Apple Final Cut Express HD - Manual (Page 654)

654 Part VIII Audio Mixing
Efficiently Using the Frequency Spectrum
It’s fairly obvious that the most important sound in the mix should have the highest
level, but there are other methods for blending without increasing loudness. Most
sounds occupy a particular frequency range, so if you mix sounds in different ranges,
you can still maintain clarity without too much level adjustment. Too many sounds in
the same range can create cacophony.
You can use equalizers to shape sound, making “holes” in the used frequency spectrum in
which you can then place other sounds. For example, if you are trying to make dialogue
in the 1–3 kHz range more audible over existing background sound, you could try
filtering the background sound to reduce the 1–3 kHz range instead of reducing the level
of the entire track. Equalization allows you to reduce the volume of sounds only at
selected frequencies, making the mix clearer in that part of the spectrum.
Tips for Cutting Dialogue
Use cross fades to smooth out problem edits.
If you’re having trouble finding an edit point between two audio clips that sounds
smooth, try using a transition instead of a straight cut. More information on audio
transitions can be found in “
Adding Transitions ” on page 507.
Use subframe keyframes to eliminate pops and clicks at edit points.
If there is a popping or clicking sound at an edit point that you can’t get rid of, you can
eliminate it by opening the clip in the Viewer, setting audio level keyframes within the
frame with the clicking, and fading those few audio samples all the way down to –60
dB. See “
Example: Setting Subframe Audio Level Keyframes to Eliminate Clicks ” on
page 617 for instructions.