Soundtrack Pro 2 Getting Started
K Apple Inc. Copyright © 2007 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Your rights to the software are governed by the accompanying software license agreement. The owner or authorized user of a valid copy of Soundtrack Pro software may reproduce this publication for the purpose of learning to use such software. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, such as selling copies of this publication or for providing paid for support services.
2 Preface 5 5 5 6 Contents Welcome to Soundtrack Pro About Soundtrack Pro About This Book What You’ll Need Chapter 1 7 8 9 10 12 Starting Your Project and Assembling Media Opening Soundtrack Pro Setting Up Your Computer’s Audio System Creating a New Multitrack Project Assembling Media in Soundtrack Pro Chapter 2 17 18 19 22 23 24 26 28 29 30 32 35 36 39 Assembling Your Multitrack Project Working with Multitrack Projects Playing and Saving a Multitrack Project Creating a Soundtrack Pro Multitrack P
Chapter 4 57 57 60 Solving Audio Problems Analyzing and Fixing Problems in an Audio File Creating an AppleScript Droplet to Analyze and Fix Audio Files Chapter 5 61 61 62 64 Mixing Stereo and Surround Projects Fundamentals of Mixing Working in the Soundtrack Pro Mixer Steps for Mixing a Project Chapter 6 73 74 75 76 76 77 79 Exporting Your Multitrack Project The Export Dialog Exporting a Final Mix Exporting a Submix Exporting a Multitrack Project to Final Cut Pro Exporting a Podcast Saving a Mult
Preface Welcome to Soundtrack Pro About Soundtrack Pro Soundtrack Pro is a professional digital audio application designed for film and video post-production. As a Logic Studio owner, you will use Logic Pro to create, compose, and score your music, and Soundtrack Pro to edit and restore dialogue, create and edit sound effects and backgrounds, and mix a full soundtrack.
What You’ll Need Simply reading this book will give you enough information to get you working confidently in Soundtrack Pro. However, having Soundtrack Pro open on your computer and using some audio files—either your own or the audio files provided with Soundtrack Pro—will make some of the tasks described in these pages easier to master.
1 Starting Your Project and Assembling Media 1 In Soundtrack Pro, you can create audio projects for a variety of uses: audio for video and film, submixes for DVD and other video needs, sound design, podcasts, and more. Before you can start editing your project, you need to set up your computer’s audio system and assemble your media files. In this chapter, you’ll learn about: Â Opening Soundtrack Pro (p. 8) Â Setting Up Your Computer’s Audio System (p. 9) Â Creating a New Multitrack Project (p.
Opening Soundtrack Pro The Soundtrack Pro interface is divided into several panes, each of which contains multiple tabs. These tabs contain all of the controls in Soundtrack Pro. As you’re working, you can show and hide the left, right, and lower panes of the interface using the buttons in the top-right corner of the Soundtrack Pro Toolbar. If you add a video file to the video track, it’s displayed in the Video tab. Each project has its own tab.
Setting Up Your Computer’s Audio System The sound from your audio files is output through the speaker or headphone jack that comes with your computer. If you have external monitors, speakers, or other audio equipment, you’ll want to connect them through the speaker jack so you can monitor your project’s audio output. You can also connect other external audio equipment such as an audio interface or a mixer and use these audio tools to mix and listen to your project.
Creating a New Multitrack Project A multitrack project contains multiple audio files and an optional video clip. Multitrack projects are used exclusively by Soundtrack Pro and are compatible with other Final Cut Studio applications. When you open Soundtrack Pro, a new multitrack project is automatically created. You can also create a new project at any time while working in Soundtrack Pro. To create a new multitrack project: m Click the New Project button in the Toolbar.
To set a project’s sample rate: m Choose a value from the Sample Rate pop-up menu. Choose a sample rate for your multitrack project from the Sample Rate pop-up menu. To configure other project properties, including metadata and music settings: m Click the Project tab and enter settings for your project. The Project tab contains various settings and properties for the selected project.
Assembling Media in Soundtrack Pro Now that you’ve created your project and configured its settings, it’s time to assemble your media files. Soundtrack Pro has several tabs dedicated to locating your audio files and a method for indexing the folders of media stored on your hard drive or other volumes. Use the Browser and Search tabs to locate your media.
