Movie Studio 2023 Suite doesn't allow multiple audio tracks

Hayes wrote on 9/14/2022, 1:38 AM

Years and years and years ago, I was gifted Movie Studio Platinum 12.0 for Christmas. Since then, whenever I’ve needed or wanted to edit something, from projects for school to joke videos for my friends, I boot up the software. However, it’s old and looks like it. I see Adobe or the newer Movie Studio applications and want to get a new video editing software. I know I don’t need it, but so what?

That led to today when I bought MAGIX Movie Studio 2023 Suite for myself.

Part of those “joke videos for my friends” are “funny?” clips of us playing video games. And the software I use for that records my desktop audio and microphone audio on separate audio tracks in the same file, which is something that Movie Studio Platinum 12.0 can process perfectly fine.

MAGIX Movie Studio 2023 Suite, however, cannot.

While you can change the audio track, you cannot display both at the same time, which you can in Movie Studio Platinum 12.0. At least, it is not obvious to do so.

I found this forum post which seems to cover the same issue. The solutions posed do not work. It seems as though MAGIX went through a lot of effort to make this impossible to do, for whatever reason.

https://www.magix.info/us/forum/movie-studio-2022-cannot-separate-multiple-audio-tracks--1289528/

For instance, if you copy the file and change the audio track on the copied file, the original audio track changes too. It seems impossible to have both audio tracks play at the same time, no matter what you do, something that Movie Studio Platinum 12.0 does with ease and without complaint.

Did I spend $70 to downgrade, or is there something I’m missing about this software?

Thank you for your time and help, I truly appreciate it.
-Roman Hayes

Comments

AAProds wrote on 9/14/2022, 2:55 AM

@Hayes

It seems as though MAGIX went through a lot of effort to make this impossible to do, for whatever reason.

That's a bit harsh. Magix has probably never considered it to be a necessary feature. One comes across software every day that doesn't do a particular job, or doesn't have a particular feature. There are probably features of Magix NLEs that are better than Vegas/Movie Studio. Move on.

As for buying it and finding it doesn't do what you want, the trial is available for 30 days. I am currently in day 17 of it. I've been using Magix for 15 years, and I probably won't upgrade this time because of issues I've found with this new version. That's what trials are for.

Hayes wrote on 9/14/2022, 2:58 AM

@CubeAce

Ahh, I see. I kinda realized that certain features would be included and excluded based on price points. I just assumed that multiple audio tracks from the same file wouldn't be something that needed to be presented as included; I assumed that it was considered something as basic as "being able to edit the video."

Thank you for your very quick and very detailed response, it helped a lot and eased my confusion. I guess I'll just stick with my 'ol reliable decade-old software, and, assuming the likely fact that I won't get a refund, a $70 lesson.

-Roman Hayes

Former user wrote on 9/14/2022, 3:13 AM

@Hayes Hi, try contacting Magix & say your purchase was a mistake, there's been quite a few people who thought they were upgrading only to find that MS2023 is a totally different program to what they had & were expecting to get, You want Vegas Edit for the closest upgrade to your old program,

PS, I have both, MS2023 is faster & more stable but Vegas can do the things you're discussing,

CubeAce wrote on 9/14/2022, 4:09 AM

@Hayes

Hi.

I totally understand your disappointment. To lose something you had on a product bearing the same name but now being what is in effect a totally new editing regime with missing functionality would be completely unexpected.

I'm wondering if Music Maker could import the video file and show all the audio tracks and then export the audio tracks individually from there?

I have never used Music Maker so don't know, but a lot of DAWs have that capability now. It could be a workaround. If not with Music Maker then perhaps another free Audio Editor.

As for contacting Magix as @Former user suggests if you don't wish to use the program then try emailing to either infoservice@magix.net or sales@magix.net.

Once support for Win 10 ceases though you may no longer have a choice to use MSP 12 as it may no longer work. (It might, I don't know for sure but the possibility is there.) You could also ask for a cross-grade price to either VPX or Vegas Edit Pro which would be a lot cheaper than buying new. Do check your hardware is up to the task of running these newer programs first though.

