User Guide

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Chapter 10: Working with multiple audio
and subtitle tracks
Audio and subtitle basics
About audio tracks and subtitles
While a DVD can include as many as eight audio tracks and 32 subtitle tracks (16 subtitle tracks for widescreen
video), a DVD player can play only one of each type of track at a time (one video, one audio, and one subtitle track).
Traditionally, audio track 1 is used for the soundtrack of the video. The remaining seven tracks are used for supple-
mental audio, such as dubbed versions of the soundtrack, director’s comments, teacher’s notes, or coach’s tips.
Subtitles generally translate the audio track, but also can be used to supplement the video, such as providing captions,
lyrics, hints, or different perspectives. Some designers create simple graphics using subtitle image files, for example,
to add pointers or to mask, highlight, or overlay areas. You can type subtitles directly into the Monitor panel or
import subtitles using scripts.
See also
“Using menus to select audio and subtitle tracks” on page 167
“To add audio to a timeline” on page 153
“About subtitles” on page 154
Keeping track of tracks
DVD players remember audio and subtitle track selections. Once a viewer specifies an audio track (using a menu in
the DVD or the remote control), the player plays that same track for all timelines in the program. If a timeline does
not contain the specified track, the DVD player defaults to the Audio 1 or Subtitle 1 track for the rest of the project,
even if subsequent timelines contain the originally specified track.
The player references tracks by number, not by the language settings. If you have more than one timeline, each with
several audio or subtitle tracks (such as language voiceovers or subtitles), use the same track for related audio or
subtitles throughout the project. For example, place all Spanish subtitles on the same numbered subtitle track in each
timeline, and place all director’s comments on the same numbered audio track.
See also
“About multiple audio clips” on page 153
“About subtitles” on page 154
To set audio and subtitle preferences
You can determine the number of audio and subtitle tracks that appear by default when you create a timeline. You
can also determine the default language and duration of subtitle clips.
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Timelines.