Lower volume of other clips

Question

Level 4

1,365 points

Lower volume of other clips

I'm new to FCP, coming from iMovie.

Am I correct that lowering the volume of other clips in FCP can only be done manually range by range (individual segments one at a time)? In iMovie, for comparison, it's just one checkbox with an associated slider control.

I've already done it manually in FCP. But now need to adjust all the "lowered volume" segments to some degree, then all the "higher volume" to some degree. Ideally all the adjustments are made to the same degree for consistency. So it seems I can only do it again individually, range by range (segment by segment)?

Or is there a quicker, more accurate way?

iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11.6), dual display

Posted on Oct 13, 2016 5:48 PM

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Answer 1

Alchroma

Level 7

23,918 points

Oct 13, 2016 9:01 PM in response to Ken2G5

Yes they are keyframes.

When you use the Range tool then adjust the selected range four keyframes are automatically created.

It creates a U shape:

The individual keyframes can be dragged up, down, forward or backward for fine tuning.

Dragging the audio bar up or down alters the volume, this is probably you best option:

There are other adjustments that can make all selected keyframes change but not the way you require.

You can try some variations if you like.

Al

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Answer 2

Oct 14, 2016 10:55 AM in response to Ken2G5

Ken2G5 wrote:

… that the only method is to drag one range at a time individually.

uhm, well ...

you're looking for a feature called auto-ducking:

one track gets lowered when another track has a (threshold) signal.

Indeed, avail in iMovie, not so in FCPX, and btmk not avail as a plugin or whatever.

Free thinking ...

export your two audio tracks as individual files, import to iMovie, process it there (never tried that, … sounds weird hahaha)

does LogicX offer auto-ducking? Do you have LogicX at all? … ok, forget that either

finally, hoping for next update of FCPX … 'audio' in FCPX is a huge roadwork for enhancements, and on top of most wish lists conc. next generation of Final Cut ..... For example, you can not mix 'live'/adjust levels while playback in actual FCPX, which would be a huge time safer ....

And the actual functionality of Roles in FCPX doesn't allow to fade between two Roles (a loud one, a quieter one) ....

room for improvement, send Apple a wish:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/finalcutpro.html

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Answer 3

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,809 points

Oct 13, 2016 5:54 PM in response to Ken2G5

YYou can select all the keyfrane with the range selection tool and use Adjust Volume in the Modify menu. You can adjust relative to the current settings. With the keyfrane she selected you can all use Control- = and minus to raise and lower in 1dB increments.

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Answer 4

Ken2G5 Author

Level 4

1,365 points

Oct 13, 2016 6:06 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Still very new to FCP, so I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "keyframe." In my screenshot, are the white diamonds keyframes? They were automatically created when I used range selection on the audio track.

Then the question becomes, how to select only the lower keyframes? Or all the upper keyframes? They're alternatingly discontinuous. I've tried shift-select, command-select. They're also incredibly close together visually on screen so that when I zoom in, I would then have to scroll the entire extent of the project.

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Answer 5

Oct 14, 2016 11:00 AM in response to Karsten Schlüter

could have sworn I saw an audio enhancement feature that applied one of the many limiters using preset called "auto-duck" but I've applied every level filter in the suite and cannot find such a pest so, um, never mind.

Larry Jordan had an interesting suggestion from his training for SoundtrackPro. It's an updated version of a trick used in the olden days of radio announcing. You find out what your announcer's main frequency range range is (today you'd use a spectral analyzer) and then you apply an EQ filter to the mucis track, removing most of the freqs occupied by the announcer's voice. The result is a music track that is quite loud but does not compete with the voice.

It's not easy to accomplish but, if you can pull it off successfully the first time, it gets easier and you can save a preset for each voice talent.

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Answer 6

Ken2G5 Author

Level 4

1,365 points

Oct 13, 2016 9:05 PM in response to Alchroma

Thanks, but again, the problem would be how to select all discontinuous "bottom of U shape" ranges on the entire audio clip? I've got hundreds of them.

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