By default, any file you select will play automatically. To turn preview selection off, deselect the “Preview on selection” button. Then you can preview a selected file manually by clicking the Play button. When you’ve located the media you’ll use in your project, you can store it in the Favorites tab. The Favorites tab is a handy container in which you can put references to clips and files. The Bin tab is also useful for locating audio files.
2 Select a keyword. The files that contain the keyword you selected appear in the list at the bottom of the Search tab. The keyword “Ambience” is selected. Over a hundred audio clips have the keyword “Ambience.” The matches for “Ambience” are displayed here. To preview an audio clip, select it and then click the Play button. If you want to listen to an audio file, select it and then click the Play button in the bottom-left corner of the Search tab.
Indexing Your Personal Media Files The audio files that come with Soundtrack Pro are already indexed and ready to search. If you have a collection of audio files that are tagged with compatible metadata, including filename, genre, keyword, date, and so on, you can index them so you can search for them in the Soundtrack Pro Search tab. For instructions on indexing your media files, see the Soundtrack Pro User Manual.
2 Assembling Your Multitrack Project 2 You start building a multitrack project by arranging the project’s audio files on tracks in the Timeline. As you arrange the clips, you can cut, crossfade, and otherwise edit them in the Timeline. In this chapter, you’ll learn about: Â Working with Multitrack Projects (p. 18) Â Playing and Saving a Multitrack Project (p. 19) Â Creating a Soundtrack Pro Multitrack Project from a Final Cut Pro Sequence (p. 22) Â Adding Clips to the Timeline (p.
Working with Multitrack Projects You build a multitrack project in the Soundtrack Pro Timeline. The Timeline contains tracks for arranging files; after the clip tracks, there are additional rows for busses (which are predominantly used to share effects to groups of tracks), submixes (which are used to create groups of like audio and to route these groups to physical outputs), and the Master bus (the final mix control).
Each track in this multitrack project has a surround panner that feeds into one of the three surround submixes. These submixes are then routed to the Master bus, which feeds an 8-channel audio interface that connects to six surround sound speakers. Don’t let this illustration and explanation worry you—assembling a multitrack project is easy. You just drag audio clips from the Browser, Favorites, Search, or Bin tab directly into any track in the Timeline.
To stop playback: m Press the Space bar again. Here are a few more keyboard shortcuts to use for playing a multitrack project. To do this Do this To play your project at normal (1x) speed Press L. To pause playback Press K. To play your project in reverse at Press J. normal (1x) speed To double, triple, or quadruple the current playback speed Press L or J two, three, or four times. To move the playhead to the beginning of clip cycle regions Press Return.
To save your project: 1 Choose File > Save (or press Command-S). The Save dialog appears. 2 Enter a name for your file and a location to save it in, and configure any other Save options: Â Save Compacted: Saves the project without display data, which can save disk space but may cause the project to take longer to open. Â Collect Audio Files: Saves the project file, and a copy of every audio file the project uses, to the selected location.
Creating a Soundtrack Pro Multitrack Project from a Final Cut Pro Sequence You can select one or more audio clips or entire sequences in Final Cut Pro and send them to Soundtrack Pro as a multitrack project. To open a group of Final Cut Pro audio clips or a Final Cut Pro sequence in Soundtrack Pro: 1 Select multiple clips in the Final Cut Pro Timeline or a sequence in the Final Cut Pro Browser. 2 Control-click the selection, then choose Send To > Soundtrack Pro Multitrack Project from the shortcut menu.
Adding Clips to the Timeline A typical Soundtrack Pro multitrack project contains multiple audio clips on several audio tracks. It can also contain one video file on the video track. The video track The audio tracks shown are organized by function: orange and yellow for voiceover, lime for dialogue, green for effects, and blue for music. After you add an audio clip to a multitrack project, you may want to modify it.
If you have a video file for your project, it’s easy to add it to your project’s video track. You can add one QuickTime movie (or a file in any other video format that QuickTime supports) to the video track. When you drag the video to the track, it automatically appears at the beginning of the Timeline. If the video has an audio track, that appears on the first audio track of the Timeline. Soundtrack Pro also automatically applies the movie’s frame rate setting to the open audio project.
