Patching source to timeline - please fix in 19

Honestly, I've just played with track patching in Resolve 19b1 with a source clip that has two stereo channels and patching is totally useless (not a new problem).

Imagine you start with V1/A1 tracks in timeline with the above clip selected in the media pool. Patching seems to force the A1 from the clip to the A1 of the timeline - there''s no way to force A2 of the clip to the timeline. If you add an additional audio track to the timeline you can patch either A1 or A2 from the clip to the A2 of the timeline but if you patch A2 of the clip, it sticks and there is no way to undo that and patch A1 of the clip to A2 of the timeline.

I seldom work with Resolve in this way because the patching is poor. I'm assuming 18.6.6 worked the same way.

Totally bonkers.

I should be able to click on the A1 badge in the track header and select either A1 or A2 from the selected source clip. Also - there should be a way to tell Resolve to only use the audio tracks defined in the patch and NOT to patch all other available audio tracks to new timeline tracks (unless there's an option I'm missing?).

The only workaround I've found is to create a new audio track and 'steal' the audio track patch from its other destination. Then I can re-patch the previous track.

So, in my above example, I create an A3 track and patch source A2 to it, this removes the patching from the timeline's A2 track and lets me redefine which source track patches to timeline A2... I can patch A1 source to A2 timeline (which then 'steals' source A1 patching from A1 timeline).

Nuts!

Edit - Just beware that the source clip will force patching both channels into the timeline regardless of patching - either to the other available track or will create a new track. This is a long standing issue with patching.

Well, I stand corrected. Pavel over in the main forum had this gem of a solution:

https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=200436&p=1042512#p1042499

Basically you can click and drag the source patch from one track to another. I had no idea. So really, the only issue I have with patching (other than the above workaround not having a key binding, I suppose) is that Resolve insists upon creating tracks that do not yet exist. I would like an option to prevent this.

So, for example, if my source has two stereo tracks but I have only one stereo audio track in the timeline, then I simply choose which source track to patch into the timeline track and the other source track is ignored.

Please.

When I tried to replicate your issue - I just found out by accident that you can drag the source patch. Wanted to post the solution just when I saw you edited your posting.

When I tried to replicate your issue - I just found out by accident that you can drag the source patch. Wanted to post the solution just when I saw you edited your posting.

Thanks Robert - not sure how this escaped me over the years (or I once knew it have long since forgotten, lol).

Now if only we could tell Resolve not to automatically create missing audio tracks we'd be in much better shape for the whole source to timeline patching functionality. Cheers.

Yes Steve, I'm pretty new to Resolve editing; being an Avid MC editor, so I've always overlooked it. Last time I messed I was trying to make it like Avid and cursing it; and that was my mistake. But I'm getting to like it a lot now.

I've always banged on about this being one of Avid's main strengths; you can pull a source track to any track in record; ctrl-Y, new V track, ctrl-U new audio track, etc. But it's just as easy in Resolve; simply drag source tracks up and down to where you want them to patch to; and right click for new tracks on the timeline.

Similarly everyone bangs about trim mode in Avid - I find Resolve's way just as easy and complete. I do miss source and record timeline view though; use it all the time on TV docs - sub sequence or seq, in source; switch timeline mark in/out; patch tracks etc. All this can be done too in Resolve though; it's just a different way of working, that I've had to un-learn as much as learn.

I think the one thing I would love to see is more distinguishing interface colours for functions - so a clear distinction to work out there is in fact source and record tracks shown on the timeline; and Insert, Overwrite, Replace to be in Yellow, Red and Blue too to stand out; but that's me and my Avid, again.