Apple Final Cut Pro X 10.1.2 User Guide

							 Chapter 8    Edit audio 161
Detach audio from video
By default, Final Cut Pro imports audio and video from the same source into one clip. You 
can easily detach the audio from a video clip so that you can edit the audio clip separately in 
the Timeline.
 mSelect the clip in the Timeline, and choose Clip > Detach Audio.
 A new audio clip appears as a connected clip beneath the video clip.
Detached audio
To reattach an audio clip to its original video clip, you need to create a compound clip. 
Show or hide reference waveforms
A reference waveform shows the maximum visual resolution possible for the actual audio 
waveform. By factoring out loudness changes, reference waveforms let you see the details of the 
sound more clearly.
 1 Choose Final Cut P ro > P references, and click Editing.
 2 Select the “Show reference waveforms” checkbox.
Reference waveform
When the actual waveform changes shape (for example, when it is diminished because a clip’s 
volume level is low), its full reference waveform is still visible for easy reference when editing.
Tip:  You can place any clip with audio either above or below the primary storyline in the 
Timeline. If your clip contains video and is placed below the primary storyline, the video may 
be obscured by the video in the primary storyline, but the audio will play. If you put the clip 
above the primary storyline, the audio plays and the video also plays (instead of the video in the 
primary storyline).
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View audio waveforms at the audio sample level
For even more precise editing, you can zoom in to audio clips at the audio sample level. Audio 
samples show the audio waveform at a fraction of a second (for example, 1/48,000 for audio 
recorded at a sample rate of 48 kHz). Sample-accurate editing resolution is available only for 
connected audio clips (that is, audio clips not in the primary storyline) or compound clips that 
contain only audio.
Tip:  For reference when working with video, you can view subframes (1/80 the duration of a 
video frame) in the timecode display of the Dashboard. In the General pane of Final Cut Pro 
preferences, choose the subframe option in the Time Display pop-up menu.
Zoom to audio samples
 1 Choose View > Zoom to Samples (or press Option-Z).
 2 Select the clip in the Timeline.
 3 Zoom in until the clip shows the waveform within the borders of a video frame.
Frame borders
You can continue to zoom in for closer detail of the waveform.
Frame borders
 4 Make edits to the clip or adjustments to audio effects using keyframes.
To turn off zooming to audio samples, choose View > Zoom to Samples (or press Option-Z).
Navigate by subframe
 1 In the Timeline or the Browser, move your pointer  over a clip and click.
 2 Do any of the following:
 •To move backward in one-subframe increments: Press Command-Left Arrow.
 •To move forward in one-subframe increments: Press Command-Right Arrow.
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View and correct audio levels
The Audio meters let you see and track the audio levels of clips in Final Cut Pro and warn you if a 
particular clip or section of a clip reaches peak levels, which may result in audible distortion.
The number of audio meters you see depends on how many channels are configured for the 
clip you’re playing. For example, when you play back a surround clip in the Browser, six surround 
audio meters are displayed, but if you drag that same clip into a stereo project in the Timeline, 
Final Cut Pro automatically mixes down the surround audio into stereo, and only two audio 
meters are displayed. For more information, see Configure audio channels on page 171. 
When an audio clip is approaching peak levels during playback, the level color changes from 
green to yellow.
When an audio clip exceeds peak levels, the level color changes from yellow to red, and the peak 
indicator lights red for the respective audio channel or channels. The peak indicators reset when 
you stop and start playback again. 
To avoid having clip volume exceed peak levels, adjust the volume. Although the proper level 
for a clip depends upon the overall mix you want, it’s important to make sure that the combined 
level for all concurrent clips does not exceed 0 dB during the loudest sections.
Final Cut Pro includes two meters, a small Audio Meter icon in the Dashboard in the toolbar and 
a larger Audio Meters pane.
Show or hide the Audio meters
To show the Audio meters, do one of the following:
 mChoose Window > Show Audio Meters.
 m Click the Audio Meter icon in the Dashboard in the toolbar.
You can drag the edges of the meters to see an expanded view with additional information.
Level 
Surround channels
Peak indicators
To hide the Audio meters, choose Window > Hide Audio Meters, or click the Audio Meter icon in 
the Dashboard in the toolbar.
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Reset and correct peak levels
 mSelect the clip in the Timeline, readjust the level, and play back the clip again to test for peaks.
In the Timeline and Browser, the waveform section or sections of a clip turn yellow when a level 
is approaching peak levels and red when a level exceeds 0 dB. 
Solo and mute audio clips
The solo feature temporarily disables audio playback of all clips in the Timeline except for 
selected ones. It is especially useful in audio editing if you have more than one audio clip layered 
in the Timeline (dialogue and background music, for example) but need to listen and make edits 
to just certain clips.
