Final Cut Pro X Weynand Certification Lesson 8

1. Lesson 8:
Working with Sound
Apple Pro Training Series
Final Cut Pro X, 2nd Edition
Instructor: Sam Edsall

2. Working with Sound
• We „watch‟ TV, but sound should never be
underestimated
• Dialogue, voice-over, sound effects, and music
when properly selected and combined, draws the
audience into a more immersive experience
The unsung hero
• Sound that‟s too loud, too soft, poorly mixed will
make your audience restless and frustrated
On the other hand

3. Working with Sound
• Evaluate the current status of your primary audio in
your project
• Sound bytes and narration
Before adding music and SFX
• Is it at the proper level?
• Are the levels consistent from clip to clip?
• Is the nat sound from your B-roll too loud to hear
the voiceover?
What to check

4. Working with Sound
• Using the Audio meter and clip
waveforms as guides to correct
audio levels in the timeline
• Once you have optimized the
current settings, you will be
ready for the next steps in
sound design
How to fix

5. Create a New Project
Make sure your external
drive is booted and on your
desktop.
Choose File > Open Library
> LESSON 8
If you don‟t see LESSON 8
choose Other and then
select LESSON 8

6. Preparing the Project
From the Library select the Zero to Hero Mix project and
duplicate and title it ZTH Mix Done and load into the
Timeline.

7. Audio Meters
• Small Audio meter in
the Dashboard
• Large Audio meter
pane that opens in the
timeline
Two choices
• Click on the smaller
audio meter in the
dashboard
Open Audio pane

8. Open and Adjust the
Audio Pane
In the toolbar click the
small Audio meter icon to
open the large Audio
meters pane to the right of
the timeline.
Increase the size of the
meters by positioning the
pointer between the audio
meter pane and the
timeline and drag left.

9. Audio Meters
• As audio approaches
0 dB the level color
changes from green to
yellow
• When the audio level
exceeds 0dB, the level
color turns from yellow
to red
• Peak indicators on top
turn red if the level
exceeds 0dB
Monitoring the level

10. What is a Good Level?
• No audio should
exceed 0dB or the
sound will be clipped
and distorted
• Set the primary audio
around -6dB
• Dialogue and
narration
• Set secondary audio
around -15 to -18dB
• Music and SFX
Shoot for - 6

11. Monitor the Levels
Play through the project and monitor the audio
levels.
Notice that the music gets too loud around the
20 second mark so that it will need adjusting.
First, let‟s get the primary sound optimized
before the music.

12. Controlling Audio
• Focus on the primary audio
first and get that optimized
• Then work on secondary
audio sources like music
and SFX
One thing at a time
• Disable secondary audio
sources while you work on
the primary sources
• Once done, turn them back
one and optimize them
How

13. Have a Better Look
In the timeline, click
the Clip Appearance
button.
Select the second clip
appearance from the
left so you can see the
audio waveform better.

14. Controlling Audio
Shut down the
music:
Command-click both of
the Battle lines audio
clips and press V to
disable them.

15. Controlling Audio
• Isolates the sound
from one or more clips
so that‟s the only
sound you hear
Sing a solo
• Select the Solo button
on the Toolbar or
select then press
Option S
How it‟s done

16. Controlling Audio
With both cuts of
Battle Lines music
selected, press V to
enable both the clips.
Deselect the clips by
clicking on an empty
space.

17. Controlling Audio
Select the three John
Force interview clips.
Click on the Solo
button in the Toolbar
or press Option S.
Press the Solo button
again to return normal
playback.

18. Controlling Audio
Select the first Tony
Schumacher clip and
press the Solo button.
Watch the audio
meters.
--notice that the level
peaks during the
sound bite.

19. Controlling Audio
• Video and audio clips
will show yellow and
red audio peaks
indicating where the
audio is near or at
0dB
• This is the same color
coding displayed in
the audio meters
What you see

20. Controlling Audio
• Click on the horizontal
volume control line
and drag up or down
Fixing the audio
• Pop-up window will
indicate the current dB
setting
Indicators

21. Controlling Audio
Fix the audio:
Move your pointer over the
horizontal volume control
line.
-- shows you the current
dB setting of 11dB
Drag down to 4dB and
release.
Play the clip.

