@raoul-beaman, @rraud

Hi

Raoul, Rick

. . . . You could also copy the right-channel data to the left-channel manually or use the (SF Pro) channel converter. which would make a dual-mono file.. but there is usually no reason to.. . . .

This is the method I would use, especially if the audio is accompanied by video.

An example would be video of a commentator/speaker, who is not centre stage, and the audio has been recorded separately from the video, in mono, or stereo left channel only.

Using the 'copy into other channel' method allows you to adjust the audio position to match the speakers' position.

John EB
Forum Moderator

Hi Rick and John.

To both of you, many thanks for your responses.

Rick. Many thanks for the screen shots. I'm using SFAC lab, 32 bit, 23.0.1.22 (DP3). Am I being 'stupid' here? I cannot find the stereo button, infact there doesn't appear to be a bottom status bar at all. My 'stereo' button is top right of screen with the other eight buttons such as volume, spectral, Ripple etc. If I click on this top stereo button, all I get is the two stereo channels merged to one. It doesn't give me the 'mono' option or further drop down menu. Am I looking in the wrong place?

John - I note your suggestion of copying the right channel data and it may come to this, but the original sound source is from cassette tape and is not associated with any video format. I also note your final sentence re 'adjusting the audio position to match the speakers'. Hadn't thought of that.

I would like to explore Rick's suggestion if I can find the stereo button he's talking about. Also note his valid comment re a PCM WAV being half the size of the original stereo file.

Thanks again. Raoul B

SFAC is different than Sound Forge Pro and Audio Studio. IMO, Magix should have used a different name to avoid confusion which is common. Sorry, I am not familiar with ACL.

@raoul-beaman

Hi,

SFAC lab, 32 bit, 23.0.1.22 - that would be the first inaptly titled Sound Forge Audio Cleaning Lab. It's now at version 26, which is SFACL4.

Please post a screen shot of the entire user interface.

The versions prior to and after the one you have worked fine, if I recall correctly. However, the first SFACL had the problems that you describe. Furthermore, on the recording parameters screen, they forgot the Mono button, leaving only the Stereo button and it could not be unchecked. I brought these up with Magix at the time and nothing got done. The fixes were in the next version, I believe, which I skipped. SFACL3 worked fine. SFACL4 has bugs that I have raised with Magix and nothing has been done.

I don't have version 23 on my computer anymore, so I may not be able to help you much.

The following is rather convoluted and maybe there is an easier way.

I made a recording in stereo with sound on one channel. On the arranger, I see both channels on track 1 - stereo is turned so I see the L and R channels.

Copy the object to track 2 - Ctrl+drag with left mouse button - drag it to the right past the end of the object on track 1 and move it to track 1. In the image below, I have audio on the right channel, nothing on the left.

Select the first object - track 1 - right-click, split stereo channels. Now you have the left on track 1 and the right on track 2.

Delete the left or right that you don't need, in your case, the left which is on track 1.

Select the second object, the copy, Effects, Stereo Phase, Swap channels. Now you have the reverse of your original - that is, left and right have been reversed.

Right-click on this object, split stereo channels. A message pops up indicating that the file exists and asking if you want to overwrite. Cancel. This opens the explorer view - save left channel as.. give it a name, left will be proposed and I add a number after it, like 1, OK. Then Save right channel as... give it a name - right will be proposed, add the same number after. Ok.

Now left and right have been split. The new left should be on track 1, right on track 2.

Delete from the arranger the channel that you don't want - in your case, the one on track 2.

Drag the object on track 1 back to the beginning. You should now have the old right channel on both tracks and on both L&R channels. Edit using Project to get your effects on both channels.

You can see in the image above that I now have what was originally the right channel on both channels.

Good luck!

John CB

John CB. Thank you for your comprehensive reply. I am working through this at the moment. I note the various comments re the 'failures' of the early SF versions. Rick mentioned it and John EB (moderator) hinted at it but offered a solution about copying the 'R' channel, but I am wondering now, as SF has just identified yet another left hand channel interference problem today, which I had no idea about, but has come to light whilst working on some of the original imports. Should I therefore upgrade to SF Pro to allow me to work through this 'damn' left hand channel interference problem which sounds as if, from what Rick is saying, would be easier to solve with 'Pro' rather than struggling through it, using the earlier versions.

Thank you to Rick, John EB and John CB