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Audio Gain vs Clip Mixer ?
Full disclosure: still new to PP from FCP.
I’m trying to understand the difference between adjusting clip audio via the Audio Gain command and via the Clip Mixer. In this example I’m staying entirely in the source monitor, not dealing with the timeline at all.
If I open an audio clip from my project, not the timeline but from a bin, and I have my Clip Mixer active I can make visible adjustments to the overall clip. Say I pull it down to -7db, I can see the result of that in the Clip Mixer.
But if I select Audio Gain on that clip and adjust the gain by say -20db, the Clip Mixer still shows my original -7db adjustment. I interpret this to mean that the Audio Gain command is “pre” adjusting the clip audio, and that adjustment is rippled forward into the Clip Mixer where it’s adjusted again by my -7db setting.
I can get my head around this somewhat, but why would the Audio Gain adjustment be invisible? Meaning why can I change the gain of a clip and then not see the result of that gain in the numerical Clip Mixer indicators or elsewhere? If I made an Audio Gain adjustment to a clip last week and I forget about it, how would I ever know what that clip’s original audio level was?
This is my inability to shake my FCP habit of always being able to see a clip level adjustment in the Audio Mixer whether I made that adjustment via the mixer or via FCP’s Audio Gain control, and also seeing that level adjustment via the clip’s volume line (where keyframes go, I forgot what that’s called.)
Help a transition newbie? Thank you!
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3 Replies
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[Jay Thomas] ”
But if I select Audio Gain on that clip and adjust the gain by say -20db, the Clip Mixer still shows my original -7db adjustment. I interpret this to mean that the Audio Gain command is “pre” adjusting the clip audio, and that adjustment is rippled forward into the Clip Mixer where it’s adjusted again by my -7db setting.I can get my head around this somewhat, but why would the Audio Gain adjustment be invisible?”
Yes, and as to why it’s invisible is that the Audio Gain setting is considered an interpretation setting (much like framerate can be interpreted for video), and is a pre-gain stage before it hits any effects or clip/timeline mixer.
As to why do it there? Some people like mixing near unity (0) and would rather see small adjustments on their mixer like +1db, -2db rather than deal with wild swings or boosts outside of the gain of the clip and timeline mixer.
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Thanks for the insight, Angelo.
This brings up another question too: If I adjust the level of a clip in the source monitor with the clip mixer, then edit that clip into a sequence, the clip does not carry over that level change. Looking at the clip mixer when the timeline is active shows that clip level at zero (this is regardless of any level setting in the track mixer.)
Is it possible to carry over a clip level from the source to the timeline (as always, I’m aware I could be missing something simple here, still adapting.)
Many thanks.
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Follow up to the above:
I believe I’ve found this to be a bug. Clip levels don’t travel from the source monitor to the timeline on merged clips, but do on all other clips so far tested.
Anyone know a workaround?
Also, is there a way to adjust the clip level of multiple tracks in the timeline – including keyframes? The audio gain feature can adjust volume of multiple clips, but again changes the primary gain (the entire waveform) as a premix before clip adjustment, leaving clip level as is. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m still seeking a way to see the level adjustment I’m making rather than have it done as a premix in the bg…
Thanks!
J
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