.

    • Mixing Audio > Adjusting audio levels in the Audio Mixer window using automation