Visual QuickStart Guide [Electronic resources] : Final Cut Express HD for Mac OS X

Editing Audio in the Timeline

Editing in the Viewer is fine, but here are a few compelling reasons to do your audio editing right in the Timeline:

• Timeline tracks are the only place where you can view all your audio tracks at once.

• You can set audio level or filter keyframes and sculpt audio levels right in the Timeline.

• Canvas and Timeline playback are locked together, so the Timeline is a good place to trim audio on the fly as you watch your sequence play back.

Most of the tools and techniques collected here are discussed in Chapter 10, "Editing in the Timeline and the Canvas." These techniques can give you more control when you need to fine-tune a particular bit of dialogue or a sound effect in a busy soundtrack (Figure 12.20 ).

• Track height: Use the largest track size for fine-tuning and close work; use the smallest size for a multitrack overview. Press Shift-T to cycle through the track sizes. If you're using the waveform display to fine-tune an edit, you can stretch just the track you're focusing on.

• Turn on audio waveforms: Displaying audio waveforms in the Timeline can be a big help when you edit audio, but displaying waveforms slows the Timeline's performance. Toggle audio waveforms off and on by pressing Command-Option-W.

• Markers: When you're trying to hit the perfect spot for a sound effect or music cue, you can set a Timeline marker right at the sweet spot by tapping the M key as you watch your sequence play back. You can also hold down the M key while you watch and then set a marker by releasing the key at the perfect moment.

• Soloing and muting tracks: As you build up your audio tracks,

  track soloing silencing all but one audio track so you can concentrate on one soundmakes it much easier to trim precisely or isolate problem sounds in a busy track. Click the Solo button on the track you want to hear. The Mute button offers another route to selective monitoring: just mute the tracks you want to silence.

• Snapping: Snapping makes certain points in the Timeline "sticky." With snapping on, the edges of clips snap together, or a clip will snap to an edit point on an adjacent track when dragged close to it. When you're making fine adjustments to your audio, snapping can be a help (like when you're trying to line up a stack of audio clips to a marker or the playhead position) or a hindrance (when you're trying to drag a sound effect to the perfect location, and snapping jerks your clip to the nearest edit point). Remember: You can toggle snapping on or off

  at any time even midmoveby pressing the N key.