The basic editing and finishing features in Final Cut Express operate in the same way for video and audio clips. This chapter covers the few tools and techniques unique to audio editing, audio effects, and mixing.
You can learn about other aspects of audio elsewhere in this book. Capturing audio is covered in Chapter 5, “Capturing Video.” Steps for importing digital audio from CDs or other digital sources appear in Chapter 6, “Importing Digital Media,” and exporting audio back to tape or to another digital format is covered in Chapter 19, “Creating Final Output.” Also, audio transitions are covered in Chapter 13, “Creating Transitions,” and rendering audio is explained in Chapter 18, “Real Time and Rendering.”
The FCE interface has five areas where you edit and finish audio.
The Audio tab in the Viewer: The Audio tab displays audio-only clips, as well as the audio portion of audio+video clips. This is where you can audition and mark edit points in audio clips and use keyframes to set audio level and pan settings. The Audio tab is the only place in FCE where you can get a large view of your audio clip’s waveforms and make subframe adjustments to edit points.
The Audio tracks in the Timeline: The Timeline is the only place where you can view all audio tracks at once. Turn on the Timeline’s audio waveform display (it’s off by default), and you can edit audio quite nicely; you can do everything from basic assembly to fine trimming. Track height is completely adjustable, so when you need to concentrate on fine-tuning an edit, you can expand the track until the waveform display is a healthy size.
You can use keyframes to set and sculpt audio levels using the Timeline’s clip overlays. Playback on the Audio tab and in the Trim Edit window is independent of Timeline/Canvas playback, so the Timeline is the only place you can trim audio on the fly as you watch your sequence play back.
The Voice Over tool: FCE’s audio recording tool can record multiple tracks of sync audio as FCE plays back a selected portion of your sequence. Sounds complicated, but it’s easy to use and very useful.
The Filters tab in the Viewer: Apply and adjust audio filters and effects on the Filters tab of the Viewer.
The Trim Edit window: The latest edition of the Trim Edit window is the best yet (dynamic trimming, improved performance), and if the Trim Edit window displayed large-size waveforms as you fine-tuned your audio edits, it would be a great place to do fine cutting of dialogue or music. Unfortunately, you can’t see waveforms in this window, so it’s not a top choice for tight audio editing.
In the audio world, format has entirely too many meanings.
There are media formats, such as DV, CD, and DAT, which describe the media used to record the original audio. There are also digital audio file formats, such as AIF, MP3, and WAV.
And then there are the audio formats discussed here, which describe the structure of multiple-channel audio recordings such as stereo or mono. These audio formats apply to audio captured with video, as well as to imported clips or audio-only clips captured with the Voice Over tool.
Stereo: Both channels have been captured as a stereo pair. Stereo pairs are always linked, so anything applied to one track applies to both. Waveforms for the two channels that make up the stereo pair appear on a single Audio tab (Figure 12.1).
Ch 1 + Ch 2: Both channels have been captured but are distinct and can be adjusted independently of one another. Two Mono Audio tabs appear in the Viewer (Figure 12.2).
Mono: The audio consists of a single mono channel, or both channels from the tape mixed into a single track. A single Audio tab appears in the Viewer. The source track designation (a1, a2, and so on) refers to the audio format of these tracks’ source media at the time of capture.
Two linked audio clips behave differently than two linked audio clips defined as a stereo pair.
Two linked audio clips will be selected together, but their levels and filters must be controlled separately. Two linked audio clips can appear in two separate Audio tabs in the Viewer.
Two audio clips defined as a stereo pair share everything except their audio content and their Timeline tracks. The two stereo channels appear on a single Audio tab in the Viewer, and they are always selected together. Any filter, panning, or level modification applied to one stereo channel is automatically applied to the other.
You can modify the audio format of captured audio using the Modify > Stereo Pair and Modify > Link commands. For example, toggling Stereo Pair off will convert a pair of clips captured as a stereo pair to two linked clips in A1 + A2 (Ch 1 + Ch 2) format.
Tip
Converting two single audio clips to form a stereo pair is a quick way to apply identical level changes to a couple of clips. You can always toggle stereo off after you have made your level adjustments.