You can also mute clips by disabling them. Disabled clips are both invisible and silent and will 
not appear in any output.
Solo clips in the Timeline
 1 Select one or more clips in the Timeline.
 2 Do one of the following:
 •Choose Clip > Solo (or press Option-S).
 •Click the Solo button in the Timeline.
Solo button
The soloed clip appears highlighted, while other clips appear dimmed.
Soloed clip
To turn off solo, click the Solo button, or choose Clip > Solo (or press Option-S) again.
Disable clips
 1 Select one or more clips in the Timeline.
Note:  If the selected clips contain both video and audio, and you want to mute the audio only, 
choose Clip > Detach Audio, and select the detached audio portion only.
 2 Choose Clip > D isable (or press V ).
Disabled clips are silent and appear dimmed in the Timeline.
 3 To reenable the disabled clips, select them in the Timeline and choose Clip > E nable (or press V ). 
You can solo video clips in Final Cut Pro. For more information, see Solo, disable, and enable 
clips
 on page 11 5 .
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Add audio
Add music and sound
You can add music and sound files directly to your project from your iTunes library or 
other sources.
Final Cut Pro also includes a number of built-in Foley and other sound effects that you can insert 
as connected audio clips.
If you have a clip that contains both audio and video, you can change the edit mode to audio 
only to insert only the audio portion of the clip.
Add music and sound to a project in the Timeline
 1 Click the Music and Sound button in the toolbar.
 2 In the Music and Sound Browser, choose a source folder from the pop-up menu at the top. For 
example, choose iTunes to browse your iTunes collection.
Tip:  If the folder you’re looking for doesn’t appear, you can add it to the source list by dragging it 
from the Finder or desktop to the Music and Sound Browser.
 3 In the sound list that app ears, find the sound or music you want:
 •To search for an item: Type text in the search field. To filter your search, click the Filter button 
, and choose a filter.
 •To preview an item: Double-click the item, or select the item and click the Play button .
 •To select more than one item: Command-click each item.
 4 Drag the sound file or files to the Timeline.
Note:  For better import and playback performance, Final Cut Pro automatically transcodes 
all MP3 audio files to WAV audio files and retains the original MP3 files for future use. For 
information about where to find original and transcoded media files, see Locate source media 
files
 on page 4 21.
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							 Chapter 8    Edit audio 16 6
Record voiceovers and other audio
It’s easy to record voiceover narration or other live audio directly in Final Cut Pro from input 
sources such as built-in and external microphones.
By default, Final Cut Pro includes an automatic countdown when you record, and also 
automatically groups multiple takes into auditions so that you can quickly preview recordings 
and choose the best one. The recorded audio files appear both in the Browser and as connected 
clips in the Timeline.
Record live audio
 1 Position the playhead where you want to start recording in the Timeline.
 2 Choose Window > Record Voiceover.
Tip:  To start recording immediately without adjusting settings, press Option-Shift-A and go to 
step 7.
Click the Record button to start or stop recording.
 3 To adjust the input level of the microphone, do one of the following:
 •Drag the Input Gain slider right to increase the input level, or left to decrease it.
 •Type a dB value in the Input Gain field.
 Use the Audio meter to make sure the volume doesn’t exceed peak levels (colored red), which 
may result in audible distortion.
Note:  If the Input Gain slider is dimmed for a selected input device, try adjusting the gain on the 
device itself or its software utility (if available).
 4 To name your voiceover clip, click the Name field and type a new name.
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 5 To specify other voiceover settings, click the Advanced disclosure triangle and do any of the 
following:
 •To change the input device or the number of input channels (mono or stereo):  Choose an option 
from the Input pop-up menu. The default choice of System Setting uses the first channel of 
the input device currently selected in OS X Sound preferences.
Tip:  If you always want to record with a particular device or a particular channel on a 
multichannel audio device, choose that device/channel pair from the Input pop-up menu 
instead of System Setting. Final Cut Pro remembers the setting and indicates in the Input 
pop-up menu whether the device is available.
 •To listen to your microphone input as you record: Set Monitor to On. The microphone audio plays 
from the output device currently selected in OS X Sound preferences. There is no input signal 
when monitoring is off.
Tip:  To listen to a live mix of both microphone and project audio, set Monitor to On and 
deselect the “Mute project while recording” checkbox below.
 •To adjust the monitoring level: Drag the Gain slider right to increase the monitoring level, or left 
to decrease it (or type a dB value in the Gain field).
Note:  If the built-in microphone is selected, the Gain slider automatically resets to zero to 
prevent feedback from the built-in speakers when monitoring is turned on. To avoid feedback, 
use headphones or external speakers placed away from the microphone.
