Edit audio clips in the Source Monitor

Last updated on Apr 2, 2026

Learn how to use waveform visualization and navigation tools to review and mark audio precisely in Adobe Premiere.

The Source Monitor provides specialized tools for working with audio clips before adding them to your sequence, allowing you to review waveforms, navigate audio quickly, and identify precise edit points.

Use the Source Monitor to review audio clips when you need to locate specific sounds, identify problems, or mark In and Out points before editing. This workflow is particularly useful for dialogue editing, podcast production, and music editing, where precise timing matters. Audio clips open automatically in the Source Monitor when you double-click them from the Project panel or Timeline.

The Source Monitor displays audio as visual waveforms, making it easier to identify loud and quiet sections, locate specific sounds, and set accurate edit points. Larger waveforms represent louder audio, while smaller waveforms indicate quieter passages.

View audio waveforms in the Source Monitor

Double-click an audio clip in the Project panel or Timeline to open it in the Source Monitor.

The audio waveform appears automatically for clips containing single or multiple audio channels.

To customize how audio appears across your project, select the wrench icon in the Timeline panel to open Timeline Display Settings, and then select Show Audio Waveform.

Timeline Display Settings menu with Show Audio Waveform selected to display waveforms in audio tracks.
Enable Show Audio Waveform in Timeline Display Settings to view clip waveforms directly in audio tracks.

Navigate audio using scrubbing

Open an audio clip in the Source Monitor by double-clicking it in the Project panel or Timeline.

Position your cursor over the waveform to display the playhead.

Drag the playhead left or right across the waveform to scrub through the audio.

Note

Scrubbing plays audio as you drag, helping you locate specific sounds quickly. To disable audio playback during scrubbing, select Premiere > Preferences > Audio (Windows) or Premiere > Settings > Audio (macOS), and then deselect Play audio while scrubbing in Source and Program Monitors.

Zoom to locate precise edit points

Open an audio clip in the Source Monitor.

Locate the zoom scrolling bar beneath the timecode ruler at the bottom of the Source Monitor.

Drag either end of the zoom scrolling bar to zoom in or out horizontally on the waveform and timecode.

To zoom vertically on a single channel, drag either end of the vertical zoom bar next to the dB ruler on the right side of the Source Monitor.

To zoom all channels simultaneously, hold Shift while dragging the vertical zoom bar.

Tip

Double-click the vertical zoom bar to return to the default zoom level. Double-clicking again restores your previous custom zoom.