audio in FCPX

[Michael Gissing]

You would probably find Vegas to be one of the most audio friendly NLEs. Personally switching between Fairlight for audio and Final Cut for picture online, I find FCP7 terrible for audio.

There have been many lively discussions here about the magnetic timeline compared to DAWs track based clip stacking.

[Oliver Peters]

Audio editing/mixing is one of worst aspects of FCP X. Fine for simple stuff. Impossible for complex tracks, especially when using sources that have multiple channels of separate audio. The lack of sync indicators is a real deal breaker for many projects. Another gotcha is that there’s no respect in the software for the boundaries of audio versus video. You can move an audio clip on top of a video clip, which results in overwriting the video clip. When clips are broken apart instead of interleaved, the magnetic timeline makes it almost impossible NOT to throw clips out of sync.

Oliver

Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com

[Bill Davis]

[Oliver Peters] “Audio editing/mixing is one of worst aspects of FCP X. Fine for simple stuff. Impossible for complex tracks, especially when using sources that have multiple channels of separate audio.”

I understand the argument here, but want to make it perfectly clear that this opinion only has weight for those who are coming to X from a very particular mindset – that of the professional video editor working in a high-volume, complex workflow professional practice who is accustomed to having access to specific tools that address common problems faced at the highest level of “sound for picture” practice.

If that does NOT describe you – please don’t read this as “absolutely fact.”

For most editors doing the most common editing tasks – FCP-X has robust – and in many cases “state of the art” sound editing tools built in.

Brining in work in ENG, EFP, Event, Basic Documentary, Corporate, and many other “general” styles – will likely result in your being perfectly able to do the work you need to do right in the program. You’ll be able to delivery outstanding sonic output quality that is totally consistent with your source quality. It might even be superior, since X effectively addresses a nice range of “common” problems involving basic audio like ground loop hum, track assignment, and “shortcut” equalizing of speaking voices to bring them into more prominence in a typical mix.

FCP-X is NOT a perfect audio for video tool. It’s also not a “perfect” video editing tool.

It’s a new approach to editing that has “re-written” many of the traditional assumptions on how it might be effective to create video and other motion-based content for a new generation of editors.

In doing so, it’s focused first on the most common tasks faced by the largest group of editors – and yes, it hasn’t yet implemented many of the “top end pro” features that Legacy had developed over it’s 10+ year history in the market.

But I believe that in saying “Audio Mixing is one of the worst aspects of FCP-X” Oliver is being accurate from his particular perspective, but misleading many who’s needs are more general.

Do not come away from this thinking “FCP-X can’t do quality audio.” Because it most certainly can.

In fact, a lot of us who’s needs are more general are finding that it’s BETTER at basic audio than Legacy.

I offer in evidence X’s ability to let you “pre edit” some or all of a long audio recording session down to e “select” takes – “bake” those into sound bytes (all in the Event Browser”) and then, by dragging them as a group to a Storyline – auto assemble a nearly finished audio soundtrack in a drag and drop action.

Impossible in Legacy – trivial in X.

Since I do a lot of VO work and have to do precisely this so often, it’s been a HUGE timesaver for me – and I wouldn’t trade it for all the “high end” movie sound department friendly features on the planet!

Point is that sweeping statements about what X is “bad at” should always be taken with a grain of salt.

It may in fact be bad at what’s being discussed. But often, what’s being discussed is “common” only to a very narrow range of practice with very specific needs.

For what it’s worth.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Connor

[Steve Connor]

[Bill Davis] “But I believe that in saying “Audio Mixing is one of the worst aspects of FCP-X” Oliver is being accurate from his particular perspective, but misleading many who’s needs are more general.

Do not come away from this thinking “FCP-X can’t do quality audio.” Because it most certainly can.

In fact, a lot of us who’s needs are more general are finding that it’s BETTER at basic audio than Legacy.
“

I would agree, FCPX is fine for a little more than just simple stuff.

Steve Connor
“FCPX Agitator”
Adrenalin Television

[Lemur Hayop]

‘Just waiting for X2Pro to be “available end of February” (aren’t we here already?). Then can export AAF to Logic, Pro Tools, etc. (A.Duck is dead!) FCS/FCPX that I use are not good for audio. The only NLE I found decent at audio was Vegas. Why? It’s the only NLE AFAIK that was a multitrack audio sequencer first, then added video later to become an NLE. I’m not PC-based, so I don’t use Vegas.

https://www.k9sound.com

[Phil Hoppes]

It would be nice to be able to mute audio without having to resort to hardware muting. Muting by clip is a major PITA especially if the audio is ganged to the video.

[Bill Davis]

Really?

You find it difficult to one-click grab the audio level line and drag it down to “-96db”?

I just do it reflexively all the time, never even have to think about it.

Unless you’re making videos for bats, result’s essentially the same.

FWIW.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Connor

[Paul Figgiani]

For Audio Muting you can also select a clip and use the Volume Slider in the Audio Inspector/Volume and Pan setting group.. This comes in handy if your Clip Appearance setting does not display the Audio Level line.

-paul.

[Misha Aranyshev]

[Bill Davis] “You find it difficult to one-click grab the audio level line and drag it down to “-96db”?”

I do find any click-hold-drag difficult. I find Ctrl-B easy.

[Craig Seeman]

Subframe audio editing is a MAJOR step forward in FCPX at least compared to FCP7.

Being able to range select and adjust the levels in a portion of a clip without having to do the keyframes first.

While not quite the same as submix/aux, one can compound clip to apply to a group of clips.

Roles aren’t tracks but it certainly makes it easy to find groups of clips with a common function such as music, fx, dialog.