 •To turn off the automatic countdown before recording: Deselect the “Countdown to record” 
checkbox.
 •To unmute project audio while recording: Deselect the “Mute project while recording” checkbox.
 •To turn off automatic grouping of multiple voiceover takes into auditions: Deselect  the “Create 
Audition from takes” checkbox.
 •To change where the recording is saved: Choose an event in the current library from the Event 
pop-up menu.
 6 To start recording, click the Record button (or press Option-Shift-A).
 7 To stop recording, click the Record button (or press the Space bar or Option-Shift-A).
Your audio recordings are attached to the primary storyline at the playhead position.
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Record multiple voiceover takes
You can record multiple versions, or “takes,” of voiceover recordings for the same section of your 
project. By default, Final Cut Pro creates an audition from all the takes you record. After you’ve finished 
recording, you can review the different takes in the audition and choose the one you want to use.
 1 To record your first voiceover take, follow the instructions above.
 2 Without moving the playhead, click the Record button (or press Option-Shift-A) to record 
another take for the same section of your project.
 3 To stop recording, click the Record button again (or press the Space bar or Option-Shift-A).
By default, Final Cut Pro creates an audition containing both recordings.
Voiceover audition clip
To add another take to the audition, repeat steps 2 and 3. Each new take you record is added to 
the audition.
To learn more about auditions, see Add and remove clips in auditions
 on page 295.
Preview and select a voiceover take
 1 In the Timeline, select the audition containing the voiceover takes you want to review, and open 
it by choosing Clip > Audition > Open (or pressing Y ).
Click to preview different voiceover 
takes, then select one to use.
 2 In the audition window, select the take and press the Space bar (or press Control-Command-Y ) 
to play it.
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							 Chapter 8    Edit audio 16 9
 3 When you decide on the take you want to use, make sure it’s selected under the spotlight, and 
click Done.
 4 If you’re sure of your decision and want to finalize the audition, choose Clip > A udition > F inalize 
Audition (or press Option-Shift-Y ).
The audition is dissolved, leaving the voiceover clip in the Timeline.
To learn more about previewing auditions, see Use auditions to try out clips in your project
 on 
page 297.
Combine audio from multiple takes
By default, an audition lets you choose only one voiceover take to use in your project. If you want 
to combine portions of two separate takes into one “comp” take, you can break the audition into 
separate audio clips, which you can then edit and combine as needed.
 1 Select an audition in the Timeline, and choose Clip > B reak Apart Clip Items (or press 
Shift-Command-G).
Final Cut Pro replaces the audition selected in the Timeline with the individual recordings that 
made up the audition.
To edit voiceover 
takes separately, 
break apart the 
audition clip.
 2 Edit the clips as needed.
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							 Chapter 8    Edit audio 17 0
Edit audio clips or audio components
Audio editing overview
Final Cut Pro includes tools for editing audio clips or multiple audio channels. You edit audio in 
two ways, detailed below.
Volume control
Clip-level audio editing
You can make audio adjustments and edits to whole clips. At this level, audio adjustments and 
effects are applied to the entire clip, including any audio channels within the clip. Final Cut Pro 
preserves any adjustments you make to individual audio channels. This means that if you reduce 
the volume for a single channel but raise the volume for the whole clip, the volume of the single 
channel is raised but stays in proportion to the volume of other channels in the clip.
If your source media contains only one or two audio channels or you’re editing an audio-only 
clip, you’ll probably only need to make adjustments and edits at this level.
Advanced multichannel audio editing
Final Cut Pro automatically groups channels into audio components according to how the 
channels are configured for the clip. You can expand the audio portion of clips to reveal and edit 
audio components down to the individual channel level. This allows you to apply different effects 
to different components and streamlines the process for making quick sound cutouts to a single 
microphone input or other fine adjustments.
Important:  Many digital audio file formats, such as AAC and MP3, use interleaved stereo files, 
which do not contain separate left and right channels. These files appear as a single audio 
component unless you change the clip’s channel configuration.
Keep in mind the following when editing audio components in Final Cut Pro: 
 •You view and change the audio channel configuration of your clips in the Audio inspector. 
You can change audio component names, add or remove audio components, and configure 
channels in mono, stereo, and surround formats. See Configure audio channels
 on page 171 .
 •With the Range Selection tool (the default editing tool), you can quickly select ranges within 
an audio component to target the audio you want to edit.
 •You can edit audio components for synchronized clips, multicam clips, and compound clips.
 •You edit audio components in the same way you edit whole clips. You can:
 •Skim individual components when clip skimming and audio skimming are turned on. See 
Skim media
 on page 80.
 •Adjust the volume of a component. See Adjust volume on page 174 .
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