Using Cut-Clip to adjust background music

[paul85]

CONTROLLING AUDIO VOLUME USING “CUT-CLIP”

I find it very difficult to use the rubber band method of gradually increasing or decreasing the volume of background music. Recently I discovered a way that (partially) gets around my problem.

Here’s what I do:

1. I insert my background music on the Music Track so that it will play simultaneously with the ambient sound of my video, adjusting for balance that pleases me.

2. If something occurs in the video that I want heard more clearly (for example, something interesting said by a tour guide), I lower the volume of the background music by doing the following:

a. In Timeline View, I move my Jog Slider to the beginning of the “speech.”
b. I select the background music by clicking once on it.
c. I go to Cut Clip (picture of scissors right above the time counter) and click on it.
d. I move the Jog Slider to the end of the “speech,” and repeat steps B and C.

By doing A, B, C, and D I have made my background music into 3 sections, without losing any of it. Let me call these sections Section X, Section Y and Section Z.

e. I go to Section Y and lower the volume of the background music to a point where it can still be heard, but does not cover the speech.
f. At the end of Section X, I Click on the Fade Out button (upper left of screen)
g. At the beginning of Section Z, I Click on the Fade In button.

The result is that the background music dims during the speech I want to hear without any interruption.

I find this operation to be much more “do-able” than working with rubber bands.

Paul85

[Ken Berry]

Sorry to say that it sounds a bit more clumsy that using the rubber bands, and moreover does it in a way which mimics what you should be doing with the rubber bands. I realise, at the outset, that the rubber bands are a little tricky when you first start using them, particularly in toggling between the pointer icon and little hand icon. But once you get used to it, it is very versatile. What I do in exactly the same situation as you, is simply identify when the audio that I want to hear clearly, starts, then move back (i.e. left) along the music track rubber band a little (3 or 4 seconds) and click on it using the arrow icon. This will insert a little block on the rubber band. Then I move right to where the audio I want to hear starts and click again. Then I go to the end of that audio, click again, and move on a short distance (right) and click a fourth time. Then I simply pull down blocks 2 and 3, using the little hand icon, to an audio level which balances nicely with the audio I want to hear. Blocks 1 and 4 stay where they are and so in effect you will have a fade out of your background audio to the new level, and then a fade back up when you return to the original level.

[sjj1805]

There are several ways and this is simply another.
Export your soundtrack (without the background music) as a WAV file.
Open the WAV file with Audacity (see our list of freebies
http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic.php?t=12931)

Add your music using audacities multiple tracks capabilities.
Save the new track as a WAV file.

Replace the Audio Track in VideoStudio with the one you created with Audacity.

I'm not saying one method is better than another, in fact whats good for one project may be terrible in another, its all about using the best of whats available for the job in hand.

[paul85]

Thanks for your generous reply. I am going to print your description and then practice the rubber band method in your organized way. Paul85

[paul85]

STEVE J: You say Export your soundtrack (without the background music) as a WAV file.

Can you tell me how to do that (I'm in VS9)

Paul85

[Ron P.]

Hi Paul,

To export the soundtrack of the video, first you must not have the background music in the timeline.

1. Go to Share>Create Sound File, choose a name for the file, and where you want to save it, ie; your Desktop.

2. Now mute the Audio on the Video file.

3. If you are using SmartSound music then place it in the timeline.

4. Repeat #1.

Now you will have 2 WAV (preferably) files to work with as Steve suggested.

Ron P.