Extracting Single Audio Tracks from Final Cut for Editing?

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Level 1

9 points

Extracting Single Audio Tracks from Final Cut for Editing?

I'm considering switching from Premier to Final cut. But in playing around with the trial I can find no way to edit audio externally. I know you can use audio tools and plugins inside. I'm talking about mastering individual tracks, something I do to nearly every clip in Izotope RX because you have way more control than using the plugins.

The process takes seconds in Premier. I simply right click the clip I want in the timeline or from the clip on the project assets or the timeline. I click edit audio in Audition and and a WAV is (almost) instantly created in the project with the extracted audio from the clip.

Adobe Audition opens the file where I can edit and save. In my case I skip Audition and just open the created WAV in RX (or anywhere else) for post, save. It's already in into Premier and I have not already I can replace the audio of corresponding timeline clips with a simple Shift+opt and drag it onto a clip to replace the audio at the synced point.

My question is how is external audio work like this done in Final Cut?

I can find know way to extract the audio to a file file short of manually exporting audio which is very slow, editing and then re importing and lining up. I want Final Cut to be legit because it does run so smooth. But if I can't edit audio externally with any sort of workflow it's dead in the water. I have looked around and can find no answers on this.

Thanks for your help. Hopefully I'm just missing something obvious.

Posted on Mar 6, 2018 11:12 PM

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Answer 1

Meg The Dog

Level 6

13,826 points

Mar 7, 2018 10:57 AM in response to Gavin Seim

Here's the Izotope recommended workflow:

https://www.izotope.com/en/support/knowledge-base/how-to-use-rx-as-audio-editor- with-apple-final-cut-pro-x.html

MtD

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Answer 2

Meg The Dog

Level 6

13,826 points

Mar 10, 2018 8:09 AM in response to Gavin Seim

Create a new project (saying this in FCPX terms - in Premiere speak: create a new sequence) and edit the selected range from the clip you want to export into it. Share it from this newly created project File > Share > Export File . . .

to make a standalone file for your use. When done, import the processed file back into FCP and sync.

MtD

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Answer 3

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,809 points

Mar 9, 2018 10:34 PM in response to Gavin Seim

It doesn’t suit your workflow. I think most professionals send their edited projects to dedicated DAWs for sweetening and finishing.

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Answer 4

Mar 6, 2018 11:39 PM in response to Gavin Seim

I’m not the one to give you details about this, but this is normally done via xml. A number of people use it with Logic that way. Role-based export of audio stems is also a thing. I expect someone who actually does this may chime in, since for my limited needs the audio tools inside FCP X are quite sufficient.

Actually, audio was a star of the last update of FCP X.

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Answer 5

Gavin Seim Author

Level 1

9 points

Mar 7, 2018 8:00 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Thanks. Hopefully someone else can chime in. I admit the native audio tools look good. But being able to extract and edit audio externally is a basic and essential function for sound mastering. Native tools and plugins only go so far and I find it hard to believe it would be omitted.

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Answer 6

Gavin Seim Author

Level 1

9 points

Mar 9, 2018 10:28 PM in response to Meg The Dog

Sorry but that's not a solution.

That speaks to audio that is allreayd extracted,. I'm asking how to extract audio so it can be opened in the finder in the first place so it can be opened in RX. Trying to select one clip and going thru an entire export process won't work. Extracting audio and replacing it in the original track takes seconds in Premier. I thought maybe I was missing something, but It's looking like Final Cut is DOA when it come to a serious audio workflow.

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Answer 7

Gavin Seim Author

Level 1

9 points

Mar 10, 2018 7:52 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

Hollywood perhaps. But realistically the vast majority of editors are small producers like myself. To not even allow us to master audio in the workflow is a pretty huge oversight. It's a shame because FC looked like it has a lot of potential and premiere is a buggy mess.

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Answer 8

Gavin Seim Author

Level 1

9 points

Mar 10, 2018 9:36 AM in response to Meg The Dog

Thanks. That would work but it's totally useless for workflow.

I master nearly every audio track when I do a project. There's no way I'm switching to I can add hours to my workflow. In premier you can extract as a WAV and replace a track into the video in the timeline in about 10 seconds. Then you simply edit that WAV as desired in any editor you like.

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Answer 9

Mar 10, 2018 7:56 PM in response to Gavin Seim

With headphones

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Answer 10

Gavin Seim Author

Level 1

9 points

Mar 10, 2018 12:59 PM in response to Gavin Seim

I did find ab angle that sort of works. If you show the source clip in finder that you want to extract the audio from you can in some apps open that video file directly and it will pull out the audio. Izotope RX does this. That allows you to save a WAV file when done and re import it.

The problem is matching them. You have extracted and edited the entire audio but the timeline only has a portion of the video. In Premiere when you have a clip you just hold shift and option while dragging the new clip over the old and it will replace with framed matched. Everything will line up perfectly. But I can't find a way to replace a clip with a file in the project bin onto a file in the timeline and matched frame for frame. Is there a way to do this?

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Extracting Single Audio Tracks from Final Cut for Editing?

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