How to create an audio visualization in FCPX (NO motion)

I remembered a "cheap" trick and put this together:

If you'd be interested in it, you can download Fake Audio Effect here:

https://fcpxtemplates.com/downloads/

If you need help installing it (as an Effect): https://fcpxtemplates.com/installing-plugins-for-fcpx/

(Please let me know if you download it! TIA).

This is not real audio response, but I don't think anyone can really tell. If you're not averse to keyframing, you can make this very convincing!

Here are the available parameters:

Volume can be zeroed out so that the effect flatlines, otherwise the higher the value the "louder" the signal looks. Keyframe this to 0 during quiet areas, and put other keyframes at peaks in the audio signal (this is just to make it look like it's responding to louder audio — you shouldn't need to do much in terms of setting keyframes. [You'll figure it out.])

There are two "Apply Modes", Half and Full... Half would be good for conversations, Full for music or other constant audio.

Frequency should be around 3 on average, but you have a range to "play" with. A value of 0 is the same as Volume = 0.

Noisiness sets how much variable activity goes on...

You should find that you can adjust Volume, Frequency and Noisiness to create a good match for the audio in the clip. [You can set this effect for a long clip then blade the clip where audio changes and readjust these parameter to match each section separately.]

Random Seed will randomize the Noisiness (helps fake sync)

Replicate Seed rearranges which bumps move when.

Color is for the background color in general

There is an Outline available that is "adjustable".

The Width... obvious.

Offset will move the "outline" off the edge. In the background range the points will sharpen. On the outline and above, it will be "rounder".

You can use Fade Inside, Fade Outside and Fade Width along with the Outline Width to make the outline take on different appearances (Fade Inside and Fade Outside at 25-50% will make the outline look somewhat "round").

Vertical Adjust will move the effect vertically so that it's arrangement on the screen can be customized.

I noticed you were using vertical video, so the Width Scale can be used to squeeze the effect to fit.

Opacity and Blend Mode — play with them — it's fun. (Silhouette Alpha and Luma can be used to place other video or graphics behind the effect to appear in the effect's place.

HTH

That type of visualization I can't do without creating it in Motion for each individual audio file. There's no way to "grab" audio in FCPX from a Motion template. The "visualizer" I posted is actually a screen grab of an audio wave that you can find in FCPX. There is a set of effects that can convert the still image to the animation you see. It's basically an audio "progress bar".

You could create something similar using the open source ffmpeg and then import into FCP. Here are some ffmpeg examples of audio visualization. https://lukaprincic.si/development-log/ffmpeg-audio-visualization-tricks

Hi nicopiro. If you installed ffmpeg, you should be able to access it using the Terminal.app found in Utilities folder inside the Applications folder.

Using the second visualization example from the link I posted above, if you had an input file named audio.wav on your Desktop, you'd launch the Terminal.app and copy/paste the following line. It is all one line. Be careful about spaces and line breaks. ffmpeg should run and output a visualization file called OUTPUT.mp4 to your Desktop.

ffmpeg -i ~/Desktop/audio.wav -filter_complex "[0:a]showwaves=mode=line:s=hd480:colors=White[v]" -map "[v]" -map 0:a -pix_fmt yuv420p -b:a 360k -r:a 44100 ~/Desktop/OUTPUT.mp4

Are you looking for something like this?