Discover the Audio Track Mixer

For this tutorial, I'm using the Audio workspace.

To reset the workspace, click on the Panel menu in the Workspaces panel and choose Reset To Saved Layout.

The Audio Track Mixer makes adjustments to tracks while the Audio Clip Mixer makes adjustments to clips.

The two combined to produce the complete mix.

Let's compare the two mixes.

I'm going to drag the Audio Track Mixer over into the same group as the Program monitor, so we can see these two mixes side by side.

And I'll just resize this panel a little, so we can see more of the track mixer and maybe just pull the Timeline down a little too.

The faders in these two mixes work in the same way.

You move the fader up to make the audio louder and down to make it quieter.

I see I have music here on the third audio track in this sequence, so I'll just pull the audio level down for that track and this is going to affect the entire track and every clip that's on it.

Both mixers have the track name at the bottom of each fader.

There are pan controls which are based on the current sequence mastering setting, further up along with the regular Mute Track and Solo Track buttons.

Next to Mute Track and Solo Track buttons, the Audio Clip Mixer has a Write keyframes button, to add keyframes by making adjustments during playback.

The Audio Track Mixer has an Automation Mode menu with additional options.

In this menu, Off means the fader will ignore existing track-based keyframes, so you can use the fader and pan controls to apply adjustments to the entire track.

And Read of course, means the fader will respond to existing keyframes.

The one mode the Audio Clip Mixer doesn't have is Write.

Write mode always ignores existing keyframes and always writes new ones right from the start, making it easier to set a starting level before you begin playback.

The Record button enables direct recording to the track in a sequence from an audio source.

The Input menu is available at the top.

Set up your audio hardware, turn on recording for tracks and press the Record button at the bottom of the Audio Track Mixer to capture new audio.

I'll just turn that Enable track for recording button off.

At the very top left, there's a small button you can click to toggle the display of track based effects and sends.

And sends are used with sub mixes.

Now, sub mixes allow you to combine the outputs of multiple tracks for advanced mixing.

For now, let's focus on effects.

You can add up to five effects to each track and these are the same effects you'd add to clips.

I am adding the Parametric Equalizer effect.

When an effect is selected as this one is, you can modify individual settings right inside the mixer.

You have a control right here.

But if you double click the name of the effect, you get access to the full interface.

I'm going to choose the Vocal Enhancer preset in the Parametric Equalizer effect here.

And because the effect is applied to the whole of audio track 1, any vocal clips on this track will be affected.

In fact, any clips at all will be affected.

I'll just close these settings.

Now, let's try adding some of those keyframes.

I'll collapse this section of the interface and I'm going to set my music track to Write mode and I'll just press Play and add something of a mix. - That's perfectly normal. - Oh! - Welcome to... - But I've got a problem.

When you press Play in Premiere Pro CC, automatically, the Program monitor becomes prominent because of course, you need to see the contents of the sequence.

And so, for this reason, I'm going to need to pull the Audio Track Mixer, back over to another panel group so I can see it at the same time as the Program monitor.

This issue is unique to the Program monitor.

You won't encounter it with other panels in the interface.

So, let's have another go.

I'll set my automation mode back to Write, hit Play and start adding keyframes.

This is the ancestor’s simulation.

A thousand years ago, this is what it felt...

Well it's not going to be very subtle but if I resize my audio track a little, - let's scroll down a touch - resize a little more, go to my Show Keyframes menu.

Show Volume Track Keyframes.

There are the keyframes I've just added.

And those are combined with any audio level adjustments you make for clips on the track.