Video recorded with camera app has audio on one side only - how to fix (stereo to mono)

NOTE: If you are experiencing audio in one output channel only when using GARAGEBAND, please click here. The article below is for the CAMERA APP.

When you use a ONE for iPad & Mac, a Duet for iPad & Mac, or a Quartet as your audio interface on an iOS device and you record a video using the camera app, you might notice that when you play the video back, the audio is on only one side of the outputs. This issue is often misinterpreted as the audio being recording in mono, when what's actually happening is Input 1 is being hard-panned to the left (or right if you were recording with Input 2).

This is because the Apogee device is being seen as a multi-channel device by the iPhone or iPad. So it's recording a stereo audio file while your input is only coming in on Input 1- the left side of the stereo input (or right if you were recording with Input 2).

Some apps (such as the camera app) do not give you the ability to set the input for mono recording, which is what you want in order to get your audio to be coming out of both output channels. There are 2 different workarounds for this.

  • The first one is the easiest and requires using a Mac and QuickTime 7 Pro.
  • The second one is more time-consuming and involves using a Mac and the Audacity and iMovie (or Final Cut Pro) apps.

WORKAROUND- OPTION #1 (QuickTime 7 Pro)

Export your video to the Mac that you will be using. The quickest way to do this is to:

  • plug your iDevice in to the Mac and launch the 'Image Capture' app on your Mac,
  • select the video in 'Image Capture' (make sure you select ONLY the video you want to import) and
  • click the 'Import' button (not 'Import All' !).

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Once you've saved the video file to your desktop, you will need to open 'QuickTime Player 7 Pro'. If you don't already have 'QuickTime Player 7', you can download it by clicking here. You can keep your current version of QuickTime Player on your Mac and continue to use it for everything else. You only need version 7 for this file conversion. There is no need to delete the current version.

To unlock the 'Pro' functionality that you will need for converting the audio in the video file, you will need to get a Registration code. Once you have a Registration code,

  • launch 'QuickTime Player 7' (it can be found in Applications > Utilities),
  • click on the QuickTime Player 7 menu and select Registration.

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  • In the Registration window, type in the correct name and registration code and hit Return on your keyboard. The QuickTime logo will now display the word Pro on it. Close the Registration window.

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  • Locate your video file that you imported from Image Capture. Control-click the file and open it with QuickTime Player 7. Make sure you're not using the current version of QuickTime for this.
  • Once you have opened your video file with QuickTime Player 7, click on the File menu and select Export.

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  • Once the 'Save Exported File As...' window opens, go to the bottom middle of the window and click the Options button.

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  • You should now be in the Movie Settings window. Go to the middle of the window and click the Settings button under the Sound checkbox.

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  • Once the Sound Settings window opens, click on the Channels drop-down menu and select Mono.

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  • Once you've selected Mono, click the OK button at the bottom of the window and then click the OK button at the bottom of the next window.
  • Once you've named the video file you're about to save and chose where it will be saved on your Mac, click the Save button.
  • Find the new video file you just saved and open it in QuickTime (whichever version you want). The audio should now be coming out of both output channels!

WORKAROUND- OPTION #2 (Audacity + iMovie/Final Cut Pro)

  • Export your video to the Mac that you will be using. The quickest way to do this is to plug your iDevice in to the Mac and launch the 'Image Capture' app on your Mac, select the video in 'Image Capture' (make sure you select ONLY the video you want to import) and click the 'Import' button (not 'Import All' !).

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  • Once you've saved the video file to your desktop, open it in 'Quicktime' and export the audio by clicking on File > Export > Audio Only.  Name this file and save it to your desktop.

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  • If you don't already have the 'Audacity' app, you will need to download it. It's a free download:  Click here to download Audacity.
  • If you get a message saying that Audacity can't be opened because it is from an unidentified developer, go to the Security & Privacy panel in your Mac's System Preferences and click the 'Open Anyway' button at the bottom of the panel.

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  • Once Audacity opens, go to File > Import > Audio and select the audio file that you exported in Quicktime.

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  • Once your file has imported, it should display one stereo track with audio waveforms on only one side. Go to Tracks > Stereo Track to Mono and it will convert the track to a mono track.

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  • The track should now have only bar instead of 2:

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  • Go to File > Export Audio and choose what type of file format you want. It's usually best to stick to WAV, which is what it should default to.

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  • For this part you will need either the iMovie or Final Cut Pro app if you don't already have one of them. They can both be downloaded on the App Store. Quit Audacity and launch iMovie or Final Cut Pro. Create a new project. Find your original video file that you imported from Image Capture and drag the file into the bottom of the iMovie/Final Cut Pro timeline at the bottom of the window.

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  • Select the video file that you just put into the Timeline, making sure there's a yellow line around it. Now Control-click the file and choose Detach Audio.

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  • You should now see the audio track below the video track. It will be a green colored bar. Click on the audio track to select it and then hit delete on your keyboard to delete it.

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  • Once you've deleted the audio track, look for the mono audio file that you exported from Audacity. Find this file and drag it into the iMovie/Final Cut Pro timeline where the old audio track was. Make sure to line the audio track up with the video track so they have the same starting point.
  • Now you are ready to export. Go to File > Share > (whatever format you want), name the file, and save it to your desktop (or wherever you like). Open this new video file in Quicktime and the audio will now be coming out of both sides!