Post process for longform doc and multitrack audio

[osa]

Working on a doc currently where they are not editing until all interviews are complete. I may have the opportunity to guide them into editing with my multitrack audio from the start to keep things tidy for me to also do audio post - depending on the editor and their particular workflow. Or worse case i can use software to sync my audio on the back end as i have done in the past. Just had a conversation with some editors about this and i am told, while a great idea on paper, most editors will not want to work this way. In almost 2026 is this still true? Curious if premiere can “nest” multitrack audio or something similar? Trying to give these folks some options while i have the chance

 

-Ken

[fieldsound]

Poly-wav files appear in the Premiere timeline as a single audio file, as they do when you deliver them to DIT. Only when you double click on the file after putting it in the NLE does it reveal the iso tracks within the poly wav file. Therefore if you deliver a poly wav with a mix track on track 1 and 2, your mix track should be the only thing editors have to interface with. Indeed, they may not even know the ISO tracks exist…

 

When they export the AAF file for you at picture lock, you should be able to see all the nested ISO’s and work from there. 
 

This has been my experience using Sound Devices recorders and working closely with editors on small projects. On paper it is a straightforward workflow that shouldn’t complicate the editors lives much assuming you have kept close track of sync… but ymmv 

[osa]

Thank you - ive said this many times before but i need premiere just to see the process with my own eyes to have a better understanding. I will talk to them about this info. Thank you. 

[The Documentary Sound Guy]

Editors vary ... and there isn't necessarily much communication between the picture editor and sound editor.  But, since you are the sound editor as well as the recordist, you're in a great position to make that communication happen and talk them through a workflow that will work for you.  Basically, you are investing time in communication up-front to save yourself a conform down the road.  Seems smart to me.

 

I don't think there's one answer for how "most editors" want to work these days.  Workflows are all over the place, especially in doc where much of the workflow is made up on the fly by the picture editor from home.  Docs aren't made in big post studios with predictable workflows.  What you actually want to know is whether *this particular* editor is willing to use a round-trip workflow, and if they can be trusted to do so.  I'd say you need to ask the editor, not us.

 

If you don't end up working as post sound, then all bets are off.  The picture editor probably won't ever talk to the sound editor, so the sound editor will just go back to the raw audio anyway, since that's the only way they know they have everything.  It's probably wasted effort in that case, but even so, the only wasted effort is a phone call.  Seems like a good investment to me.

[inspire]

Multitrack audio confused me as well in the beginning.
The way I see it, there are three parties involved: first, the artist you’re recording; second, you as the recordist, who knows exactly how many tracks there are and what is on each one; and third, the person who will be doing the post-production.

 

If you hand over a multitrack recording to the post person — which, as I understand it, is a poly-wav file — it’s really helpful to include a clear legend or description of what’s inside that file.
If they’re not familiar with poly-wav files, it might even be better to split the file into separate tracks. That way you can label each track properly, so the post-production person immediately knows what is what. After all, you are the one who knows what is on each track, and it’s not very nice for them to have to guess.

 

I use Reaper to split poly-wav files, and in my opinion it does an excellent job. Of course, there are other ways to do this as well. I was also quite puzzled at first when I started using the Sound Devices MixPre-6 II, because that recorder also saves multitrack audio into a single poly-wav file.

 

If you haven’t done this before, I can give you a quick guide on how to split the tracks in Reaper. Just let me know!