22. Comparing Audio
With the Tony Schumacher clip selected, Command click
both Tony Pedregon clips.
Solo these clips and then play them all.
-- Tony P is too low.

23. Controlling Audio
• Modify > Volume > Up
or Down
Menu options
• Volume up
• CTRL = (+)
• Volume down
• CTRL -
Shortcut options

24. Comparing Audio
Command click the Tony Schumacher clip to deselect it.
-- now we can fix the Tony P clips.
Choose Modify > Volume > Up or press Control = 6-7
times to raise the clip levels to 4-5 dB.

25. Return Things
Back to Normal
Press the Solo button so all the clips are activated again.

26. Controlling Audio
• Set start and end
points in the clip that
needs adjusting and
change the levels
• Then just drag the
audio to a new level
When part of a
clip needs work

27. Controlling Audio
Solo, then play the last Tony
Schumacher clip
-- first 2 seconds the audio is
low
After Tony says, “People
dream” press O to set an
End point.
In that range drag the volume
up from 2 dB to 4 dB.

28. Controlling Audio
• FCP creates key
frames to ramp up the
volume of the selected
area, then back down
for the remaining
portion of the clip
What
happened?

29. Controlling Audio
This byte is still a little soft. Select the whole Tony
Schumacher clip.
Press Control = three times to raise the clip‟s dB by 3
dBs.
Turn off Solo.

30. Controlling Audio
Fix some more audio:
Select the 2 Antron Brown
clips and lower levels by
2dB
-- CTRL & - to get levels
out of red
Select both Battle Lines
music clips and lower levels
by -10 dB
-- CTRL & - to get levels
out of the red

31. Controlling Audio
Fix some more audio:
Raise the Crash clip level
by +10 dB (-17dB to -7dB)
Lower the JF hold
trophy, flame out and race
start clips by -15dB.
-- press CTRL – a bunch of
times so it looks like Crash.

32. Audio Sweetening
• FCPX has a sound library
with SFX and music that is
free to download
• Select FCP > Download
Additional Content
• Oddly, if you had this
content from an earlier
version of FCPX, you will
need to download it
again
Free Stuff for You

33. Audio Sweetening
• Adding music and
sound effects to a
project
Sweetening audio
• Music and Sound
Browser has over
1,000 royalty-free
music and sound
effects to sweeten
your project‟s audio
Content

34. Sweetening Audio
Sweeten audio:
In the toolbar click the
Music and Sound
Browser.
Click on the dimple in the
middle and drag down
about half way.
We will add some SFX to
the crash clip

35. Music and Sound
Browser
• Folders and sub-folders of
music and SFX files
• Source folders from iTunes
library and Garage Band
Top window
• Files from the selected
folder on top
Bottom window
• Help you find a particular
file name
Search window

36. Sweetening Audio
Sweeten audio:
In the top window select the
FCP Sound Effects folder.
Scroll down to the
Explosion 6.caf file and
double-click the file to play
it.

37. Make a Keyword
Collection for SFX Clips
In the Event Browser,
create a new Keyword
Collection in the Zero to
Hero Event, label it Crash
SFX

38. Add Some SFX
Drag Explosion 6.caf
into the Zero to Hero
Event.
Select the Explosion 6
clip, then press Control
3 to add it to the
keyword collection.

39. Sweetening Audio
In the Search field, type „auto‟
to locate Auto Crash
Concrete.caf and Auto Skid
1.caf
Click the Play button to play
them, then drag both of
them to the Crash SFX
Keyword Collection.
Close the browser when done.

