Sound problems

[aquila]

OK... I'm using the trail version of Premiere Elements 4 on an XP operating system and working my way through the short tutorial that is suggested when you first launch the application.
1.) I dragged the audio clip to the beginning of the Sceneline and it looks like an empty frame followed by several video images but when I click to preview I do hear the music and stare at the empty screen. I sat there for a couple minutes before giving up on the video clips displaying. My understanding was that the music was intended to play while the video was running.
2.) I continued on hoping all would come together and the next step was to adjust the volume of the soundtrack. The tutorial directed me to a slidebar beside the musical notes I clicked around the area until slidebar appeared but sliding it to the top made no change. I clicked the next icon up (also labeled "change track volume" and slid it up and down, again no change. The top icon does adjust the volume. Have I deposited my audio file into the wrong track?
3.) I continue on to the subject of themes. I select the file from the memories category and click on it in the task panel to see a pleasant video with some relaxing music. I drag that down to the beginning of my Sceneline and click the preview button and now I have the video but no audio at all. Of course I went back the 3 icons that change track volume but none of them could give any sound at all. Oddly. by that time the memories video ran out and despite the warning that the theme would overwrite my existing sound file, the original was back along with the blank screen.
Sorry to be long winded but I thought the sum of these mysteries might be helpful to you in trying to imagine the source of the problem.
Thanks,
Judy

[ATR]

Judy

Are you working on the "Getting started tutorial Create an Adobe Premiere Elements movie"? If so, did you go to Get Media/Files and Folders and then browse to Premiere Elements 4 Sample Files? If so, exactly what file or file did you open to bring into the Media Panel?

ATR

[aquila]

Yes, that is the tutorial I was working on.
I brought the entire Sample Files folder into the media panel from:
Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Premiere Elements 4.0\Sample Files
Maybe I should confess that the instructions pointed to:
Program Files\Adobe\ Adobe Premiere Elements\4.0\Sample Files
I considered myself safe when I found the Sample Files folder in a similar path.
Judy

[ATR]

Judy,

First, I rarely use the Sceneline and just as rarely use the Sample Files in the Program Files. All that being said, I did some venturing into this territory.

If you drag one of the Sample File AVI into the Sceneline, you should see the video portion in the Monitor. As the tutorial says, in the Sceneline the audio of a video/audio is embedded, so you have to use the Timeline view to see both audio and video tracks.

The sample avi files that I looked at all appear to have a video and audio track. There is one file in there that is just an audio file. I found a problem with sample clip 001.avi. It showed up on the monitor but would not display in the filmstrip as a thumbnail. The audio was OK.

Bottom line: I need to know what specific clips you are dragging from the Media Panel and to where you are dragging them to: Sceneline, audio track 1, narration track, soundtrack. It may be best to start a new project.

It is meaningless to continue into Movie Themes if there is a problem setting up the Sceneline/Timeline.

I will wait until 6:30 pm North East Coast Time for your next steps/comments, then I will be away from the computer until about 9 pm.

ATR

[aquila]

Thanks so much for you patience and efforts to help me to work through this. I just followed the instructions to bring the entire folder contents to the Media panel and then I selected all the video clips and dragged them to the Sceneline and then dragged the one audio file titled "ado_3611_sail_music" in front of the video clips (far left). This is the one that plays the audio but not as a "backgrond" for the video clips. Maybe I've dragged it to the wrong place. I'll look for your reply this evening. Thanks again
Judy

[ATR]

Judy

As it turns out, I am putting my evening plans on hold for an early tomorrow morning start. So, here goes the plan that I would like you to try:

1. Media Panel: Sample Files 002.avi, 003.avi, and 004.avi. Drag just each of them into the Filmstrip at positions 1, 2, and 3 respectively.

2. First double click the thumbnail in Filmstrip position #1 to select it (blue border = selected thumbnail). Verify that you:
See video in Monitor (Do not bother with Preview Windows for now)
Hear audio
See avi thumbnail visible in Filmstrip position #1

3. One at a time, do that same as in 2 for thumbnails #2 and #3.

4. Next, select thumbnail #1 in the Filmstrip and go to the left of the Filmstrip where the "change track volume" icon is. Drag the slider to the bottom, and then double click thumbnail #1 and verify that you have no sound as you watch the video play on the Monitor.

5. When you set the track volume for #1, you did it as well for #2 and #3..the entire track. So double click each of these to verify that you have no audio when you select one of these thumbnails and do a playback.

