Extracting audio from an .AVI using Audition

[dadrab]

Good day all,

Quite by accident last night, I discovered a better way to strip the audio from an .AVI file before encoding to DVD compliant MPEG2.

Several of the files I’ve been working with over the past few weeks have had oddly encoded sound layers (i.e. MP3, VBR MP3, strange bitrates, etc.). Using VirtualDubMod, I have been able to strip the audio, but, upon testing my ensuing .AVS script, I’d find synch. problems a-plenty. I didn't even bother to encode most of them. It was whipping me pretty badly.

Last night, I saw a command in the “File” menu of Adobe Audition that allows one to remove the audio from a video file. I don’t really know why I’ve never paid attention to it before. Quite possibly, it’s just the “mode” I’m in when working with Audition. I normally only use that piece of software for working with audio files exclusively – as in preparing tracks for a CD burn.

Just for those who don’t already know, Audition is an awesome tool for manipulating sound and getting the best out of even a relatively crappy sounding music file. Adobe did a good day’s work buying Syntrillium Software, the developer of CoolEdit Pro – which we now know as Audition. I've used CoolEdit for years, but only recently upgraded to Audition for my new computer build.

Anyway, I was having real problems with a particular file. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get the audio and video to synch. back up after writing the AVI Synth script. No amount of audio file tweaking helped.

Offsetting the audio and video in the authoring phase would correct the finished product in the beginning, but the sound would drift off que as the movie progressed. Not good.

So, I saw this command and clicked it along with the problem-child file of the day. I equalized it and bit and saved it as a .WAV and inserted that into my script.

Low and behold, the file tested brilliantly. After being encoded in TMPGEnc (using this guide - https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=222898 ), authored in GUIforDVDAuthor and burned using ImgBurn, the resulting disc played brilliantly too.

Later last night, I extracted the audio from about six other files that had whipped my ass along the way too. The resulting .AVS scripts tested very nicely in all cases.

Unfortunately, I’m not smart enough to know what the different extraction process is doing to make an alteration that really works, but it works.

As I’ve said before, the best lessons these forums teach are those that have to do with helping oneself. Fortunately, I’m lucky enough to be able to contribute for a change. 8)

[theewizard]

nice info, i don't have audition or cooledit, but thanks for info

I have been using super to extract/create AC3 or MP2 audio files from avi's with mp3 vbr in them..

its fast and so far, it has worked perfectly for me

[Pinstripes23]

Personally I always do the audio separately, I don't even include it in avisynth scripts. I do use audition and have known about its audio extraction for as long as I've had it. But when giving out advice on simple audio extraction, I have never recommended this tool on the fact that its not freeware, and there are freeware tools that can do it easily.

In addition to editing audio, I use audition almost exclusively for audio/video syncing in multitrack view. I will load the audio on one track and then import the .avs file(video) and load it onto another track. This way I can play the 2 tracks in real time and preview, and fix anything that needs to be syncd. There hasn't been a syncing problem I haven't been able to fix using this tool.

[dadrab]

I have been using super to extract/create AC3 or MP2 audio files from avi's with mp3 vbr in them..

its fast and so far, it has worked perfectly for me

Nothing wrong with that. I've also used Super and a couple of others, but on the files I was mentioning above, none of the freebie tools were working. In one instance, there were drop-outs; in a second, there were horrible (and damned loud) artifacts put into the stream; on and on...and none of the audio rips would synch back up with the video once all was processed.

I was, quite literally, graspling at straws.

I have never recommended this tool on the fact that its not freeware, and there are freeware tools that can do it easily.

...and I hesitated to post up about it too for that very reason, but it did such a fine job, I figured it might help others too.

In addition to editing audio, I use audition almost exclusively for audio/video syncing in multitrack view. I will load the audio on one track and then import the .avs file(video) and load it onto another track. This way I can play the 2 tracks in real time and preview, and fix anything that needs to be syncd.

See? I learned something too. I have years of experience under my belt working with CoolEdit Pro, but it didn't have this functionality, so I never even looked for it in Audition. I think I've found a better way - and thanks. 8)

[20/20]

Hi, at the end of your starting post you mention that you stripped
the audio from your avi's and saved the wav (wihtout converting
it back to mp3 or other lossy format)
and then saved it with the video?

If so, yes ofcourse. If you extract the wav it will be a chronological stream of bits.
When you use MP3 VBR the weird bitrate chunks have to be cut in certain tiny amounts to fit the interleaved chunks of video-data.
(could be wrong tho)