40. Adding Sound to
Connected Clips
• Once connected clips
are where they are
needed, combine them
into the primary story
line
• Easier to see what you
are doing when
connecting music and
SFX clips
Make things
easier

41. Sweetening Audio
Select both Battle Fields
music clips and press V to
disable them for now.
Control click the crash clip
and choose „Overwrite to
Primary Storyline‟
Place the play head to the
first frame of the crash clip.

42. Sweetening Audio
In the Event Browser select
the Auto Skid 1 clip.
Drag to select the first 27
frames and press Q to
connect edit this SFX to the
Timeline.

43. Sweetening Audio
In the Event Browser select
the entire Auto Crash
Concrete clip.
Press Q to connect this
entire clip at the end of
Auto Skid 1 clip.

44. Layering Sound
• Rather than have one
sound finish before the
next sound starts,
overlapping the SFX
may provide a more
realistic overall sound
effect.
Overlap sounds

45. Sweetening Audio
In the Timeline park the play
head at 12:42.
In the Event Browser select
the Explosion 6 clip and
select about the first 2
seconds of the clip, and
press Q to connect edit this
clip
Lower the volume of all three
clips to -14dB and check your
levels.

46. Grouping Clips
• Collecting separate
SFX clips into one
group by making a
compound clip will
keep you from
accidentally separating
or moving individual
clips
• Neatens up your
timeline, too.
Compounding
audio clips

47. Grouping Clips
Drag a selection rectangle
around the three sound
effect clips, then Control click
and choose New Compound
Clip
--Option G
Name the new compound clip
Crash SFX

48. Turn the Music On
Select both Battle Lines
clips and enable them by
pressing V.
Check out the mix with
music and SFX.

49. Using the Audio
Inspector
• Another way to adjust
the sound of a clip
• Other features to add
effects and filters to
enhance and improve
the quality or style of
the sound
The Inspector

50. Using the Audio
Inspector
In the Library duplicate the
Delicious Peace_mix project
and save as Delicious Peace
Mix Done and load into the
Timeline.
Shift Z to see the whole
project and play the timeline.
We will first focus on the
primary audio – Ed O‟Neill‟s
voice over.

51. Using the Audio
Inspector
Select over all the voiceover
clips and press Option S to
solo these clips.
Skim to the first clip VO_10
and press / to play the clip
and check the levels
-- a little hot – over -6dB
-- all these clips are a little too
high

52. Using the Audio
Inspector
In the toolbar select the
Inspector icon and click the
Audio tab.
Double-click the Volume field
and type 6
Look at the voiceover
waveforms in the timeline and
press Return.
--lowered levels by 2dB

53. Using the Audio
Inspector
Press Option S again to activate
all clips
Select the 2nd xylophone music
clip and skim to the beginning.
In the Inspector drag the Volume
slider left and right and settle on
a volume level of -24dB
Set the other xylophone clips to
-24dB

54. Using the Audio
Inspector
• By dragging your
pointer in the Volume
field you can raise or
lower the absolute dB
level
• If you have 2 or more
clips selected you can
raise or lower the
relative dB level of the
selected clips
Up/Down Arrows

55. Using the Audio
Inspector
Skim over the woman picks
beans, man picks beans and
beans being hulled clips.
-- each has a different dB
setting
Select all 3 clips and in the
Inspector Audio tab, drag the
arrows down until the peak of
the 3rd clip is below the
volume control line.

56. Using the Audio
Inspector
• Directing the sound
from one speaker to
the other
• Like the balance knob
on your stereo
Panning

57. Using the Audio
Inspector
In the Audio Inspector, click
the Pan Mode pop-up
menu, and choose Stereo
Left/Right
In the timeline press Shift Z
to see the whole project.
Select the 2nd xylophone
clip and press Option S to
solo it.

58. Using the Audio
Inspector
Press / to play the clip.
In the Inspector drag the Pan
Amount slider right and left to
move the music to each
speaker.
Check the audio meters and
notice how the levels increase
the decrease depending
where you send the sound to.

59. Using the Audio
Inspector
To the far right of the Pan
Amount slider, click the
animation menu and choose
Reset Parameter to center
the Pan Amount.
Press Option S again to
enable all the clips again.

