Audio Controls

[Bill Davis]

[Craig Alan] “Is there any setting that is like 7’s normalization where you could filter a clip not to exceed say -6.”

Depending on how you’re conditioned to think of “normalization” then yep, there’s an easier way in X.

Select the audio track or range you want.

Open the inspector and click on the audio tab.

Under the Audio enhancements menu, click on the arrow labeled Audio Analysis.

The top control will be Loudness. This is NOT the type of car stereo loudness designed to boost bass at low listening levels, but is in fact what some people think of as normalization. – maximizing the overall peaks in a track to a consistent level. Unlike some implementations of “normalization” this does NOT apply compression to squeeze the dynamic range the tracks into a narrower range. If you want that, you have to apply it separately AS compression.

The results I’ve found to be every bit as useful in getting an audio track that is both as consistent and “present” as any other audio suite I’ve used, even if the nomenclature is very different.

FWIW.

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[Mark Morache]

I played with the loudness button in the audio enhancements at first. My experience was that it was basically a form of compression, but without the controls you get with the compression effect.

I use the compression effect all the time. You can compress the audio as much or as little as you want, but there’s also a limiter in the effect that you can use to create a ceiling for the audio levels.

I also have pretty good luck bumping the audio up one db at a time with control +, until the tops of the waveform just start to turn red, then back it off a click or two.

Apple has given us many tools, and I look forward to getting even more ease and control in the future. (audio level animation via the trackpad or an ipad anyone??)

———
Don’t live your life in a secondary storyline.

Mark Morache
FCPX/FCP7/Xpri/Avid
Evening Magazine,Seattle, WA
https://fcpx.wordpress.com

[Craig Alan]

I looked at the enhancement section in FC. More or less got the gist but wasn’t crystal as to what was really being applied. My biggest wish is to have the audio track show up in the viewer when I’m working with key framing. I just find the mousing and manipulation difficult when its too small.

[Mark Morache] “but there’s also a limiter in the effect that you can use to create a ceiling for the audio levels”

That would be closer to what I’d like to get started – where is this limiter? I use one on my mixer when recording.

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Camcorders: Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV30/40, Sony Z7U, VX2000, PD170; FCP 6 certified; write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[Paul Figgiani]

Craig,

A few suggestions:

For a quick fix try the Loudness Processor in Audio Enhancements:

The Limiter that everyone is referring to is located in the Audio Effects Browser. I wouldn’t recommend using this solely to increase levels. There’s much more to it. Using a Compressor before this is a better option.

You might want to look into a third party Loudness Maximizer:

Final Plug by Wave Arts

L1 by Waves (a steal for $39 bucks)

LoudMax This is free.

The bundled FCPX Audio EFX are fine as well.

-paul.

[Craig Alan]

Thanks. Didn’t realize they were bundled with the video effects. I’ll read up on their use. Looks like they will easily do the trick. I was looking just in the inspector. To be honest I used normalization a lot in FCP 7 and although it often got me closer to the levels I wanted, I never truly understood exactly what it was doing.

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Camcorders: Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV30/40, Sony Z7U, VX2000, PD170; FCP 6 certified; write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.