To move a clip on a track: m Drag the clip left or right on the track, or up or down to another track. To change the length of a clip: m Place the pointer at the edge of the clip and then drag it left or right. You know you can change the length of a clip when the resize pointer replaces the pointer. To delete a clip: m Select the clip, then press Delete. The clip disappears from the track. To cut a clip into several segments: 1 Select the Blade tool in the Toolbar.
To cut all clips down the length of the Timeline: 1 Select the Blade All tool in the Toolbar. The pointer becomes a double blade. 2 Position the double blade pointer at the location in the Timeline where you want to vertically cut, then click. The clips are cut down the length of the Timeline. When you’re done cutting your clips, you can select the Selection tool to move, resize, or delete any leftover bits of the clips that you don’t need.
To add a marker to the Timeline: 1 Position the playhead where you want the marker. 2 Do one of the following: Â Choose Mark > Set End of Project. Â Click the Add Time Marker or Add Beat Marker button in the Toolbar. The marker type you added appears in the Timeline. To add name or comment text to a marker: 1 Select the marker to which you want to add text. 2 Display the Details tab by clicking it. Then type a name or comments for the marker you’ve selected in the appropriate fields and press Return.
Creating a Fade in an Audio Clip It’s simple to add a fade to an audio clip. After the fade is placed, you can use the Fade Selector HUD to reshape it as appropriate. To create a fade in a clip in the Timeline: 1 Using the Selection tool, position the pointer over the top-left or top-right edge of the clip. The pointer becomes a fade pointer. 2 Drag from the corner toward the center of the clip. A fade is superimposed over the clip.
Adding a Crossfade Between Two Clips A crossfade creates a smooth, even transition between two overlapping audio clips by blending the crossfaded area together. Crossfades are often used to reduce the sudden changes in loudness that can result between clips. After you apply a crossfade to two clips, you can adjust the crossfade’s length, position, and curve. To add a crossfade between two audio clips: 1 Verify that the Crossfade Mode button in the Timeline is selected.
Adding Tracks, Busses, and Submixes to a Multitrack Project Tracks, busses, and submixes are all organized in rows in the Timeline and they all function in a similar way. You can add multiple tracks, busses, and submixes to a project and change both their look and some of their functions. Adding, Moving, and Removing Tracks, Busses, and Submixes You add, move, and delete tracks, busses, and submixes using similar commands.
To change the icon for a track, bus, or submix: 1 Double-click the icon. The icon menu appears. 2 Select an icon to represent the track, bus, or submix. The icon you selected replaces the previous icon. You can also change the color of a track or bus. To change the color of a track or bus: m Control-click the track or bus, then choose Track Color and the color you want from the shortcut menu. The color bar and clips on the track or bus change to the color you indicated.
Working with Stereo and Surround Track Panners By default, tracks in Soundtrack Pro are set to stereo (two-channel) panning. You can switch from stereo to surround (5.1-channel) panning. If you need more control than the track’s surround panner provides, you can pan a track using the Surround Panner HUD. This track has a surround panner. These tracks have stereo panners. The panners and panning values match in the Timeline and the Mixer.
To switch a track or bus panner to surround: m Control-click the track or bus, then choose Use Surround Panner from the shortcut menu. The surround panner replaces the stereo panner. Switching from a surround panner to a stereo panner uses the same process; instead of Use Surround, Use Stereo Panner appears in the shortcut menu.
To adjust surround panning on a track: m Move the puck to determine where the sound goes. Drag to move the puck in the surround panner to relocate the track’s sound. Surround sound creates a sense of perspective by placing sounds in circular space; therefore, adjusting panning changes where the sound goes. You can pan a track’s sound through any of the 5.1 surround channels: L (left), R (right), C (center), Ls (left surround), Rs (right surround), and LFE (Low-Frequency Effects).
To do this Do this To move the puck Click anywhere in the panner and drag the puck to the desired location. To automatically move the puck to the center Double-click anywhere in the panner. The puck automatically goes to the center of the panner. To hold the speaker angle static while adjusting the puck’s distance from the center Hold down the Option key while dragging the puck.
You can easily create multiple submixes of the same project by adding busses and submixes and then routing the appropriate tracks through them.