60. The Four Steps of
Sound
• Speed at which the sound moves from silence to its peak
level
Attack
• Time a sound moves from its initial peak to the sustain level
Decay
• The main duration of the sound
• How long it lasts
Sustain
• The time it takes for the sound to decay back to silence
Release

61. The Four Steps of
Sound
• When editing clips, the natural waveform shapes
are often cut off at the beginning and end of a clip
The problem with A-D-S-R
• To fix the chopped waveforms, you change or
„ramp‟ the sound levels by applying fades and
crossfades
The solution

62. Adding Fades &
Crossfades
Select Zero to
Hero_fades, duplicate and
rename to ZTH Fades Done
and open in the Timeline.
Place the play head at the
beginning of the project and
zoom into this location.
Change the track height so
you can see the audio tracks
better.

63. Adding Fades &
Crossfades
Select the first 2 clips wall
low angle and crowd ots and
solo them – Option S

64. Adding Fades &
Crossfades
Select the fade handle at the
end of wall low angle and
drag left until at the beginning
of the track below it (-1;10)
Adjust the fade handle of
crowd ots right so the fade
ends at the end of the upper
track (+1;09)
Option S to turn off solo and
play the new mix.

65. Fade Options
• The fade changes at a constant rate
Linear
• The fade eases in and out with a midpoint at 0dB
S-Curve
• The fade starts slowly and then moves quickly to the
end
• Default fade
+3 dB
• The fade starts quickly and then tapers off at the end.
• Good choice for a fast fade-out
-3 dB

66. Adding Fades &
Crossfades
Press Shift Z to see the whole
timeline.
Select both Battle Lines clips
and Option S to solo them.
Play the last few seconds of
the 2nd Battle Lines clip while
looking at the waveform
-- steep fade cuts into the final
beat

67. Adding Fades &
Crossfades
Place your pointer over the
clip‟s fade handle to select
it.
2-finger click it to open the
shortcut menu and choose
+3 dB, then play the clip.

68. Audio Crossfades
• In order for two audio clips
to crossfade, they must first
be turned into a storyline
Transition = storyline
• Select the audio clips that
need crossfades between
them
• 2-finger click for the shortcut
menu or press Command G
How it‟s done

69. Adding Fades &
Crossfades
While the two Battle Lines
clips are still
selected, Control click one
of the clips and choose
Create Storyline from the
shortcut menu.
Click off the clips to
deselect them, then select
an edit point between the
two clips and Command T
to add a crossfade.

70. Adding Fades &
Crossfades
Option S to enable all the
clips again.
Move the play head to
5:10, select B for the blade
tool and cut Battle Lines at
this point.
Move the play head to
18:40 and cut the clip
again.

71. Adding Fades &
Crossfades
For the new clip that begins at
5:10, drag the volume control
down to -13 dB
For the last clip that begins at
18:40, drag the volume
control down to -16 dB
Select the last two Battle
Lines clips and press
Command T to add
crossfades to all the clips

72. Recording Voiceovers
• Allows you to record
straight to your laptop
• You can record several
takes of yourself
reading narration
• Using the Audition
feature, you can
choose which is the
best take
Record Audio
feature

73. Recording Voiceovers
• Laptop‟s built-in microphone
• Not good since it will pick up
other sounds including
computer noises
• Hard drive spinning
• Plug-in USB microphone
• Good idea since the source is
focused on you and nothing
else
• Check them out in the
equipment room
Microphone sources

74. Recording Voiceovers
Go back to the Delicious
Peace_mix project you
saved.
In the Event Browser, select
the Delicious Peace Event.
In the timeline play the VO_10
clip at the end of the project to
become familiar with its
content, then press V to
disable it.

