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Creating True Stereo in FCP
I just completed a project in which I “accidentally” created some stereo effects on the soundtrack. How can I do that on purpose, separating tracks and creating a real two channel effect?
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11 Replies
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Hi,
If I understand you correctly, you want, for example, to pan the sound effects from left to right or vice-versa. If so, use the Pen to add keyframe to the audio on the timeline (be sure you mark the PAN level, not the Volume level) and play with the panning of your sound!Enjoy
Patrick
Final Cut Pro HD 4.5 user
DVD Studio Pro 3 user -
selecting the clip and using alt+L turns stereo on and off
(you can tell its on by the little arrow like markers at the beginninf of the clip)
experience is tough teacher
she gives the test first
and the lesson afterwards -
I’ve worked on shows where all I have is the audio from the single camera mike.
What I’ve done is duplicate that single channel; offset the dupe by 1 frame and make a stereo pair. This will simulate the delay that your ears create.
pxlmvr
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I would not recommend doing this at all.
Peter
Editing the World Championship Snooker
on FCP for the BBC -
why not, Peter?
pxlmvr
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If you sent any part of a tape like that to broadcast, it would be instant rejection.
The space between your ears gives a far smaller time delay than 330 metres per second divided by 25 or 30.
So by my maths, and feel free anybody to jump in here and correct me, but you are exagerating an effect by over 52 timesBut never mind the maths, if it doesn’t sound good, it isn’t.
Peter
Editing the World Championship Snooker
on FCP for the BBC -
“If you sent any part of a tape like that to broadcast, it would be instant rejection.”
I’ve been doing this for a couple years now for a weekly program and have never had a tape rejected. The show airs on a local ABC affiliate and also internationally via satellite (10 separate networks). I worked as a Master Control Operator for 5 years, so I’m well aware of broadcast standards.
“The space between your ears gives a far smaller time delay than 330 metres per second divided by 25 or 30.
So by my maths, and feel free anybody to jump in here and correct me, but you are exagerating an effect by over 52 times”The amount of stereo delay we perceive is dependent upon the size of a room; i.e. the echo of a large room is different than that of a small room, which is different than outdoors. Echo is different in a room with carpet and drapes than it is for an empty room. For my purposes, (concert footage) the 1 frame offset (1/30 of a second) works perfectly and sounds completely natural.
“But never mind the maths, if it doesn’t sound good, it isn’t.”
As with any effect, you have to test it for yourself and see if it works in your situation. Again, this technique does not violate broadcast standards in any way.
pxlmvr
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[John Calhoun] “The amount of stereo delay we perceive is dependent upon the size of a room; i.e. the echo of a large room is different than that of a small room, which is different than outdoors. Echo is different in a room with carpet and drapes than it is for an empty room. For my purposes, (concert footage) the 1 frame offset (1/30 of a second) works perfectly and sounds completely natural.”
It has nothing to do with room sizes.
Your brain calculates the direction of a sound by the delay between your two ears.Peter
Editing the World Championship Snooker
on FCP for the BBC -
“It has nothing to do with room sizes.
Your brain calculates the direction of a sound by the delay between your two ears.”You are only partially correct. It also depends on where the sound originates what it reflects off of. The longer the delay the greater the perceived size of the room. As I said, for my application of creating simulated stereo from concert footage, a one frame delay works fine. For other applications where the room is smaller, you would likely need a dedicated DAW to achieve a delay of anywhere between 7-100 milliseconds.
pxlmvr
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FWIW Peter, you’ve spurred me into finally delving into Soundtrack, and the results are somewhat better (although I’m still working through workflow issues). It appears to be worth the effort though.
pxlmvr
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