How do I export detached audio files as separate files, for Pro Tools processing?

Question

How do I export detached audio files as separate files, for Pro Tools processing?

My project is a live band performance. I have every song as a separate Event with associated audio. I have detachd all the audio from all the video Events. I now want to Export the audio files to Pro Tools for editing, then Import the edited audio back into FCP X and snap the edited audio to the associated video Events.

My problem is this: FCP X keeps exporting the audio as a single large WAV file, rather than as separate WAV files. In fact, the video events are separate, and so the audio associated with the video Events are separate.

I first renamed the Role of every audio file as "Music", then did a Share --> Export Media of all "Music" audio Roles. After exporting, I found it was one large WAV file, rather than separate files of different sizes.

As a 2nd try, I created Sub-Roles for each audio clip, and named each one with a distinct Sub-Role name. I then Exported all these Sub-Roles (yes, tedious). The result was that every exported WAV file was the same size, the same as the file size in my first try. The only audio that could be heard in each file was the audio in that particular song, but FCP X still created the very large file with silence in all the rest of the file. Since the file lengths don't match the original audio fil lengths, there will be a problem when I Import the edited files back into FCP X and want to Snap them into place.

Question:

How can I export the individual detached audio clips as separate files, the length of each file equaling the length of the original audio file in FCP X?

Do I need to separate the detached audio into separate Layers visually in the Project Timeline, so they are not touching? Or does this matter?

Help!!

Final Cut Pro X, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Mar 27, 2012 6:04 PM

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Answer 1

Mar 27, 2012 7:38 PM in response to Michael Holmes1

Michael,

You will want to assign a separate role to each of your audio stems, and export the project as "Audio Roles only as separate files".

In the export window, after you select your options, click the "Roles" button to make the roles you will export. Use the "add audio" button to create as many files as you need, then use the pulldowns to assign which roles will be exported in each file. Note that in the role selection, the checkmark is a toggle. You can have multiple roles per file, and you can have roles exported across more than one file.

When your pro-tools guy is done, you'll be able to bring them back into your project.

Check the online help

http://help.apple.com/finalcutpro/mac/10.0.3/#verdbd6a7b

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Answer 2

Mar 28, 2012 7:35 AM in response to Mark M 98021

This is what I did. I just repeated it, with the same result.

- I have a unique Role assigned to each detached audio clip.

- I exported as "Audio Roles only as separate files".

- I added each individual clip as you described.

Problem

The length of each exported WAV file is the same: the length of all the audio clips combined, not the length of the original clip. There is active audio only in the area of the original clip, with the rest of the clip only silence. This means:

(1) Export/Import is much slower with the large files and

(2) Once I import the processed clips back into FCP X, I can't Snap the processed clips into alignment with the original clips.

This can't be what should be happening, so I must be doing something wrong.

Help!!

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Answer 3

andynick

Level 5

4,961 points

Mar 28, 2012 8:16 AM in response to Michael Holmes1

No, it's not great in FCP X.

Duplicate the Project, trim off all the media other than that which you want to export.

Once exported, you can delete the duplicated project, or Ctrl+Z to get back to the full timeline.

Andy

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Answer 4

Mar 28, 2012 8:30 AM in response to andynick

Goodness, that is a big limitation if you are need many separate exports like I do.

I assume I will have the same problem when I am ready to export the finished products (18 exports, one for each song).

I believe it will be simpler for me to have 18 different Projects, one for each song. Then I believe I can avoid this particular problem (?). But that means, for example, I have to record all the color changes I make in one Project, so I can repeat them in the other 17 projects, etc.

Man, not what I expected. 😮

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Answer 5

andynick

Level 5

4,961 points

Mar 28, 2012 9:06 AM in response to Michael Holmes1

Michael Holmes1 wrote:

I have to record all the color changes I make in one Project, so I can repeat them in the other 17 projects, etc.

No.

You need to explore Compound Clips. This workflow may or may not be of help.

Select an Event with clips in it and press Option+G to make a (blank) compound clip.

Select the Event Browser, create a new Event and call it 'Effects'.

Drag the Compound Clip into this Event.

Right-click the clip and select 'Open in Timeline'.

Select the timeline and press Option+W. This will add a Gap Clip to the timeline.