 Specialized, a collection of effects which help you reduce noise or add high frequency components or bass signals  Utility, a collection of effects which help you handle routine tasks Note: The Soundtrack Pro User Manual and the Soundtrack Pro Effects Reference (available in the Help menu) provide in-depth information about the various effects available in Soundtrack Pro. You can add an effect to any track, bus, or submix as a realtime effect.
3 The effect’s Advanced Settings window appears. If necessary, adjust the effect, then click the Advanced Settings window’s close button. Make any required changes, then click the close button. The Compressor Advanced Settings window After you apply the effect, you can also adjust its parameters in the Timeline or Effects tab, and turn it on or off by selecting or deselecting its checkbox in the Effects tab. Click the disclosure triangle next to the track name to view the effect. you added.
Automating Track, Bus, Submix, and Master Bus Parameters with Envelope Points Each track, bus, and submix in your Timeline, as well as your project’s Master bus, has a set of envelopes for volume, pan, and other parameters. Creating and adjusting envelope points is also often described as automating an envelope or using automation.
Here are more ways to work with envelopes and envelope points. To do this Do this To select an envelope point  Click it. To select multiple envelope points  Drag across multiple points. To move one or more envelope points  Drag the selected envelope point or points left or right to a new position or up or down to a new value.
3 Working with Individual Audio Files 3 In Chapter 2, you learned how to assemble and arrange files in a multitrack project. This chapter explains how Soundtrack Pro processes different audio files and how to edit and apply effects to a single audio file. In this chapter, you’ll learn about: Â Editing Audio Files (p. 41) Â How Soundtrack Pro Processes Audio Files (p. 42) Â Where to Edit Audio Files (p. 42) Â Opening a Logic Pro Audio File in Soundtrack Pro (p.
When editing an individual audio file, some edits, including normalizing or amplifying levels, applying effects, and applying noise, pop, and click reduction, are applied as nondestructive actions. Actions can be reordered, turned on or off, and removed at any time using the Actions tab. The Actions tab lists the actions applied to “Traffic City,” the file that’s open in the File Editor. This chapter is divided into two sections.
Editing Files That Are Associated with a Multitrack Project in the File Editor Tab You can nondestructively edit and apply effects to audio files used in a multitrack project in the File Editor tab. It is easy to open a single file from the Timeline of a multitrack project—simply click that file in the Timeline, and it appears in the File Editor tab below the Timeline.
To open a file (or the file a clip refers to) in the File Editor tab, do one of the following: m Click the file. When the file (or clip that refers to a file) is selected in the Timeline, it appears in the File Editor tab below the Timeline. m Drag a file from the Browser tab, Search tab, Favorites tab, or Bin tab into the File Editor or Timeline. The file’s waveform appears in the File Editor tab below the Timeline.
To open an audio file project or other single audio file in the File Editor project view, do one of the following: m Double-click a file in the Browser, Search, or Favorites tab. m Open a file from Final Cut Pro or another audio application. Note: A single file from a multitrack project also appears in the File Editor project view when you double-click that file in the Timeline. To save an audio file project or other single audio file: 1 Choose File > Save. A Save dialog appears.
 Update Multitrack Projects: If you have used a file associated with the multitrack project you are saving in one or more multitrack projects, Soundtrack Pro can replace every instance of the old file with the file you are currently saving. To enable this switch, select the Update Multitrack Projects checkbox. Important: To write over the original file destructively, save the file using the original file type, not the new audio file project. 4 Click the Save button. Your file is saved.
Adding Processes and Effects to a File with Actions When you add a process or effect, like EQ or reverb, to an audio file, it is applied as an action. Actions are useful because they are nondestructive and easy to work with; you can easily preview, reorder, and remove them in the Actions tab. When you’re happy with the actions applied to a file, you can flatten the actions onto the audio file to which they are applied. This applies all of the actions in your list as a single action.
When you add an action, it automatically appears above the Action Insert bar. Deselecting an action’s checkbox turns the action off. The Soundtrack Pro Reverb and Denoiser effects were added to the file as actions. The Action Insert bar determines where new actions are inserted. Actions pop-up menu Here are some easy ways to work with actions. To do this Do this To edit an action’s settings Double-click the action in the Actions list. The settings appear.
Flattening an Actions List You can flatten all the actions in an Actions list into a single action. Flattening actions renders the actions into the file, reducing the file’s complexity and size. Remember, however, that once you flatten an Actions list, you cannot reorder or edit the actions: after flattening, the actions you flattened become one action. To flatten your Actions list: 1 Move the Action Insert bar directly below the last action you want to flatten.
