Sound Editing in Final Cut

The first thing you need to do is bring in a sound file into Final Cut Pro.

The sound you are most likely to adjust is the one from your video footage. Make sure that you took the time to record your sound well. If so, adjusting it on Final Cut should not be that difficult. If you find that you need to adjust sound substantially, you will need to do it in Soundtrack Pro, that lecture is not included in this case.

To edit sound:

You can select it on your bend or on the timeline. This one should appear on the viewer (the center window).

Then access the audio mixer control panel. Go to the top menu and select: Tools > Audio Mixer. A window will appear with at least two channels and a master volume. You are able to access all audio channels on the mixer. Adjust its window size as necessary.

Play the audio and double check that there is no clipping. If there is, you may be able to adjust according to some of the guidelines suggested below.

Setting Keyframes for audio manipulation:

To manipulate the audio, especially if you want to adjust specific parts, you will need to set key frames. To do this, open the audio file on the viewer, and go to the part you want to adjust. Decide on your entry point and set a keyframe by clicking the "Add Audio Keyframe" button (looks like a diamond) at the bottom left of the viewer.s Do the same for other key frames.

Keyframes will allow you to decide where to begin an adjustment and when to end it. They are very important in your sound editing process.

Panning and Level Adjustments:

You can adjust panning (the movement of sound from one side of the speakers to the other) and sound in four ways.

1) By clicking and dragging the keyframes manually on Viewer.
2) By dragging the levels at the top-center of the viewer.
3) By clicking and dragging the keyframes on the timeline itself.
4) By adding an actual number on the corresponding boxes at the top-center of the viewer.

Audio Filters

There are many audio filters that can you can use. To access them go to the top menu and select: Effects > Audio Filters > Final Cut Pro, and choose filters as desired.

The five filters that you will use the most are Equalizer, Gain, Dynamics, Noise Reduction and reverberation

Open these and adjust the sound as desired. Make sure that you do not clip your wave form.

Note that all these filters have a timeline of their own. to the right of their particular window.