To convert a stereo pair to A1 + A2 format:
Select the stereo audio clip in the Timeline (Figure 12.3); then choose Modify > Stereo Pair to toggle stereo off.
Figure 12.3. Select the stereo audio clip in the Timeline; then choose Modify > Stereo Pair (or press Option-L) to toggle stereo off.
The stereo audio clip is converted to dual mono (Ch 1 + Ch 2) format, but the two audio channels remain linked (Figure 12.4). If you want to convert these to two completely independent audio clips, select the linked audio clips in the Timeline; then choose Modify > Link to toggle linking off.
Tips
Toggling stereo off will automatically unlink audio-only clips.
FCE’s Capture window captures only video+audio clips, and it always formats audio channels as a stereo pair. If you want your clip’s audio to be formatted as A1 + A2 format, you’ll need to select the two channels of your audio clip in the Timeline and then choose Modify > Stereo Pair to toggle stereo off.
To convert two audio clips to stereo pair format:
You’ll find four Browser columns devoted to information about the formatting of your audio clips (Figure 12.5); this summary will help you decode what each column tells you about your audio files.
Tracks: The number of audio and video tracks used in a clip or sequence. Note the higher total number of tracks in the sequences.
Audio: The audio clip’s format as defined inside FCE. “A1 + A2” indicates the dual mono format.
Aud Format: The audio format of the audio’s source media file. The number (8, 12, 16, or 24) indicates the audio’s bit depth. Note the 32-bit floating-point bit depth listed for sequences.
Aud Rate: The sample rate of the audio’s source media file.
Tip
Final Cut Express allows you to mix audio tracks with different sample rates within the same sequence. The program can convert the sample rate of nonconforming audio on the fly as you play back a sequence. Real-time sample-rate conversion does take processor power, however, and can occasionally produce nasty audible artifacts, so for best results, you should convert the sample rates of all your audio tracks to match the sequence settings. For more information, see “To export audio only from a clip or sequence” in Chapter 19.
The Audio tab in the Viewer window is where you review, mark, and edit single audio clips opened from the Browser or the Timeline. You can see the audio waveforms of audio clips, and in addition to the editing functions, you can use onscreen controls to adjust the level and stereo pan settings (Figure 12.6).
Before you start marking up audio clips, make sure you understand how and where FCE saves your changes. See the sidebar “FCE Protocol: Clips and Sequences” in Chapter 4.
Editing digital audio requires different interface tools than editing digital video. When you open an audio clip in the Viewer, a graph of the audio waveform appears on the Audio tab, and the playhead travels across a stationary waveform image.
The Audio tab retains the transport controls from the Video tab interface in the lower part of the tab, but it has its own set of onscreen controls in the upper part.
Here’s a brief rundown of the onscreen controls unique to the Audio tab (Figures 12.7 and 12.8):
Level slider: Use to adjust the amplitude or volume of the audio clip.
Pan slider: Use to adjust stereo panning or swapping of the left and right channels. Single channel (mono) clips use the Pan slider for left/right positioning of mono audio.
Reset (X) button: Use to delete all marked points in the audio timeline and reset the level and pan values to their original settings.
Drag hand: This is your handle for drag-and-drop editing. Drag to move the audio clip with edits to another window, such as the Browser or the Timeline.
Audio tab ruler: This shows the timecode for the audio displayed. Edit point overlays appear along the ruler. You can adjust the time scale with any Zoom tool, selector, or slider.
In and Out points: These appear in both the Scrubber bar and the ruler.
Level line graph: Both a tool and an indicator, it graphs level changes by indicating the amplitude of the audio. You can also drag the Level line graph to adjust the overall level of your audio clip, or you can drag keyframes to create dynamic volume effects.
Pan line graph: This has the same basic operation as the Level line graph. Drag to adjust the stereo spread (for stereo clips) or pan (for mono clips).
Keyframe marker: Use the Pen tool to add keyframes to level lines, creating dynamic changes to volume and pan settings.
Zoom selector: Click to jump between different time scale views. The Zoom selector keeps your playhead centered as you change time scales.
Zoom slider: Use to scroll through an audio file and to adjust the time scale of your view.