75. Recording Voiceovers
Turn down the volume of
your laptop.
Move the play head to the
beginning of the disabled
VO clip.
Choose Window > Record
Audio

76. Recording Voiceovers
Set the following options:
Destination: Delicious Peace
Input Device: Built-in
Microphone (or your USB
mike)
Gain: 2-3
Monitor: leave off unless you
are wearing earphones

77. Recording Voiceovers
In the Record Audio
window, click the Record
button and read the CG in the
Viewer.
Press the spacebar when you
are done
--you can also click the record
button again.
--your VO is saved in the
Event and attached to the
primary storyline.

78. Auditioning Voiceovers
• You can make multiple
takes of your VO, then
audition them to see
which one is the best
on the timeline
Choosing the
best take

79. Recording Voiceovers
Record 2 more takes
changing the emphasis on the
words in the CG.
When done you should have 3
VO‟s under the original one.
Keep your first VO, but delete
the other two from the timeline
for now.

80. Auditioning Voiceovers
In the Event Browser, select
Voiceover 2 and
Voiceover 3 and drag them
onto the Voiceover 1 clip.
From the shortcut menu
choose Add to Audition.

81. Auditioning Voiceovers
Notice the audition spotlight
icon on the clip.
Click the Audition icon to
open the audition filmstrip.
Press the left and right arrow
keys to select which voiceover
to audition.
Turn up your volume and play
each take then choose the
best one.

82. Correcting Problem
Audio
• Part of the Audio
Inspector
• Takes care to audio
problems like
hum, background
noise and loudness
Audio
Enhancement tool

83. Correcting Problem
Audio
In the Library select Fairly
Legal_hum and duplicate as
FL Hum Fixed and open in
the Timeline.
In the timeline, select the 4A-2
110(B)_hum clip and play it.
-- how‟s it sound?
-- let‟s see if the hum has
been fixed yet

84. Correcting Problem
Audio
Open the Inspector Audio tab
and open Audio
Enhancements.
Loudness = OK
Background = Yellow – could be
trouble
Click in the box by Hum
Removal to turn it off and on and
listen to the difference!

85. Correcting Problem
Audio
• The equalization pop-
up menu allows you to
enhance audio in the -
• High-end
• Midrange
• Low-end
Equalization

86. Correcting Problem
Audio
In the upper-left corner of
the Audio Enhancements
pane, click the arrow to
return to the Audio
Inspector.
Click the Equalization pop-
up menu and choose Hum
Reduction and listen to
your clip again.

87. Correcting Problem
Audio
• Create audio
envelopes to control
audio right on the
audio clip
Key framing

88. Correcting Problem
Audio
Play the first clip 4B-
1_110(B) and notice the
audio level when the stack
of papers are dropped to
the desk.
We will fix this spike by
adding 3 key frames and
then lowering the middle
key frame.

89. Correcting Problem
Audio
Zoom into this clip so you
can see the peak clearly.
To set a keyframe on the
spike, Option-click on the
volume control line where
the spike is.
Move the skimmer to 1:00
and 2:05 and Option click
to set down 3 points.

90. Correcting Problem
Audio
Click on the middle
keyframe
--turns into a yellow
diamond
Drag the keyframe down
until the info flag reads -2
dB
Play the clip and check
your audio meters.

91. Shortcuts
• Raise the audio level by 1 dB
Control = (+) while
pointer on audio
control
• Lower the audio level by 1 dB
Control – while
pointer on audio
control
• Enable or disable a clip for
playback
V
• Solo selected items in the
Timeline
Option S

92. Shortcuts
• Create a keyframe
Option click on a
clip’s volume
control
• Create a new compound clipOption G
• Create a storyline from a
selection of connected clips
Command G
• Add a cross dissolve to the
selection
Command T

93. Homework Assignment:
1. Load up the ZHH Mix
Done project you made.
2. Fix all the audio and SFX
in the project and make
sure the balance is
correct.
a. I should hear the
added crash SFX
sounds on the crash
portion of the project.
3. Share as an iPod video
and post on iTunes U as
(your name) HW 8.m4v

94. Lesson 8:
Working with Sound
Apple Pro Training Series
Final Cut Pro X, 2nd Edition
Instructor: Sam Edsall