Mono Audio Only in Left Channel; Repairing to Fake Stereo

[socool135]

I converted an old vhs tape using a vhs to dvd burning standalone unit. There is probably a glitch with the tape and the audio is only coming in as a mono signal present in the left channel. Does anyone know a program where I can rip the audio and video separate from my dvd and turn the audio into a fake stereo and re-author it with the video? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

Scott

[David K]

How are you digitally capturing the VHS tape?

If you're capturing as DV avi, then when you can render the audio as a .wav file and then correct the audio. Programs like Vegas and Sound Forge allow you to copy the full channel into the empty channel, and I'm sure some freeware audio editing programs might have that feature as well. You might also considering rendering your audio as mono, which will be the same result soundwise.

If you're capturing through a DVD recorder, it gets harder because you have to demux the file and then convert the ac3 to wav to work on it and then you have to convert it back.

You might try using a RCA stereo to mono jack connection so that your capture device captures it as mono in the first place.

[socool135]

Hey man. Thanks for the response. My standalone recorder converts the vhs to dvd internally without any wires, and spits out a dvd. So, I just basically need to seperate the audio and video from the dvd and edit it from there on. Thanks.

Scott

[David K]

Yeah, but after all that you have to re-author the DVD and that gets complicated.
Your best bet is setting up the audio cable from the VHS to the DVD player so that it delivers a mono signal. You need a converter like the one here in the photo. Go to Radio Shack and tell them you want to convert a stereo signal to a mono signal through a RCA adaptor.

[socool135]

Thanks for the help man. I would really prefer to try and edit the audio and video after conversion before I try and change the way I input the audio before conversion. Can anyone help? Thanks.

[12Quidkidinnit]

If you use Audacity, you should be able to achieve this.

First you need a way to save the audio as a .wav file. One way, unless you have any editing software capable of exporting just the audo as a .wav file already would be to download a free trial of Adobe Premiere Elements. I know there are other things that do this, but this is the way I use when I have to. Import the video, insert it on the timeline. Click File, go down to where it says "export audio". Do that, and then.....

Open Audacity.

Import the video sound you've just exported from your video.

Click 'Project' - and then 'New Audio Track'.
A new, empty audio track will appear underneath your soundtrack.
Left click in the grey area in to the left of the first track. This will highlight the track.



Then click Edit, and Copy.
Now highlight a similar grey area next to the second track.
Click Edit, and Paste.
You should now have two identical tracks.
Nearly finished. Click the downward facing arrow head in the grey area to the left of the first track.



A drop down box will appear. Click 'Make Stereo Track'.

Export as a .wav and the sound should be on both channels.

[kevo777]

David K - It sounds like socool135 has a VHS/DVD Recorder combo deck making the use of external connections damn near impossible.

If I'm wrong then my apologies.

[David K]

Kevo,

Well a combo-deck would limit your options in that way.
But re-authoring the whole DVD is a lot of work to solve this problem in the software stage.

[socool135]

Thanks 12Quidkidinnit. I will definitely give this a try tomorrow sometime. I do have a VHS/DVD Recorder Combo, thats why I was trying to edit the dvds after conversion. I didn't want to buy another vhs player. Thanks for the help.

Scott