Tip
You can link two single audio clips to form a stereo pair. This is a quick way to apply identical level changes to a couple of clips. You can always unlink them after you have made your level adjustments. For more information, see “Modifying audio channel formats” earlier in this chapter.
The capture settings for a clip determine how its audio appears in the Viewer. Stereo clips are panned full left and full right by default, and clips with one or two channels of discrete audio are panned center.
To open an audio clip:
Do one of the following:
Double-click the clip icon in the Browser or the Timeline.
Select a clip icon and choose View > Clip; or press Return.
Select the clip in the Browser or the Timeline and choose View > Clip in New Window.
Tip
Don’t forget: You can stretch the Viewer window across your monitor to make a wide view—great when you’re working with audio. You can see more of the clip, which makes marking and level adjustments easier (Figure 12.9). Resize it manually or click the green zoom button in the upper-left corner of the window.
To access the audio channel for an audio+video clip:
Open the clip in the Viewer and click the Audio tab (Figure 12.10).
The Zoom slider is located along the bottom of the Audio tab. You use it to scroll through an audio file and to adjust the time scale of your view. You can view several minutes of audio in the window or focus on a fraction of a frame. The Zoom slider also appears on the Filters tab, the Motion tab, and the Timeline.
To scroll through your file:
Drag the Zoom slider across the scroll bar (Figure 12.11).
To adjust the time scale:
Do one of the following:
Press Command-+ (plus) to zoom in, expanding the time scale, and Command- – (minus) to zoom out, shrinking the time scale. These zoom keyboard shortcuts are useful on the Audio tab, because your view stays centered on the current playhead position.
The thumb controls are the ribbed-looking ends of the Zoom slider (Figure 12.12). Click a thumb control and drag it to shrink the time scale and expose more of your audio file (Figure 12.13).
Click the Zoom selector to the left of the Zoom slider to jump to a different time scale (Figure 12.14); the current playhead position stays centered in the view area.
You set In and Out points and markers on the Audio tab in the same way you do on the Viewer’s Video tab. The overlays for these markers appear on the Audio tab ruler at the top of the waveform display.
Because video is captured and stored as frames, the smallest adjustment you can make to a video edit point is a single frame. Digital audio, however, is captured in subframes as samples forming a continuous waveform. In FCE, audio edit points can be set to an accuracy of 1/100 frame. The Audio tab is the only place you can make subframe adjustments to an audio clip’s In and Out points. Most likely, you’ll need this kind of fine-tuning when you are finessing a music edit.
You can also place keyframes with the same precision—a lifesaver when you are working your way through a really good dialogue take with a couple of bad clicks or pops. The subframe precision allows you to use audio level keyframes to silence that audio just for the few milliseconds it takes to mute the click.
To make subframe adjustments to an audio clip’s edit points:
Open the audio clip on the Audio tab; then jump the playhead to the edit point you want to adjust.
Use the marquee selection feature of the Zoom tool (Figure 12.15) to zoom in until the playhead looks like a bar.
Hold down the Shift key; then click the Audio tab playhead and drag it to the subframe location of the new In or Out point (Figure 12.16).
Press I (or O) to stamp a new In (or Out) point (Figure 12.17).
Tip
To add an audio keyframe in a location that’s not on a frame line, you don’t need to adjust the playhead; just zoom way in and use the Pen tool to add the keyframe.
To drag an audio clip into the Timeline or the Canvas window:
Start with an open clip and the Viewer window selected.
Position the pointer over the drag hand. When the pointer changes to a hand shape, you’re in the right spot (Figure 12.18).
Drag from that spot to the Canvas or the Timeline.
This inserts your audio clip into the open sequence (Figure 12.19).
Editing in the Viewer is fine, but here are a few compelling reasons to do your audio editing right in the Timeline:
Timeline tracks are the only place where you can view all your audio tracks at once.
You can set audio level or filter keyframes and sculpt audio levels right in the Timeline.
Canvas and Timeline playback are locked together, so the Timeline is a good place to trim audio on the fly as you watch your sequence play back.
Most of the tools and techniques collected here are discussed in Chapter 10, “Editing in the Timeline and the Canvas.” These techniques can give you more control when you need to fine-tune a particular bit of dialogue or a sound effect in a busy soundtrack (Figure 12.20).