Using the File Editor Tools The File Editor tab and the File Editor project view have their own special toolsets for performing precise waveform edits. The File Editor tab’s toolset The File Editor project view's toolset Scrubbing a File When you scrub an audio file, you play through it, hearing the audio at an accelerated or decelerated speed. If you need to find a specific sound in a file—for example, a crash—scrubbing can come in handy.
To scrub a file: 1 Select the Scrub tool at the top-left corner of the File Editor. The pointer becomes a scrubber. 2 Drag the scrubber left or right in the File Editor or Timeline. The file plays at an accelerated rate. 3 When you find the sound you were listening for, release the mouse button. You can also shuttle through a file using the J, K, and L keys on your keyboard. To do this Do this To play your project at normal (1x) speed Press L. To play your project in reverse at Press J.
Zooming In to a File Like the Timeline, the File Editor has a Zoom slider to help you see the details of your file. It also has a Zoom tool. To zoom in to a file: m Drag the Zoom slider at the bottom of the File Editor. Drag this slider to see more detail in your file. As you can see, the Zoom slider shows you more file detail, but it usually will not zoom in far enough to reveal your file’s samples.
What Is a Sample? A sample is the smallest measure of digital audio. To understand how small a sample is, consider this: one second of audio requires thousands of samples. Commonly used sample rates include 44.1 kHz for CD-quality audio and 48 kHz for digital video–quality audio files. Each solid dot in the waveform at the left represents a digital sample.
To edit a file’s samples: 1 In the File Editor project view, use the Zoom tool or drag the Zoom slider to zoom in to the file and reveal its waveform’s samples. Drag the Zoom slider to the far left to view a waveform’s samples. 2 Select the Sample Edit tool at the top-left corner of the File Editor. The pointer becomes a pencil. 3 To change the amplitude of a series of samples, drag left or right with the Sample Edit tool. To increase or decrease a single sample’s amplitude, drag the sample up or down.
Time Stretching an Audio File Time stretching a section of an audio file alters its length. Time stretching is particularly useful when editing dialogue because you can alter the timing of the dialogue without affecting its pitch. To time stretch a file: 1 View the file in the File Editor project view. 2 Select the Audio Stretching tool. The pointer becomes a stretcher. 3 Select the portion of the file that you want to stretch or contract. 4 Position the stretcher over the right edge of the selection.
Editing a File in Frequency Spectrum View In some editing situations, you may want to view a file’s frequency spectrum instead of its waveform. For example, if you’re looking for a specific frequency of camera noise, you can easily find it using Frequency Spectrum view. To view a file’s frequency spectrum: m Click the Frequency Spectrum View button at the top-right corner of the File Editor. Use these buttons to switch between Waveform and Frequency Spectrum view.
4 Solving Audio Problems 4 Audio files are sometimes less than perfect. You can correct annoying clicks, hum, and other file problems you find in your audio files with the Soundtrack Pro Analyze and Repair feature. In this chapter, you’ll learn about: Â Analyzing and Fixing Problems in an Audio File (p. 57) Â Creating an AppleScript Droplet to Analyze and Fix Audio Files (p.
To analyze an audio file for problems: 1 Select the file in the Timeline to display it in the File Editor. If you want to analyze just a section of the file, select just that section in the File Editor tab. This clip is selected; it appears in the File Editor below. The Analysis tab 2 In the Analysis tab, select one or more audio problems from the Analysis Type list and then click the Analyze button. Select one or more problems to look for on the clip. Then click the Analyze button.
Soundtrack Pro analyzes the file and then reports each problem it detects in the analysis results list. It also marks the problem area of the waveform in red. The problem (and problem area) selected in the Analysis tab is identified and displayed in red. The analysis results list reports the problems found in the order they appear on the waveform. Â Â Â Â Â Status: Indicates whether the problem exists or has been fixed. Problem: Indicates the problem type. Start: Indicates when the problem begins.