Once we know that we have video/audio at whatever level, then we can move forward again.

A natural progression might be to describe how to use the audio mixer for adjusting the volume, but let us make sure we have video and audio this way first.

Just to recap Sceneline View, avi clip into the positions in the Filmstrip; the audio that goes with the avi clip will not be visible here (have to go to Timeline View to see it); you can insert Narration and see it in the Sceneline View; you can insert Soundtrack and see it in the Sceneline View. It is just that Audio 1 track that will be missing from sight in this Sceneline View. Another area that we can get into is adjusting the Soundtrack volume so that it does not interfere with the Narration being heard. So you have a lot of work ahead of you. But it should be interesting and challenging and rewarding.

I will be checking back and forth with the computer hourly or sooner until about 11 pm North East Coast time. Hope we can get you on to trimming clips and maybe editing one of your Canon videos.

ATR

[aquila]

OK... I loaded the 3 Sample files and dragged them down to the Sceneline. I double clicked them one at a time and they still all had the sound which is part of the video clips. I also noted that the entire sequence is played beginning with the thumbnail that I double clicked. I also slide the "Change Track Volume" (that is located directly to the left of the Sceneline) down as far as possible and verified that none of the images were audible.

I hope that I didn't mislead you by using the wrong terminology it was the background music file that was audible but not with the videos (as I had suspected it would be). It was the audio portion of the "Theme" family memories which had video but no audio (once dragged on to the Sceneline). It works fine up in the task area.

[aquila]

A small step in the right direction! I've been "playing" with alternatives and I found that if I dragged the aif (sound file) to the bottom bar rather than the film strip bar (Sceneline) I can now hear the music in the background AND see the videos complete with their own sounds. I experimented doing the same thing with the theme (family memories) but no change on that front. It still works great if I even put my mouse pointer over it in the task area but when I drag it to the film strip I can see it panning but there is no noise at all until that image is gone and the other video clips start executing. THEN, I can hear the music that is part of the theme.

[ATR]

It sounds like everything is progressing. Here goes what I believe is happening and how to deal with the edit of an Adobe Theme.

Once you go the Movie Theme route, your edits are replaced by Adobe's Movie. You are not going to appreciate what is happening unless you go to the Timeline View. So this is what I would like you to try next.

1. You have your three avi clips in positions 1, 2, and 3 of the Sceneline. For the purposes of this demonstration, do not drag music to the Soundtrack. Leave the empty.
2. Switch from Sceneline to Timeline View.
3. Do not drag your Movie Theme into the Timeline or Sceneline. Just highlight the Theme that you want (Family Memories) and press the Apply button at the bottom right of the Movie Theme area.
4. When you play back your Movie Theme there will be video throughout, but no audio at the beginning and end of the movie.
5. Scroll so that you can see the tracks above video track 3. You will see 3 tracks (titled Movie Theme), the bottom one being that Movie Theme's audio. The next one up will be some video, etc. You will notice that the audio is not set up to span the entire movie. Note the gap at the beginning and the gap at the end.
6. So, with your cursor, move the Movie Theme audio clip all the way to the left to 0 time. Then with your cursor drag the right end of the audio clip to the right so that it ends where the movie ends.
7. Play back your movie in the Monitor. You can edit these Movie Themes and move things around, etc.

The interesting part is going to be adjusting volumes of audio from clip, from the Movie Theme, and Soundtrack, if you placed on there, so that the appropriate sounds dominates and blends together, if that is what you want.

Give it a try and let me know if I am going in the right direction with this.

ATR

I will stay up a little longer if you want to try that now.

[ATR]

Judy,

When you are using Sceneline View, you have only one place to add music, namely the Sound Track Bar. You do not drag it into the Sceneline's Filmstrip.

My last suggested mini test will give you a better idea of the arrangement.

ATR

[ATR]

Judy,

I am going to call it a day. I will check for further developments early tomorrow morning.
ATR

[aquila]

I had no trouble with the first 4 steps but the 5th was a little more challenging. It took me a while to figure out that I needed to scroll up to find them. Once I made it that far everything else fell into place. I stretched the Movie theme audio effects from the beginning to the end of the movie. VERY COOL! And very easy once you know your way around. Thank you VERY much for the tour!
Judy

[ATR]

Good Morning Judy,

Sounds great...everything coming together. The best is yet to come.

I will be watching for your progress and standing by if suggestions are needed.

ATR