Track height: Use the largest track size for fine-tuning and close work; use the smallest size for a multitrack overview. Press Shift-T to cycle through the track sizes. If you’re using the waveform display to fine-tune an edit, you can stretch just the track you’re focusing on.
Turn on audio waveforms: Displaying audio waveforms in the Timeline can be a big help when you edit audio, but displaying waveforms slows the Timeline’s performance. Toggle audio waveforms off and on by pressing Command-Option-W.
Markers: When you’re trying to hit the perfect spot for a sound effect or music cue, you can set a Timeline marker right at the sweet spot by tapping the M key as you watch your sequence play back. You can also hold down the M key while you watch and then set a marker by releasing the key at the perfect moment.
Soloing and muting tracks: As you build up your audio tracks, track soloing—silencing all but one audio track so you can concentrate on one sound—makes it much easier to trim precisely or isolate problem sounds in a busy track. Click the Solo button on the track you want to hear. The Mute button offers another route to selective monitoring: just mute the tracks you want to silence.
Snapping: Snapping makes certain points in the Timeline “sticky.” With snapping on, the edges of clips snap together, or a clip will snap to an edit point on an adjacent track when dragged close to it. When you’re making fine adjustments to your audio, snapping can be a help (like when you’re trying to line up a stack of audio clips to a marker or the playhead position) or a hindrance (when you’re trying to drag a sound effect to the perfect location, and snapping jerks your clip to the nearest edit point). Remember: You can toggle snapping on or off at any time—even midmove—by pressing the N key.
Final Cut Express 2 introduced official support for merged clips—a type of clip created in FCE by permanently linking up to 24 audio clips with a single video clip. Earlier versions of the program used workarounds to support clips composed of audio and video linked inside Final Cut Express, but “official” merged clips make it possible to reliably sync video with production audio recorded separately, while preserving separate audio timecode. Open the Item Properties window on any audio+video clip, and you’ll see that each audio channel has its own data column (Figure 12.21).
Merged clips appear in the Viewer with multiple Audio tabs sufficient to accommodate the number of audio channels in the clip (Figure 12.22). When you open a merged clip in the Viewer, additional source track-targeting controls automatically appear in the Timeline—one for each audio channel in the merged clip (Figure 12.23).
Figure 12.22. This merged clip contains four channels of stereo audio, so two Audio tabs appear in the clip’s Viewer—one tab for each of the two stereo audio pairs.
Figure 12.23. When a clip with multiple audio channels is opened in the Viewer, additional source track-targeting controls automatically appear in the Timeline.
You can set separate source In and Out points for video and audio (Figure 12.24), but you can mark only a single set of audio edit points. Those audio edit points will be used on all audio channels when you perform the edit (Figure 12.25).
Figure 12.24. You can mark split video and audio edit points in a merged clip, but you can mark only a single set of audio edit points.
Figure 12.25. When you perform the edit, the same audio edit points will be used on all audio channels.
You can trim edit points on individual tracks in the Timeline by overriding linked selection (Figure 12.26). You can also exclude selected audio channels from an edit by disconnecting source track-targeting controls on the tracks you wish to exclude before you perform the edit (Figure 12.27).
The Voice Over tool is a nifty gadget designed to record synchronous audio as FCE plays back a selected portion of your sequence. Here’s a brief rundown of its features:
You can monitor your existing tracks through headphones as you record.
Each completed audio take is automatically placed on a new Timeline track in the portion of the sequence you specified.
When you record multiple takes, FCE automatically creates a new Timeline track for each take’s clip.
The Voice Over tool automatically records before and after your Mark In and Mark Out points, so your recorded track won’t be cut off if your voiceover runs over.
Once you complete your recording, you are free to reposition, trim, and polish your new voiceover tracks just as you would any other FCE clip.
The Voice Over tool is a self-contained audio recording interface within FCE. When you set up for your recording session, use the Input controls to configure your audio input hardware settings and set audio recording levels, and use the Headphones controls to set monitoring levels. When you’re ready to record, use the transport controls for preview and capture. The status display helps you keep in step with FCE’s playback without having to watch the picture.