To fix all the problems displayed in the analysis results list: m Click the Fix All button. The problems are fixed in the waveform, and the problems’ status in the analysis results list changes to Fixed. All of the problems in the list are fixed. To fix problems one at a time: 1 Select the problem you want to fix in the analysis results list. 2 Click the Fix button. The problem is fixed in the waveform, and the problem’s status in the analysis results list is reported as Fixed.
5 Mixing Stereo and Surround Projects 5 Mixing involves balancing the items in a project to create a full, complete sound. This chapter takes you through a simple mixing process to teach you the basic principles of mixing. In this chapter, you’ll learn about: Â Fundamentals of Mixing (p. 61) Â Working in the Soundtrack Pro Mixer (p. 62) Â Steps for Mixing a Project (p.
Working in the Soundtrack Pro Mixer In the Soundtrack Pro Mixer tab, you can easily compare and adjust volume for each track, bus, and submix. If you’d rather work with a floating Mixer window, you can drag the Mixer tab off to display a separate Mixer window. You may want to do this when you want to make fine adjustments to a track’s volume. You can then manually stretch the Mixer window to the length of the Soundtrack Pro window. The Soundtrack Pro Mixer mimics a hardware mixing board.
 You can set a track’s volume using the vertical volume fader or by entering a number in the volume value slider.  You can route a track, bus, or submix channel using the pop-up menu at the bottom of the channel. This pop-up menu corresponds with the Routing pop-up menu in the Timeline. The Effects list shows all the effects applied to the track, bus, or submix. A surround panner; if the channel is in stereo, a stereo panner appears here.
Steps for Mixing a Project This section takes you through a generic mixing process for a film project made of voiceover, dialogue, effects, and music tracks. This mini-tutorial is intended to give you a general sense of the goals and outcome of mixing a film audio project: to adjust the individual audio tracks and create a balanced master mix. Step 1: Mix the voice tracks Adjust the volume and balance of the voiceover and dialogue tracks.
2 Pan, or move, each of the soloed main voice tracks to center (0). 3 Play the primary voice tracks again. How does the playback sound? 4 Adjust the panning as appropriate for your mix, depending on the type of panner the tracks have and the location from which you want the sound to emerge. Typically, dialogue is mixed almost exclusively in the center channel. Adjust each track’s panning. 5 Press the Space bar to play the primary voice tracks again.
To mix the dialogue tracks (Dialog 1 and Dialog 2): m Repeat the mixing process for the other voice tracks in your project. For the Cafe project shown in this example, you would repeat the process on the Dialog 1 and Dialog 2 tracks. In this example, you would repeat the mixing process for the secondary tracks, Dialog 1 and Dialog 2. Mixing the Effects and Music Tracks This step repeats the mixing process on your project’s other tracks.
To mix an effects or music track: 1 Solo the first of your effects and music tracks (in this example, the first FX track), then adjust its pan to center and play the track. How does it sound? 2 Play the track again, then adjust the panning as appropriate for your mix, depending on the type of panner the track has and the location from which you want the sound to emerge. 3 Play the track again. If necessary, add any EQ, compression, or other processing effects to complete the sound of the track.
To make changes to the overall mix: 1 Press Shift-Return to play your project. Listen to it. Does it need any final adjustments? For this example, a compressor will be added to the Cafe project’s submix track to even out the final mix. 2 Select the submix track in the Mixer. When you do, the submix track in the Timeline is automatically selected. Select the submix track. In this example, the Mixer tab is a floating window and has been resized.
The compressor is added to the Effects list in the Effects tab; it also appears in the Effects list in the submix track in the Timeline and in the Mixer. The compressor appears in the Effects list. The compressor also appears in the submix track of the Timeline. 4 Press Shift-Return to play your project again.
Correcting Clipping on the Master Bus or for Exported Items Clipping occurs whenever the output displayed in the level meters exceeds zero decibels (0 dB). Because Soundtrack Pro uses floating point digital audio, clipping only needs to be corrected on a multitrack project’s Master bus. To fix clipping, you simply adjust the volume until the clipping ceases.
To listen to a temporary mono mix: m Press Shift-Return to play your project from the beginning, then click the Mono Mix button, located to the right of the Monitor Volume slider and to the left of the transport controls. Click and hold the Mono Mix button while the project is playing to hear a mono mix. You can also Option-click the Mono Mix button to play back a temporary mono mix without having to hold down the button. To stop listening to the mono mix, release the mouse button.
