Break a stereo track into mono tracks

Last updated on Dec 14, 2023

Use the Breakout to Mono option to break a stereo track into mono tracks in Adobe Premiere Pro.

The Breakout to Mono option creates mono audio source clips from a clip’s stereo or 5.1 surround audio channels. It works on items in the Project panel, not on clips in a sequence in the Timeline panel. Breaking out a stereo clip results in two mono audio source clips — one for each channel. Breaking out a 5.1 surround clip results in six mono audio source clips — again, one for each channel.

Note:

Premiere Pro preserves the original source clip. The Breakout to Mono option does not create new files, only new source clips with appropriate source channel mapping.

Before you begin

Import an audio file in your project.

Select a clip containing stereo or 5.1 surround audio in the Project panel.

The Project panel menu is open, and Breakout to Mono under the Audio Options is selected. — Use the Breakout to Mono option to split a stereo clip into two mono clips.

Select Clip in the menu bar, and then select Audio Options > Breakout to Mono.
The resulting audio source clips are given file names reflecting the name of the original clip, followed by the channel names. For example, when Premiere Pro creates two audio source clips from a stereo audio clip named Zoom, it names them Zoom Left and Zoom Right.