To open the Voice Over tool:
Choose Tools > Voice Over.
The Tool Bench appears with the Voice Over tool displayed (Figure 12.28).
Record/Stop button: Click to start audio recording and Timeline playback. Once recording starts, this button changes to the Stop button. Click again (or press the Escape key) to stop recording. If you stop recording before your specified Out point, the audio you recorded is saved to disk, and the partial clip is placed in the Timeline.
Review button: Click to play back the Timeline section you’ve specified, without recording. Use Review while you rehearse your voiceover.
Discard button: Click to delete the clip and media file from the previous take. The Discard button is dimmed until you’ve recorded your first voiceover clip. Using the Discard button to delete a take is not undoable.
Status area: A progress bar indicates what proportion of your specified Timeline section has been recorded, along with a message indicating the Voice Over tool’s current state.
Status messages include:
Ready to Record: Indicates that the Voice Over tool is standing by to record.
Starting: Appears during the 5-second countdown before Timeline playback reaches your specified In point. FCE records audio during this pre-roll period, to ensure that your performance is preserved even if you jump the gun and start speaking too soon.
Recording: Appears when Timeline playback reaches your specified In point. The Recording status message displays a countdown (accompanied by audio cue beeps in your headphones) during the last 5 seconds before your specified Out point.
Finishing: Appears when FCE reaches your specified Out point. FCE continues to record 2 seconds past your specified Out point to ensure that your last word won’t be cut off, preserving your take if you run a little over.
Saving: Appears while FCE saves your voiceover recording from RAM to a file on your specified scratch disk.
Target: This field shows the sequence name and track number where your next voiceover take will be placed. The target track updates automatically, moving down to the next available track for each subsequent take.
Name: Enter a name for your voiceover recording here. The filename will automatically increment as you record subsequent takes. This name is used for both the clip and the source media file on disk. If the name is already in use by another clip in the same capture folder, FCE automatically appends a number to the duplicate name.
Use the Input controls to select the source, configure the format, and adjust the incoming audio signal that you’re recording with the Voice Over tool. These settings are for the Voice Over tool only; they won’t affect your capture preset settings.
Level: This audio meter displays the input recording levels you set with the Gain slider, located at the bottom right of the Input controls section.
Source: Choose your audio input device from this pop-up menu. The specific external recording equipment you have connected will determine your choices.
Input: If your audio input device has multiple inputs, select which input you want FCE to record from this pop-up menu.
Rate: Choose an audio sample rate for your recording from this pop-up menu. Only sample rates that your selected audio device supports should appear. If you can, select the rate that matches the audio sample rate of your sequence settings. If your audio device doesn’t support your sequence’s sample rate, choose the highest sample rate available.
Offset: Choose an offset to compensate for any processing delay in your incoming audio signal.
Gain: Use this slider to adjust the input levels from your microphone or other recording device.
Tip
DV camcorders typically introduce a delay of 3 frames; an average USB capture device introduces a delay of 1 frame. If you use the Voice Over tool to record replacement dialogue, even a couple frames of delay can be a bother when you are trying to judge quickly whether the lip sync in a take is good enough.
The Voice Over tool may streamline your recording process, but remember: You’re still setting up for a recording session. If you intend to use these tracks in a final product, you should plan on running a full test to check your audio quality before starting your recording session. Here’s a list of setup tasks:
Set up your external recording device. You can hook up any audio recording device that’s compatible with the Apple Sound Manager; options include the built-in DV microphone on your DV camera, a PCI audio card, or a USB audio capture device. If your Mac has one (and you’re not too picky), you can use the built-in microphone port on the back of the computer.
Set up headphones. Plug headphones into your computer’s built-in headphone jack. You may want to configure your setup to allow headphone monitoring for both the recordist and the voiceover talent.
Calculate the offset of your audio recording device. Digital recording devices typically introduce a short delay while the device processes the analog audio signal from your microphone. This delay can offset your voiceover clips from your performer’s original timing. You could go back and adjust all your clips by hand, but the Voice Over tool allows you to set a compensating offset that will put your tracks right back in sync. See Chapter 22 of Apple’s Final Cut Express Help PDF for details on the offset calibration process.