6 Exporting Your Multitrack Project 6 This chapter explains three ways to export a project: as a final mix, as several split mixes, and as a podcast. It also explains how to save a final project with media, a good alternative to exporting if you want to continue to work on your project files, and discusses how to send a multitrack project to Final Cut Pro. In this chapter, you’ll learn about: Â The Export Dialog (p. 74) Â Exporting a Final Mix (p. 75) Â Exporting a Submix (p.
The Export Dialog The Export dialog in Soundtrack Pro is a flexible tool that provides numerous options for your workflow and distribution needs. Access export presets with this pop-up menu. Define the exported file type here. Use this pop-up menu to export your master mix, submix, and so on. Choose to open another application, like Final Cut Pro or Logic, or choose other options. This section updates to display parameters specific to the file type chosen in the File Type pop-up menu.
Exporting a Final Mix Here’s a set of basic export instructions to export a completed multitrack project. Make sure that the multitrack project you want to export is open and ready to be exported. To export a master mix of a multitrack project: 1 Choose File > Export. The Export dialog appears. 2 Enter a name for your mix in the Save As field. 3 If you want your file to be exported somewhere other than your desktop, choose a location from the Where pop-up menu.
Exporting a Submix You can also easily export submixes of your multitrack project. The standard splits for creating multiple language tracks on DVDs include separate dialogue (D1), music (M1), and effects (E1) mixes; however, you can export any combination of tracks, busses, and submixes by following the basic steps explained below. To export a submix: 1 In the Timeline or the Mixer, select the tracks as well as any busses or submixes you want to export. 2 Choose File > Export.
If you have Final Cut Pro installed on your system, the multitrack project automatically opens as a sequence in Final Cut Pro, with the mixdown correctly positioned in the Timeline and the original audio tracks muted. If you do not have Final Cut Pro installed on your system, you can save the project and later import the resulting Soundtrack Pro project into the original Final Cut Pro project with the mixdown correctly positioned in the Timeline and the original audio tracks muted.
3 To add a podcast marker, cut the clip with the Blade tool. a Select the Blade tool. b Click the clip; as you click, a podcast marker appears. Each marker defines a chapter. c Add any necessary details for the podcast marker in the Details tab. This example has two podcast regions (or chapters). When you’ve applied two or more podcast markers to your project, a podcast region appears in the podcast track. 4 Choose File > Export. 5 Choose Master Mix from the Exported Items pop-up menu.
7 If you want to export the video with the podcast, click the Podcast button and then select Video Track. Click the Podcast button and then select Video Track. 8 When you’re ready, click Export. The podcast appears in the location you specified. There’s a lot more you can do with podcasts. To learn more, see the Soundtrack Pro User Manual. Saving a Multitrack Project with Its Media Files As you learned earlier, you can export your project with all of its media files.
To save a project and its media files together: 1 Choose File > Save As. 2 Enter a name for your multitrack project in the Save As field. 3 In the Save dialog, create a new folder to hold the collected project files. 4 Choose the new folder from the Where pop-up menu. 5 Select the Collect Audio Files and Collect Unused Audio Files checkboxes. If the project includes a video track, select the Collect Video File checkbox to save the video in the selected folder. 6 Click Save.
7 What’s Next? 7 More Soundtrack Pro Resources Now that you’ve completed this guided tour, you should have a basic understanding of what you can do with Soundtrack Pro. There is much more information available for you to learn about using Soundtrack Pro. Â The Soundtrack Pro User Manual contains detailed information about each of the Soundtrack Pro features. To access the user manual, choose Help > Soundtrack Pro User Manual. Â Apple’s Soundtrack Pro site contains links to tips, tutorials, and more.
Appendix An Introduction to the Soundtrack Pro Interface This appendix provides an overview of the Soundtrack Pro interface—the tabs, buttons, pop-up menus, and other elements that make up Soundtrack Pro. In this appendix, you’ll learn about: Â Working with Tabs (p. 84) Â The Timeline (p. 85) Â The File Editor (p. 86) Â The Multitake Editor (p. 87) Â Conform (p. 87) Â The Mixer (p. 88) Â The Bin (p. 89) Â The Toolbar (p. 89) Â Tabs in the Left Pane (p. 90) Â Tabs in the Right Pane (p.
