Working with 5.1 source audio

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Level 1

7 points

Working with 5.1 source audio

Can anyone recommend a good resource or tutorial on working with original 5.1 audio source in FCP X?

Scenario: My new Panasonic HC-V770K camcorder records only 5.1 surround audio. I've found that in certain spaces like small theaters the rear channels pick up a lot of unwanted echo and crowd noise.

What I would like to do in FCPX is adjust the levels of the rear channels downward to emphasize the forward audio.

But all the online documents and tutorials I've found describe how to create a new 5.1 mix, not how to modify the levels of an existing one. The 5.1 Surround Pan options are esoteric and not well documented, and all seem to place existing channels at existing levels into new 5.1 placements. Breaking out the clip's audio into 6 mono channels is slow work and means I have to separately adjust and filter all of them. The "3 stereo" and "2 stereo + 2 mono" options are not well explained, and if I switch between them I lose all of my adjustments.

Any help or guidance on how to edit an existing 5.1 audio track?

Posted on Apr 14, 2016 3:02 PM

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Answer 1

andersonic Author

Level 1

7 points

Apr 16, 2016 12:32 PM in response to andersonic

More specific example: how can I adjust the levels of just the surround channels in a clip with 5.1 audio?

If I change the clip's audio channel to 6 Mono I can individually set each track's level, but the surround mix is lost and they all pan to center. I have to manually set each mono track to Stereo Pan, pan L/R, and set levels. Fine for one clip but there's no apparent way to automate this.

If the clip's Pan Mode is Surround, I can set the respective mix rates and pan toward the center with Attenuate. This is the closest I've come though it favors Center at the expense of L/R.

Is there an easier way to take an existing 5.1 track and say "just turn this channel up/down"?

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Answer 2

Apr 22, 2016 7:14 AM in response to andersonic

Friends,

Can you suggest me the best sound cards for surround mixing using FCPX?

Is 7.1 possible with FCPX?

Whats your suggestions on Appolo 8 (thunderbolt 2)?

Do you think it serves the purpose?

Is there any limitation mixing surround sound using FCPX compared to logic / protools in terms of quality?

I'm using Blackmagic Ultra Studio 4k to preview my video from FCPX.

If I use another sound card to monitor the sound will there be any latency?

Is there anyways to control the latency if it occurs?

I'm using a

Mac Pro (Late 2013)

3.5 GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon E5

64 GB 1866 MHz DDR3 ECC

Lacie 8 Big Thunderbolt 2 24TB

Thanks in advance,

Sree

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Answer 3

May 7, 2016 10:43 PM in response to andersonic

You can make a compound clip. Set the channel configuration of the inner clip to 6 mono and adjust the volume of the specific channels. Set the channel configuration of the outer compound clip to 5.1 surround. You need to deselect "Use Event Clip Layout" first. Now you have a surround clip with different audio levels on the channels BUT the panning is all mixed up. The channels are not where they are ought to be. A bug? The missing volume faders for surround sound channels should reported to Apple.

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Answer 4

andersonic Author

Level 1

7 points

May 7, 2016 10:50 PM in response to Steffen Bendix

Thanks for the tip Steffen. I got the result you described, I could set the individual mono track levels with the compound clip in a surround mix, BUT the channels in the compound clip's surround mix were all in the wrong place.

But I did find another way to adjust the channels of an existing 5.1 track, the Surround Compressor audio filter. If you set all thresholds to zero the output levels effectively set the volume on each channel. It's a lot easier to set keyframes on this than on the individual expanded mono tracks.

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