Test your setup. Listen to playback of your audio away from the whir and whine of your editing workstation. Better yet, set up an external video monitor away from your computer and drives and isolate your voiceover talent from the sound of your CPU and drives when recording voiceover.
Tip
If you select your DV camera’s microphone as your audio recording device, you won’t be able to record until you turn off your external video feed by choosing View > External Video > Off.
To record synchronous audio with the Voice Over tool:
Follow the Voice Over tool setup procedure outlined earlier.
In the Timeline, mark In and Out points to specify the duration of your recording by defining the section of your sequence you want to record over (Figure 12.29). If you do not set In and Out points, recording will start at the playhead position and stop at the end of the last clip in the Timeline.
Specify the target location of your new voiceover audio clip by choosing the Timeline audio track immediately above your desired voiceover track position, and set that track as the channel 2 target track (Figure 12.30).
Choose Tools > Voice Over.
The Tool Bench appears with the Voice Over tab displayed.
On the Voice Over tab, click the Record button (Figure 12.31).
The Timeline playhead jumps back 5 seconds before your specified In point. FCE starts playback and recording and displays the “Starting” status message during this 5-second pre-roll countdown. When FCE reaches your specified In point, the status message area displays “Recording” (Figure 12.32).
Start speaking, or cue your voiceover talent.
FCE continues recording for 2 seconds after the playback reaches your specified Out point, and the Status message area displays “Finishing.” FCE saves your new audio clip in the capture folder specified in your Scratch Disk preferences. Your new audio clip appears in the Timeline (Figure 12.33), and the Voice Over tool is reset so that it displays the “Ready to Record” status message.
If you want to record additional takes, mute the previous take by turning off its Timeline track before you record (Figure 12.34).
Repeat steps 5 and 6 to record additional takes in the same Timeline location.
Your additional takes appear as audio clips on new Timeline tracks that appear below your first take (Figure 12.35). The a2 track target automatically moves down one track, and you’re ready to record another take on the newly created track.
Tips
Did your voiceover take get cut off at the head or tail of the clip? Never fear. FCE was recording during the entire pre- and post-roll. You can adjust the In and Out points of your truncated take’s audio clip (Figure 12.36) and retrieve your first consonant or your last gasp.
Does this sound familiar? You got tongue-tied when you recorded “VO Take 1,” so you deleted that take from your Timeline and you’re ready to record a new take 1. Maybe you’re wondering why the Voice Over tool stubbornly refuses to let you reuse the name “VO Take 1.” Here’s why—you deleted the clip reference to “VO Take 1” from the Timeline, but the audio file created when you recorded the first “VO Take 1” remains in your capture folder. FCE wisely forbids having two files with the same name in the same folder. If you want to reuse the name “VO Take 1,” delete the audio file with that name from your capture folder.
This section covers all the ways you can adjust your audio clips’ volume (levels), stereo pan position, and sound quality. You’ll get a few tips on mixing and learn how to apply and tweak FCE’s audio filters.
A sequence clip’s levels and pan position are adjustable from several locations (Figure 12.37):
On the Viewer’s Audio tab, set levels and pan by visually editing the line graph that appears as an overlay on your audio waveform or by adjusting the Level and Pan sliders. See “Adjusting levels and pan on the Audio tab” later in this chapter.
In the Timeline, adjust a clip’s audio levels with the Audio Level line clip overlay. For more information about using these keyframing tools, see “Working with Keyframes in the Timeline” in Chapter 14.
You can use the Modify > Levels command to set levels for multiple audio clips in a single operation. See “Making multiclip adjustments” in Chapter 10.
Remember: Adjusting a sequence clip’s levels or pan position in any of these locations will be reflected in the other locations.
It’s important to keep your speaker levels constant when you adjust audio levels for a sequence. There’s more than one place to adjust your monitoring level. Take a moment before you start working to set up everything, and note your settings so that you can recalibrate if necessary.
If you’ll be recording out to an external video deck or camera, check the audio output levels on the recording device’s meters. Play the loudest section of your program. If your recording device has no meters, record a test of the loudest section and review the audio quality.