Working with Tabs Soundtrack Pro is a collection of tabbed workspaces. You can hide and display the right, left, and lower panes of the Soundtrack Pro workspace using the interface buttons in the top-right corner of the Toolbar. You can also tear off any tab and create a floating window. When you first open a multitrack project in Soundtrack Pro, it displays the Standard layout, a single-window layout with multiple tabs.
The tabs to the right of the Timeline include the output and recording meters, which are used for monitoring audio output, and the Browser, Search, and Favorites tabs, where you can locate and search for audio files on your hard disk, portable drives, and other storage volumes. Important: Are you seeing an interface other than the one shown above? You might have switched layout views or created a new layout while working in Soundtrack Pro.
The File Editor You can view an individual clip in the File Editor tab or in the File Editor project view. Both spaces contain similar buttons and tools; the exceptions include an Automation pop-up menu in the File Editor project view and linking, Solo, and Spot to Playhead buttons and playback controls in the File Editor tab. You can edit files that are part of a multitrack project in the File Editor tab.
The Multitake Editor The Multitake Editor is a powerful tool used for mixing and syncing multitake recordings and automatic dialogue replacement (ADR). Waveform editing tools Comp track Take tracks The Multitake Editor tab is not covered in this Getting Started book. To learn how to use the Multitake Editor, see the Soundtrack Pro User Manual. Conform The Conform tab allows you to update your audio project to match video project changes. The Conform tab is not covered in this Getting Started book.
The Mixer When you click the Mixer tab, a project Mixer like the one shown below appears. It contains a channel for each track in your project. Set the Automation Mode pop-up menu. Customize the controls shown in the Mixer using this pop-up menu. Show and hide audio tracks, busses, and submixes from this pop-up menu. Each track in your project’s Timeline corresponds to a channel strip in the Mixer.
The Bin The Bin tab lists information about each of the items in every open project. The Bin also features sort and search functions to help you locate an item in any open project. You can use this tab to track the files and clips in your project, get file information, and so on. Columns pop-up menu Items pop-up menu Item list Media pop-up menu Preview controls The Toolbar You can customize the Toolbar to contain the buttons you choose. Here’s an overview of the Toolbar’s default buttons.
Tabs in the Left Pane The tabs at the left of the Timeline reveal details about various parts of your project. If your multitrack project contains a video clip, it is displayed in the Video tab. The Details, Effects, Tracks, and Actions tabs all update to show the relevant details for the clip you select in the Timeline. The Effects tab shows parameters for any effects added to a selected clip, the Actions tab provides an editable list of the actions applied to the selected clip or file, and so on.
Tabs in the Right Pane You can view audio meters, record audio, and browse, index, find, and organize your audio clips using the Meters, Recording, Browser, Search, and Favorites tabs. The Meters and Recording tabs show the levels of audio coming in, when audio is being recorded by Soundtrack Pro, and out, when audio is being played. The Browser tab works like a Finder window, allowing you to browse through your hard disk and external volumes.
Arranging the Soundtrack Pro Interface Soundtrack Pro is customizable: you can rearrange the Soundtrack Pro tabs, hide and display areas of the interface, and save custom Soundtrack Pro layouts. Arranging Tabs The Soundtrack Pro interface is made up of tabs. You can tear off any tab to create a separate floating window. This window can be resized or hidden. When you’re done using the window, you can easily return the tab to its original location.
Customizing Your Interface You can choose to display any tab in Soundtrack Pro in its own window. To put any Soundtrack Pro tab in its own floating window: m Drag the tab off its location in the Soundtrack Pro interface. The tab appears in its own window. You can also show or hide the areas of the Soundtrack Pro interface. To show or hide the left, lower, or right pane of Soundtrack Pro, do one of the following: m Choose Window > Toggle Left Pane, Toggle Lower Pane, or Toggle Right Pane.
Saving Your Own Custom Layouts If you find yourself working in a particular interface layout, you can save it. Then, instead of showing and hiding interface elements to create the layout, you can access it later by choosing the layout’s name. To save an interface setup as a custom layout: 1 Click the Layouts button at the right of the Toolbar. The Layouts dialog appears. 2 Click the Add (+) button. A new, untitled layout appears in the Layouts list. 3 Type a name for your new layout. 4 Click Done.
