Apple Final Cut Pro 6 - Manual (Page 301)

300 Part IV Logging, Capturing, and Importing
How Multichannel Audio Files Are Stored on Disk
Final Cut Pro stores multichannel audio media as QuickTime media files. Each audio
channel captured is stored in its own track within a single QuickTime media file:
 Mono grouping: Each mono channel is captured to its own track in the QuickTime
media file.
 Stereo grouping: Each stereo channel is captured to a single interleaved track in the
QuickTime media file. A stereo interleaved audio track contains both left and right
audio samples.
For example, suppose you are capturing from an 8-channel audio device. The way the
audio is stored in QuickTime tracks depends on which channels you group as mono or
stereo. Here is just one example of track layout within a multichannel QuickTime
media file:
Dual Mono Versus Stereo Audio
If you’re using a DV camcorder, you typically record two channels of audio during
production. By default, DV camcorders use a built-in stereo microphone, with the left
side recorded on audio channel 1 and the right side recorded on audio channel 2 of
the tape. This is a stereo grouping, where channel 1 represents the sounds on the left
side and channel 2 represents sounds on the right side.
Throughout the editing process, you edit both the left and right sides of a stereo
sound at the same time. In this case, channels 1 and 2 are grouped together as a
single stereo pair.
However, if you use separate microphones to record independent sounds, such as
dialogue from two actors, you can capture each audio track so that it is independent
(discrete) from the other. These are called dual mono tracks.
Audio device
channels Audio grouping chosen
in Clip Settings tab QuickTime media
file track
Channels 1 and 2 Stereo pair 1 (Stereo)
Channel 3 Mono 2 (Mono)
Channel 4 Mono 3 (Mono)
Channels 5 and 6 Stereo pair 4 (Stereo)
Channel 7 Mono 5 (Mono)
Channel 8 Mono 6 (Mono)