Check your Macintosh’s Sound preferences pane to make sure your computer’s sound output level is set high enough (Figure 12.38). Next, set a comfortable listening level on the amplifier that drives your external speakers. Now you are in a position to make consistent volume adjustments to the audio in your sequence.
Tip
There’s no way to adjust computer audio levels within Final Cut Express. Instead, adjust your levels from your Mac’s Sound preferences pane (see Figure 12.38).
The Audio tab is a good place to make fine level and pan adjustments, but you must open and adjust each clip separately. To make multiclip level and pan adjustments, use the Timeline level line overlays.
To set audio clip levels on the Audio tab:
Start with an open clip and the Viewer window selected.
Do one of the following:
Drag the Level slider to the right to increase clip volume, or to the left to decrease clip volume (Figure 12.39).
Drag the pink Level line graph displayed over the audio waveform: dragging higher increases volume; dragging lower decreases volume (Figure 12.40).
Press Control-+ (plus) or Control-– (minus) to adjust audio levels by single-decibel increments.
Choose Modify > Audio and make a gain selection from the submenu (Figure 12.41). Note that the submenu lists keyboard shortcuts for nudging audio levels.
To create dynamic level changes within a clip:
Start with an open clip and the Viewer window selected.
Park the playhead where you want to start the level change (Figure 12.42).
Adjust the level using the Level slider.
Select the Pen tool from the Tool palette; then set a keyframe by clicking the level line with the Pen tool (Figure 12.43).
Move the playhead to the next location where you want a change in the level.
With the Pen tool, drag the level line to the new audio level (Figure 12.44).
Figure 12.44. At the next location where you want a level change, use the Pen tool to drag the level line to the new level setting.
Another keyframe is set automatically as you drag the level line with the Pen tool.
Tips
You can use the Audio Tab’s Level and Pan sliders to record audio level and pan changes in real time. For more information, see “Real-time audio level and pan adjustment” later in this chapter.
If you just want to make quick level adjustments to an entire group of clips, it’s faster to select the clips in the Timeline and then use the Modify > Levels command to adjust all levels in the selected clips in a single operation. For more information, see “Making multiclip adjustments” in Chapter 10.
Click the Set Keyframe button in the lower part of the window to set a keyframe on both the Level and Pan line graphs at the current playhead position.
The pan position is the left/right placement of sound for single audio channels. Clips with one or two channels of discrete audio will initially open with pan set to the center.
To set a pan position:
Start with an open clip and the Viewer window selected.
Do one of the following:
Drag the Pan slider to the right to pan toward the right; drag the slider to the left to pan toward the left (Figure 12.45).
Drag the purple Pan line graph displayed over the audio waveform. Drag higher to pan right; drag lower to pan left (Figure 12.46).
Choose Modify > Audio and make a pan selection from the submenu.
On stereo audio clips, the Pan control adjusts the spread (the degree of stereo separation), and it adjusts left and right channels simultaneously and equally.
You can use the Pan slider or line graph to adjust the stereo spread. The setting options on the Pan slider are as follows:
The base setting of –1 outputs the left audio channel to the left and the right audio channel to the right. This setting accurately reproduces the stereo mix of a track from a music CD.
A setting of 0 outputs the left and right audio channels equally to both sides.
A setting of +1 swaps the channels, outputting the left audio channel to the right and the right audio channel to the left.
To adjust the pan on a stereo audio clip:
Start with an open clip and the Viewer window selected.
Do one of the following:
Drag the Pan slider to adjust the stereo pan positioning (Figure 12.47).
Drag the purple Pan level line graph displayed over the audio waveform at the center line between the two stereo channels. Drag away from the center line for a +1 setting; drag toward the center for a –1 setting.
Final Cut Express can record audio level and pan adjustments in real time.
You perform keyframe recording on the Audio tab. Each individual clip must be opened on the Audio tab first, so real-time level and pan adjustment must be performed one clip at a time.
You can freely mix and match real-time level adjustment on the Audio tab with manual tweaking of level and pan keyframes in the Timeline or on the Audio tab; they’re just two means of achieving the same end: fine-tuning the dynamic level and pan information stored with each individual clip.
