STEP 1: Move your clip from FCP to Soundtrack Pro
Send your audio clip from Final Cut Pro to Soundtrack Pro by control-clicking the audio clip in the FCP timeline (or browser). From the shortcut menu, select Send To>Soundtrack Pro Audio File Project. A dialog box appears, prompting you to save the clip as a project.
STEP 2: Name it
Enter a name (or use the default name) and click "Save." The audio clip opens in the Soundtrack Pro Waveform Editor as a.stap file. This is the Soundtrack Pro project format that lets you make non-destructive changes to the audio clip.
STEP 3: Select where you want to apply the effect
Click and drag the mouse to select the portion of the waveform to which you want to apply the effect. You can do this while the clip is playing. You can also drag the mouse across an area to scrub the audio.
STEP 4: Open Pitch Shifter II controls
With the selected clip playing, use the Process>Effects>Miscellaneous>Pitch Shifter II pull-down menu to open the Pitch Shifter II controls.
STEP 5: Lower the voice
Adjust the Mix slider to 100 percent and adjust the Semi Tones slider to -1. This lowers the voice by one note. You will hear the effect as soon as you make the adjustments while the clip is playing. Make further adjustments as necessary. When you’re satisfied, click "Apply." This also closes the Pitch Shifter II controls. (The pitch shifter is added to the "Actions" menu; you can reopen and adjust from there at any time.)
STEP 6: Save the project, save the changes
After you save your project and return to FCP, you’ll see your changes reflected in the audio clip in FCP. If you need to make more changes, you can return the clip to Soundtrack Pro by control-clicking the clip and choosing "Open in Editor" from the shortcut menu.
YOUR GUIDE
David Leathers
Filmmaker/Musician
Eye square Productions
David Leathers is a musician, filmmaker, technologist and writer. After moving to Los Angeles, he acquired extensive training in audio and video engineering, and film and video production.
David Says Keep In Mind…
Soundtrack Pro is the powerful audio application within Final Cut Studio that is designed specifically for audio post and sound design. You can use it to create music soundtracks using MIDI-controlled software instruments and Apple Loops, much like you do in Logic Pro and GarageBand. You can record live instruments, effects and voices to it, making it great for voiceovers and dialog replacement. I also like to use it to repair audio problems, normalize audio levels, reduce noise and make creative enhancements to audio tracks.
On a recent project, the script called for two different voices but we only had a budget for one VO artist. I used the Pitch Shifter II effect to alter the tone of the voice of our female VO artist, who read both parts, and created two distinct "characters." Using the Pitch Shifter II filter, I took the part of the recorded audio that we wanted to be the second voice and lowered it by one musical half-tone, in much the same way you would change the pitch of a musical note to correct a pitch problem or change key. The result was a deeper, richer and older voice that sounded perfectly natural. Obviously, you can also tweak your VO in a much more unnatural way, which may be just what you’re after.
Eye Square Productions
Culver city, CA
ph. 310.837.6391
dl@eysq.com