AVID - How to Make a 5.1 QuickTime Using 6 separate files Left, Right, Center, Lfe, Ls, Rs - Use for DCP Screening

Owned by Susanne Kraft
Last updated: Oct 28, 2022
4 min read

If you mixer gave you 1 audio file and not 6 separate channels containing your surround sound mix then use this wiki

AVID - How to Make a Native 5.1 Surround Sound QuickTime Using Your Interleaved Surround Sound Mix - Use for DCP Screening

Make a New Bin to import your surround sound mix files

Title the bin how you wish
Go to >File>Input>Import Media

Navigate to your files you would like to import


Navigate to your audio files
Make sure that they are labeled
with a .C .L .LFE.wav
Underscore won’t work



Click on Options

Click on Options again

Click on the Audio Tab and then click on "Edit"

We need to change the Multichannel Audio to


5.1: Pro Tools: L C R Ls Rs Lfe

(this doesn't make sense because the rest of the document uses SMPTE, but trust us...this is how you want to do this...at least in this version of Avid)

Click OK here

Uncheck all the boxes here

EXCEPT Autodetect Broadcast Wave Monographic Groups

choose 23.98 here and click OK

The track is importing here

The file with A1-6 Tracks will be created

When you load it into the source window the file will have a 5.1

icon on it shown here

Create a new sequence and edit the 5.1 audio into the new timeline and then delete the other audio tracks that are automatically generated in the timeline

delete the other audio tracks that are automatically generated in the timeline

Edit the Video Track on to the existing timeline that contains the 5.1 audio.


Check the Sync of the entire movie before exporting

Next go to >Tools Audio Mixer

Change these audio mixer settings for the timeline


Make sure the timeline is set to 5.1 Sequence


Go to Audio Settings

Set the Display Channel order to SMPTE

Go to >File>Output>Export to File

Click on Options

Choose MXF OP1a

Video Compression DNxHD HQ


Mix is 5.1


Make sure Interleaved is checked

Choose a place to save the file choose

And Choose Save




To check the file open your AVID project in one of the CMB STUDIOS And link your QT you just exported and 


Next go to >Tools Audio Mixer




Change these audio mixer settings for the timelineMake sure the timeline is set to 5.1 Sequence