Blog Archives

An illustrated tutorial on how to convert files from Apple Soundtrack Pro to Adobe Audition CC.

Why become a member of Larry Jordan’s Video Training Library? Because you can learn exactly what you need to know from our library more quickly and better than you can learn it on your own.

The purpose of the Limiter filter in FCP X is to make soft audio louder while preventing the louder passages from distorting (which happens when audio levels exceed 0 dB). In fact, when used properly, the Limiter filter virtually guarantees that your audio won’t distort; as this article explains.

Soundtrack Pro suffers from the same problem as Final Cut Pro – both applications can only access 4 GB of RAM.

In this technique, you’ll learn how to save custom audio filter settings in both Final Cut Pro X (FCP X) and Soundtrack Pro.

Here is a simple technique to match the sound of two different audio clips using Soundtrack Pro.

Steps for audio editing and sound correction in Soundtrack Pro.

Loading clips into an Audio File Project, reducing noise, and handling audio files in Soundtrack Pro.

When you send a stereo audio pair to Soundtrack, STP treats it as a stereo clip. When you send a dual-channel mono pair to Soundtrack, STP treats them as two separate files. This article describes how to switch from one to the other.

Moving multi-track files from Final Cut Pro to Soundtrack Pro for mixing can cause problems, unless you understand how Soundtrack Pro handles linked files. This article explains.

Surround sound mixing is even more of an art than standard stereo mixing. In this article, we take a quick look at channel allocations and some general thoughts to getting the right mix.

Stuttery audio generally is a problem with bad preference files. But, on a MacPro, it can be caused by putting your capture card in the wrong slot. This article describes the problem and what you need to do to fix it.

This technique occurred to me while I was developing my training DVD for Lynda.com on Soundtrack Pro because scripts in Soundtrack Pro have a quirky, potentially dangerous, behavior that surprised me until I did some research on them.

I’ve done hundreds of hours of audio editing in Soundtrack and have discovered a wealth of features that make editing audio in it a breeze.

Mixing audio files in Soundtrack Pro is like editing video files in Final Cut Pro — there are lots and lots of files involved. Which means that if you don’t pay attention, things are going to get lost. This article explains what you need to know to keep track of everything.

In this article Larry fields a question from a subscriber having trouble exporting a multitrack and directs him to the suggestion of another subscriber.

During my recent seminar tour, I had a lot of fun showing how to take advantage of the audio clean-up power in Soundtrack Pro.

Final Cut has always allowed keyboard customization. This article shows some new “almost-secret” techniques buried in OS X that allow you to create customized keyboard shortcuts in ANY application.

In this article Larry handles a question regarding whether a series of continuous time code cuts will translate into the OMF or be ignored.

Audio distortion means disaster for your project. This article shows you a new technique in Soundtrack Pro that can guarantee to increase audio gain without distortion.

Audio files are never lost, they’re just, um, misplaced. Soundtrack Pro automatically records files to a temporary location. Which means you can find your source files, even if there’s a crash. This article shows you how.

Even though Soundtrack Pro is, at its core, a surround-sound audio editing system, sometimes you just need mono (single-channel) audio out. The only problem is… how? This quick article explains what you need to know.

Soundtrack Pro has the amazing ability to reduce the background noise in a clip – like air conditioners or other machine noise. In this tutorial, I’ll show you a step-by-step procedure you can use to reduce the noise in your audio. (Note: For a video tutorial of this process, click here.)

MS microphones are popular in documentary recording because they avoid problems with phase-cancellation. However, there is not an easy way to use them in Final Cut Pro — until now, that is, using this very simple technique.

Increasingly, audio is being recorded in more than two tracks. However, Soundtrack Pro has a problem when dealing with more than two tracks. This article describes the problem, and a work-around that fixes it.

A good question regarding soundtrack transfer is submitted in this article and Larry explains the problem with how scripts process – or fail to process – clips

The more I work with Soundtrack Pro 2, the more I like it. Recently, I spoke with Apple about STP and learn some quick facts I wanted to share with you here, including what gear you need to hear surround sound.

I got burned by this when I was prepping my most recent webinar for posting. My audio slowly slipped out of sync. I hate when that happens. What I discovered is that the Soundtrack Pro sample rate preference setting overrides the sample rate of the Final Cut Pro project, resulting in a slow sync drift that will drive you nuts. This article explains what you need to know to fix it.

Barring a hardware problem, dropped frames are almost always caused by a hard disk that’s too slow. But what if the problem is with your render files? In this article we provide some ideas to try as well as references to more detailed articles that can walk you through almost any problem.

Stuck trying to figure out how to delete audio tracks in Soundtrack Pro. Here’s the answer in about three paragraphs — including pictures!

Soundtrack Pro is far better at editing and mixing audio than Final Cut Pro is. While this can make your audio sound a lot better, you still run the risk of knocking your audio out of sync. This article explains more about how to prevent this problem.

Normally, when you export a QuickTime movie from Soundtrack Pro, the audio travels with the video. But, not always. This article shows you what you need to know to export audio and video successfully from this audio editing software.

It’s late at night, you are wrapping up a project. Just when you think you can go home, you discover that your final export from Soundtrack Pro, doesn’t sync with your final export from Final Cut Pro. Grrr!! Now what? This article explains a very nifty technique that solves that problem in short order.

Final Cut Pro hates compressed audio. This article explains the problems you will having working with it, as well as providing a simple conversion process that solves the problem.

Ever wonder what levels to set your reference tones to? Should you output tone at 0 dB, -12 dB,-18 dB, or -20 dB. In this discussion, Larry is joined by Woody Woodhall, president of Allied Post, to get a better understanding of the issue. And, yup, it’s just as confused as we thought!

One of the signs of getting older is that our hearing is not as sharp as it once was. So one of the things I do in my mixes is to be sure that I make things as clear and easy to understand as possible. This article walks you thru the specific steps you can take in Soundtrack Pro to make your audio as clear and distinct as possible.

Soundtrack Pro does not create audio CDs automatically, but you can still do so, if you know how. This article explains the steps. Also, Peter Neil, from the BBC, suggests another program that makes this process even easier.

Soundtrack Pro allows you to easily make an insert edit and keep everything in sync. However, just because it is easy to do, does NOT mean it is easy to find. This article explains what you need to know to make it happen.

Having problems with audio playing at the wrong speed? It may be due to mismatched sample rates. This article describes what you need to know, and to do.

A while ago, I wrote about how and why to create submixes in Soundtrack Pro. While submixes can be used for reverb, a better way is to use Sends and Busses. This provides greater control and more flexibility than a Submix, but it is a bit trickier to understand.

Submixes allow us to group audio tracks in Soundtrack Pro. This allows us to apply to adjust the volume, apply an effect, or create separate outputs for a group of tracks. Just as nesting in Final Cut Pro allows us to do things that we can’t using individual tracks, submixes provide the same opportunity to us in Soundtrack Pro. This article shows you how.