To record audio level or pan keyframes in real time:
Open the audio clip on the Viewer’s Audio tab.
Locate the point where you want to start recording audio keyframes and position the playhead a few seconds before your first planned move (Figure 12.48). You might want to loop playback of the section you’re working on.
Start playback.
Position the pointer over the Level or Pan slider control and then press the mouse button to start recording keyframes (Figure 12.49). Drag the slider to the desired level, keeping the mouse button held down until you’ve completed your move; then release the mouse to stop recording keyframes.
Figure 12.49. Drag the slider to the desired level, holding down the mouse button until you complete your move. If you want to maintain a steady audio level at the end of a move, release the mouse at the end of the move and then press, hold, and drag the mouse again when you want to perform your next move.
Final Cut Express sets audio level keyframes that track your moves. These keyframed audio levels appear in the clip’s audio level overlays in the Timeline and on the Audio tab of the Viewer (Figure 12.50).
Figure 12.50. Audio level keyframes that track your mixer moves appear on the clip’s audio level overlays in the Timeline.
Tip
If you have already applied keyframes to sculpt a clip’s audio levels, the new keyframes you just recorded will overwrite any previously applied keyframes.
To delete all audio keyframes from a clip:
In the Timeline, select the clip.
Choose Edit > Remove Attributes; or press Command-Option-V.
In the Remove Attributes dialog box, check Levels and/or Pan; then click OK.
Or do this:
In the Timeline, select the clip.
Choose Modify > Levels; or press Command-Option-L.
In the Gain Adjust dialog box, choose Absolute from the pop-up menu; then use the slider to set a clip volume, or enter a dB value indicated next to the slider (Figure 12.51).
Figure 12.51. Use the Modify > Levels command to reset all selected clip levels to a specific decibel level in a single operation.
The clip’s level is set to the dB value you entered, and all level keyframes are removed from the clip.
Final Cut Express’s suite of audio filters is geared toward repairing problems in production audio. That’s good, because production audio frequently has problems—problems that don’t come to light until you review your footage in the editing room. FCE’s equalization, compression, and noise reduction filters are tools you can use to reduce rumble in an exterior street recording or improve crispness in a dialogue track. (Before you ask, there is no filter that will strip background music out of dialogue.)
You apply FCE’s audio filters in the same way that you apply video filters.
FCE has improved the real-time previewing of audio filters considerably, but some audio filters have to be rendered before you can hear the results of your settings adjustment. Lack of real-time feedback can make adjusting audio filters in FCE more challenging. Try the method described here to reduce the lag time between when you adjust an audio filter’s setting and when you hear the results. If the filter you’re adjusting plays back without rendering, so much the better—you get to skip the rendering step.
To adjust an audio filter’s settings:
Make a short test subclip from a representative section of your audio track (Figure 12.52). If you’re trying to fix a problem, pick out a worst-case section and then maybe an average-case section to try your worst-case settings on. Make the test subclip long enough so you can evaluate your work—say 5 to 10 seconds.
Open your test clip in the Viewer, apply the filter, and start tweaking the filter settings. If you like, you can pull the Filters tab completely out of the Viewer window so you can view your subclip playing back on the Audio tab as you adjust filter settings.
You’ll hear a series of beeps (FCE’s rendering indicator for audio) if your test clip requires rendering. In that case, you’ll need to render the audio before you can hear the effect of the audio filter you’ve applied. Your short test clip should render quickly.
Enable looped playback and then try to get into a rhythm of adjusting and listening. When you think you’ve zeroed in on your filter settings, copy and paste the filter (and its settings) from the test clip to your full-length audio track in the sequence. Use the Paste Attributes command (Figure 12.53) to paste just the filters (Figure 12.54).
Tips
Audio filters applied to audio that is formatted as a stereo pair are applied to both channels equally, and only one set of controls appears on the Viewer’s Filters tab.
You can copy an audio filter with all its current settings and paste it onto other clips or onto an entire nested sequence. If you perfect the EQ setting that cancels out the sound of your camera, you can easily apply the same filter setting wherever it’s needed. See “Copying and pasting clip attributes” in Chapter 10.