how do i REMOVE original sound and add MUSIC ONLY?

Steven,

Just select your video clip, then click the clip volume slider and slide it to zero.

The volume slider is located at the bottom of the iMovie window just to the right of the timeline scale adjustment slider.

Matt

Steven,
I am assuming you are new to iMovie 6 editing. My apology if this is not the case. You said you did not know how to do music editing in iMovie HD 6, so I am going to go over the basic process. Yes, it can easily be done. 🙂

In iMovie 6, you have to put the imported video into iMovie's timeline. When you import your video from your camcorder into iMovie, you can put it either into the Clips pane on the right of the main iMovie viewing window, or into the Timeline that goes along the bottom of the iMovie window. This timeline is the actual movie that you are creating. If you imported the video clips to the Clips pane, you need to drag the clips down to the timeline to put them into your movie. You can drag whatever clips you want, and reorder them. If you need to edit the clips, you can crop them to delete any unwanted portions, and/or add titles, transitions, effects.

Once your movie is the way you want it, except for the audio, then click on the little toggling switch at the far left under the view window to change from 'clips' view (looks like a little piece of film negative) to 'timeline' view (looks like a stopwatch).
In the 'timeline' view, you will see your movie clips much smaller and on a single track. There are two other tracks underneath your video. Look at the far right of the tracks and you will see little check boxes. This is where you will control the audio for your movie.

You add the music to one of the two open tracks. You can either drag in a song or songs from iTunes by clicking on the 'Media' tab and then 'Audio' to find the music you want. Or, you can place the playhead at the beginning of your movie, click to highlight the song you want there, and hit the 'place at playhead' to have the audio put into that track. Repeat for more songs.

Now, go back to those checkboxes at the right of the tracks. If you uncheck the first one, no sound will play from your video. Leave the one checked that is on the track that has your music. Only that will play in your movie. To check out how it will look and sound, hit the Play button and see if you like the movie!

Now, if you want to share your movie, go to Share in the top menu bar, and select the option that you wish.

Post back if you have more questions.
There used to be an Apple tutorial for iMovie HD/6 on Apple's web site, but the URL I had for it now takes you to the iMovie 08 one.

If you still would like to do this in iMovie 8, do what Matt Morgan said. Lower the volume for the movie clip first. This will mute the sound of the VIDEO clip only.

Then, drag in the song. This is an AUDIO clip and its sound will come through since you have not changed its volume.

This way you will have the sound of the music only, and no sound from the video clip.

Steven,

Assuming you are using iMovie HD 6, choose View>Show Clip Volume Levels.

You'll see a line appear on your clips representing your clips volume level.

By clicking and dragging this line you can selectively lower and raise the volume level. Play around with it a bit and you'll quickly get the hang of it.

Matt

The check boxes the Beverly mentions are for toggling on and off the audio in a given track entirely.

The volume levels that I describe are for selectively raising and lowering the volume level in different portions of a clip.

As you use iMovie, you'll find that there is often more than one way to do certain things.

Matt

I create quite a few movies from short movies taken with my Canon camera, showing members of our club dancing and the sound is less than desirable. This is what I do to get rid of the original audio contained within my movie clips:

Once I have the clip(s) in the timeline, I select one and, under "Advanced", I select "extract audio". It will extract all the audio in that clip and show it separately underneath. You then have an audio clip you can work with: delete all, split it at various points to use portions of it while deleting the unwanted portions, or just unclick the arrow so it's still there but you can't hear it. Or, adjust the volume. Then you can add whatever music or other audio you want.

Hope this helps.

Steven,
Keep posting here and reading messages. You will learn everything you want to know. You can do a search in the discussions to see if anyone has had your particular problem before and if answers are already posted. Doing that and doing things yourself in your own movies will make you an expert faster than you think. 🙂

As Matt said, there are different ways to do different tasks. I answered your first question, and he answered your second one!

It is too bad that the iMovie 6 tutorial is not easily found. It was very helpful.

After I search, I found this page. I recommend you look at most of the lessons as you are learning iMovie 6: iMovie 6 Tutorial Lessons

Make a 'test movie' or use your current footage, and try out all the features to see what happens; if you don't save the changes you try, it won't ruin your 'real' movie.

And, DON'T get rid of iMovie 6. If you keep learning it, you will find that it is capable of more than you think.

Steven,

Is the music in the video audio track or a separate track?

If it's in the video track, it's mixed in with all the other undesired audio. It can't simply be separated out.

Matt

Steven,

I saw that you posted this same question in the iMovie '08 Discussion area.

Which version are you using?

Matt

Steven,

Have you added a music track from iTunes to your movie?

If so, you need only do what I described in my original response.

Matt