Select the gap clip and press Ctrl+D then type in the duration you want the clip to be.

Now open a project and select and copy one of the clips with effects etc.

Open the Compound Clip in the Timeline again, select the gap clip and press Option+Cmd+V to paste the effects into your Compound Clip.

This clip is now saved in your Browser and will remain there for you to copy and then paste the effects into any clip in any project.

It's a bit clunky, but it works - and once you learn about Compound Clips, you can work wonders with them. As an example, if you want to add more effects without overwriting the effects in the Compound Clip, simply make the Compound Clip into a Compound Clip (again) and add the effects. They will be added to the original effects.

Andy.

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Answer 6

Mar 28, 2012 1:23 PM in response to andynick

I have already created 18 separate Projects and exported the audio files.....this went pretty quickly. I am now processing the audio files in Pro Tools. Once I do this, I will import the processed audio into the individual Projects. This is much faster than dealing with the files all in one Project, at least for me........there is no confusion.

The only tricky part will be realigning the audio with the video. I forgot that the processing in Pro Tools will create a delay, so I can't Snap the audio into place. I guess I will have to visually realign, but I assume this shouldn't be too much of a problem........I'll see.

Anyway, not the work process I expected, but it isn't bad.

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Answer 7

Mar 28, 2012 2:06 PM in response to Michael Holmes1

The audio file should be the same length as the entire timeline. Why can't you simply place the cursor at the start of the timeline and use the Q key to attach the audio there?

It makes total sense that the audio file is as long as the timeline and not just the clip. If you exported stem tracks in FCP7, you would have the same thing, from in to out.

When I edit with roles, I may have several bits of music sprinkled throughout the timeline, as well as voice over, effects and natural sound. I export my QT movie with multiple audio tracks, and they are all the same length as the video, and it all works.

Doing it 18 times may be a bit of a pain.

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Answer 8

Mar 28, 2012 3:27 PM in response to Mark M 98021

The problem is that in Pro Tools, I will process the audio through a processor that introduces a delay because of the complexity of the processor. So yes, the length of the processed audio will be the same length as the non-processed audio track. However, the audio will be shifted within this length of clip. If you line both clips up and play them, they actual audio won't be aligned, although the segments will.

As a result, I have to nudge the processed audio clip forward so it starts slightly sooner than the video clip.

I hope I explained that well enough.

As an alternative, I could solve the problem in Pro Tools:

I could slide the processed clip forward enough to align it with the un-processed clip, then record the processed clip to another track, using the original clip for the start/stop points. This would be quite precise, since I can expand the clips in Pro Tools. However, this would take two hours (the length of the show), so not a practical solution.

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Answer 9

Mar 28, 2012 3:46 PM in response to Michael Holmes1

Actually there is a simple way to solve it.......my brain wasn't in gear. 😊

In Pro Tools, I can align the audio waveform in the original clip with the waveform in the processed clip, then trim off the front end of the processed clip so the start points are aligned. Then, I can align the new start point of the audio clip with the video in FCP X. The audio clip will be shorter than the video on the back end, but by then I will have faded out.

Another step, but a fairly quick one. And way more precise than trying to align audio waveforms in FCP X.

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Answer 10

Mar 28, 2012 8:57 PM in response to Michael Holmes1

Well, my brilliant idea didn't work. When you edit a clip in Pro Tools, the edited clip is still tied back to the original clip recorded in PT.

So, I have imported the processed clip into FCP X and am trying to slide it left/right in the Timeline to align it with the original audio. I am having a problem, so I have posted a separate question since it is different than my original question.

FYI, the problem is that the mis-alignment is smaller than a frame. This sounds small, but it is visually clear when you play the video/audio that the video and audio are not aligned. I am using View --> Zoom to Samples and can clearly see the mis-alignment, but I can only slide in frame increments. There must be a way to slide audio in Sample increments.

Hopefully I'll get a quick response in my new post.

Thanks for all the help!!

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Answer 11

Mar 27, 2012 6:09 PM in response to Michael Holmes1

I think you can select the detatched audio segments and create compound clips from them. The compound clips can be opened and exported.

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Answer 12

Mar 28, 2012 3:59 PM in response to Michael Holmes1

The only easy option is to get X2pro audio convert. This program will convert your FCP X project audio clips for import into Pro tools.

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