Audio
March 31, 2024
Here’s a quick tutorial showing you how to split a multitrack poly WAV file into separate tracks for easier editing or export in DaVinci Resolve Fairlight. Let’s see how it’s done!
If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX. See https://school.learnlightandsound.com for more info!
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Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:
Fancy recorders…
- Sound Devices MixPre II Series Audio Recorders — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon https://geni.us/O8e0
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- Zoom F6 Portable Field Recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon https://geni.us/pCFS
- Zoom F8n Pro Multitrack Field Recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon https://geni.us/fdkN4s
Some of my other studio gear:
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- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens — B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/gr47
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Copyright 2024, Curtis Judd
How to split a poly WAV file into individual mono files in DaVinci Resolve. A poly WAV file is what recorders capable of more than two channels (like a Sound Devices MixPre or many cinema cameras) produce, bundling a separate track per microphone/input into one file. Dropping such a file into a Resolve timeline automatically splits it into separate tracks per channel — in this example, a 4-channel file where channels 1 and 2 turn out to be a duplicate stereo mix of two microphones (left = mic 1, right = mic 2), while channels 3 and 4 are the individual mic sources needed for separate editing/processing.
To remove the unwanted stereo-mix tracks: right-click a track and uncheck "Link Clips" so tracks can be selected and deleted individually, then select the unneeded stereo tracks and press delete; right-click and choose "Delete Empty Tracks" to clean up the resulting gaps.
If staying entirely within Resolve, you can just apply effects per track directly. To export the separated tracks as standalone files for use in another app: select the desired tracks, right-click and choose "Export Audio Files," set Folder Name to Clip Name, enable "Auto-Rename Each Duplicate," choose Broadcast Wave (BWAV) format (widely compatible), match the project's sample rate at 24-bit interleaved, choose "Export Individual Clips" so each track becomes its own file, select "Entire Timeline" but limit the export to "Selected Tracks" only, and skip normalization unless needed. The resulting exported files matched the original individual tracks exactly when re-imported to verify. That's how to split and export a poly WAV file in DaVinci Resolve Fairlight.
