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Audio stems export at lower levels
Hi all
I’m attempting to export stems from FCP X and I’m getting attenuation that I can’t explain, and can’t seem to avoid.
My steps here are:
- Import the 5.1 stems from the sound mix at their native levels
- Assign a surround role to each
- Place against pictures in timeline and line up to sync
- Make picture adjustment as needed (add end tag)
- Export with roles as Multitrack QT movie
- Export roles as stems (with new duration)
Pan mode is set to “None” on each component – and my assuption was that it would function as a “direct out” – but the results are attenuated by about 6dB.
Adding a pan mode and explicitly using the surround panner to pan each to its destination channel produces the same result.Just to be clear, this post isn’t about exporting stems for a sound mix to come – stems are not the right thing to deliver to a mix. It’s about preserving an existing mix intact, altering its duration to create stems for a DCP that match extended pictures.
FCP 7 lets you do it, with a workaround – create 6 audio outputs on the sequence, all Dual Mono at 0dB, do an “Export as AIFF(s)”, then convert each to a mono WAV using QT Player 7 or something else. FCP X promises to make it much simpler!
What am I missing here?
Macs, FCP, Avid, Nitris DX, Color, HDCAM…
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8 Replies
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Peter,
I concur with your findings. In fact I realized the mono/-6 dB attenuation a few months ago.
I had imported a produced mono VO clip into FCPX that met a specific loudness target. I noticed the FCPX output was off by 6 dB. I went back into FCPX and added +6 dB of gain to the audio before I re-exported to compensate.
My guess is it could have something to do with the Pan Law and how they coded FCPX to handle mono audio files.
I contacted apple and asked for clarification. Obviously never heard back.
-paul.
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[Paul Figgiani] “I contacted apple and asked for clarification. Obviously never heard back.
“FWIW, if you haven’t, you should go here:
https://developer.apple.com/bug-reporting/
and create a free developer account. You may get a better response, and you’ll be able to track your bugs. Would be worth it for a situation like this. It’s obviously not a place to post random feature requests or gripes, they’ll likely be ignored, but actual technical questions/concerns should get addressed…
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~”It is a poor craftsman who blames his tools.”~
~”The function you just attempted is not yet implemented”~ -
Have you been able to access any area of the developer site today? I haven’t been able to get past the log in screen at all today.
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[David Eaks] “Have you been able to access any area of the developer site today? I haven’t been able to get past the log in screen at all today.”
I can get into the bug reporter, haven’t tried the main site… Just checked and got a site maintenance splash screen…
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~”It is a poor craftsman who blames his tools.”~
~”The function you just attempted is not yet implemented”~ -
Same here, thanks.
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Hi Paul
Good to know I’m not the only one having this issue – or maybe not so good! The READ ME for 10.0.8 explicitly states, among the fixes:
Mono audio files in a surround project export with correct volume levels
Did they change something here, and broke it? Correct for what? Earbuds?
I’m in redo mode with a bunch of too-quiet DCPs… we’re not especially set up for sound, and I try to leave it alone as much as possible… this stuff feels very NoPro. Oh well, onward!
Macs, FCP, Avid, Nitris DX, Color, HDCAM…
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Hi Peter,
I’m glad I’m not the only one with this issue. This has been driving me nuts.
I’ve been bugging Apple via their developer bug reporting tool about this since November 2012. I’ve posted a description of the problem here https://discussions.apple.com/message/20203301#20203301 and here https://www.fcp.co/forum/4-final-cut-pro-x-fcpx/15801-major-bug-audio-levels-incorrect-on-export.
Unfortunately as of FCP 10.0.9 it’s the same issue and it has been like this since 10.0.0. No response from Apple (Maybe I’m “holding” my mouse the wrong way?)
I’m surprised they can’t get it right since this has never been a problem in FCP 7.
And like you I don’t need to export stems for further editing. What I need is FCP X to output a finalized deliverable package combining my conformed audio tracks from Protools and the video. -
Hi Claudibus
Yes, I filed a bug report also, a week later when the bug page unhacked itself. I see no easy answer – except, cautiously, to explore bypassing FCP X altogether for outputs and using instead DaVinci Resolve 10.
It has a number of things going for it:
- It’s where the grade has come from
- The Edit page is significantly better than the old Conform page, with three and four-point editing
- It uses mostly FCP 7 shortcuts, not a bunch of new ones derived from iMovie
- it has tracks, and they can be locked – the magnetic timeline may be great for bashing a cut together but it’s hell for accurate, conformed output
- Now that there’s optical flow, text, generators and multichannel audio the only reason to go elsewhere is for complex titles and rolls which can be made in AE or Motion and imported
- It opens one “Event” at a time, and doesn’t try to scan your entire machine like it’s the NSA
- It starts with highly developed professional workflow expectations, instead of aspiring to be Pro, which has only a quarter of the letters
- It’s about delivering accurately in one piece, not firing a gun at the moon.
- it’s fast or at least ours is, with a loaded Cubix box
- it’s wickedly fast for DCP creation.
As beta software it seems already very mature and stable. I’ve only had this version for a day but I’ll be testing it for full output today, and hoping to leave FCP X gurgling in its playpool.
Macs, FCP, Avid, Nitris DX, Color, HDCAM…
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