View and modify source audio channels

View and modify source audio channels

QuickTime movies can contain multiple audio tracks, and those tracks can be configured in multiple ways. In Compressor you can view these tracks, enable or disable them, and reconfigure them into alternative formats, if necessary, to ensure they are correct in your transcoded output files.

For example, a QuickTime movie might have an audio track with two channels erroneously configured as a stereo pair. In Compressor, you can modify the track so the channels are treated as two discrete mono channels, or as a specialized format such as 1.1 (center and low-frequency effects).

Change the format of a source audio track

  1. In the batch area, click the job containing the source file you want to modify.

  2. In the Audio Tracks section of the Job Inspector, click the pop-up menu corresponding to the audio track you want to modify, then choose a configuration style.

    Depending on how many channels are in the audio track, different options appear in the pop-up menu. For example, a track with two channels can be configured as Stereo, Dual mono, 1.1, and so on. A track with one channel can be configured as Left, Right, Center, Left Surround, Right Surround, and so on.

  3. Repeat step 2 as necessary for any other tracks.

Disable a source audio track

  1. In the batch area, click the job containing the source file you want to modify.

  2. In the Audio Tracks section of the Job Inspector, deselect the checkbox to the left of the audio channel you want to disable.

    The track is turned off and will not be included in any transcoded files created by that batch.

Tip: iTunes Store packages have specific audio requirements. You can use the methods described above to ensure that your audio is properly assigned for a successful submission to the iTunes Store.