Ray.

johnebaker wrote on 9/14/2022, 4:29 AM

@Hayes

The capability of importing multiple streams is one of the product differentiation characteristics of Prosumer and Pro software and has nothing to do with the Vegas range of products which are more popular in some regional markets.

You will also find that Magix Movie Studio has more features which have and do not exist in the Vegas movie Studio - the list is quite long.

There is a list of tutorials here to help you understand the workings of Magix Movie Studio, which is based on Movie Edit Pro which the majority of the tutorials refer to.

There is a workaround to get both audio streams into a project:

Load the video file and select audio stream 2
Select File, Export movie, Export audio as WAV and export the audio stream giving it a unique name
Repeat for any other video clips you need to do this to.
Start a new project if necessary and import the video files again
Import the corresponding WAV file(s) on to a lower track, aligning them to the video.

HTH

John EB
Forum Moderator

Hayes wrote on 9/14/2022, 6:33 AM

I reached out to MAGIX, asking if I could get a refund. All that’s left is for me to see if it gets granted.

While the solutions presented by @CubeAce and @johnebaker might work, my goal would be for the process to be streamlined. Movie Studio Platinum 12.0 deals with the issue as if it wasn’t an issue. When you upload the file, it takes up one video track and two audio tracks (or as many video and audio tracks as is needed), as simple as that.

If my refund is granted, I’ll look into Vegas Edit Pro and Video Pro X, and I’ll do what I should have done in the first place, research the software beforehand and make sure it has the features I want.

As for if my computer can run these newer programs, I'll look into it, but I’m not worried. I have an Nvidia RTX2070 graphics card, an AMD Ryzen 7 2700 CPU, and 16 gigabytes of RAM; it’s the common sense I’m missing.

I want to thank all of you for such quick responses. I almost didn’t create a forum post at all; the last time I asked for help on a public board, they were less than helpful. All of you were very nice, very fast, and very helpful!

Thank you so much, have a great day!

-Roman Hayes

browj2 wrote on 9/14/2022, 8:43 AM

@Hayes

Hi,

I can understand the problem if you have many to do, but not if you only have a few.

Here is another way than what John EB showed. There is no need to start another project or import the files:

Case 1 - with nothing else on the timeline and Program Settings for Video/Audio on 1 track:

Load the video file onto track 1 - audio stream 1 will be there by default;
Shift+D - this does an audio mixdown. Select the folder where you want the wave files and temporary files to be and change the name to whatever the source clip was and appending something like Audio1 before the extension, OK; A wave file will be created and put on track 2;
Right-Click the video object, Audio functions/Restore original sound, right-click again and Switch current audio track to the other one;
Select the two objects and group them - shortcut G.

Done.

Case 2 - with other objects on the timeline, you have to isolate the object:

Load the video file onto track 1 - audio stream 1 will be there by default;
Go to the start of the object and press I to set the beginning (Inpoint) of the range, go to the end of the object and press O to set the Outpoint) of the range;
Solo track 1 by clicking on the S in the track header - the object is now isolated;
Shift+D - this does an audio mixdown. Select the folder where you want the wave files and temporary files to be and change the name to whatever the source clip was and appendi something like Audio1 before the extension, OK; A wave file will be created and put on track 2;
Right-Click the video object, Audio functions/Restore original sound, right-click again and Switch current audio track to the other one; You will now have both channels playing.
Turn off Solo in the track header, select all three objects and group them - shortcut G. Remove the range when and if you want.

My preference (if you want): Open Project Settings, Video/Audio tab and uncheck Video/Audio on one track. I always have video/audio on two tracks. This will give you the Video on track 1 and audio on tracks 2, and the second channel on track 3 once mixed down. Doing the same as above will give you the wave file on track 3 and the other channel on track 2 grouped to the Video object, no separate wave file.

Note: If you will need to do some work on the two audio channels in an external audio editor, you will have to do the above in any event, and you will have to do a further mixdown of the other audio channel (isolated, of course).

John CB