Figure 1-10 Displaying "music.wav"

Play the music.

Click on the right mouse button in the Read Only window.

Now, copy the entire music bed to the top window. To do this, first Select the entire window.

move the cursor to the other end of the window by hitting the "End" key.

The entire bottom window is now Selected. Copy the bottom window into the clipboard.

Click on the Copy button under the Read Only window.

Now Paste the clipboard into the top window.

Click on the Paste button under the top window.

The entire music bed is now in the top window (Figure 1-11)

Figure 1-11 All of music.wav copied to the Modify window.

Open the edited soundfile you created in Tutorial #1.

Select Open on the File menu. Then Select the soundfile named "goodvoic.wav".

Goodvoic.wav is now in the Read Only window. Play the soundfile.

Click the right mouse button in the Read Only window.

In constructing our promo, we will want to overlay the voice on top of the music bed. However, we will need the voice to be louder than the music so that the voice won't be "buried" by the music. Using Fast Edit, we can reduce the volume of a section of the music for the voice-over, without reducing the volume of the entire music bed.

From the Read Only window we can see that the voice track is about 5 seconds long. The music bed, in the top window, is about 21 seconds long. So, you will want to reduce the volume of a 5-second section of the middle of the music bed.

You will use Markers to mark a 5-second segment in the middle of the music bed.

Move the Edit Cursor to the 8-second point in the top window. Then Select Drop Marker in the Markers menu. Marker "A" will appear at the Edit Cursor.

Move the Edit Cursor to the 13-second point and drop another Marker. This will be Marker "B"(Figure 1-12).

Figure 1-12 Music bed with Markers.

You have identified a 5-second section of the music where the volume will be reduced for a voice-over. In addition to reducing the volume of this section, Fast Edit can give smooth Fades between the full-volume sections of music and the reduced-volume sections.

Let's say you want the Fade-down to start 3 seconds before Marker "A" and the Fade-up to end 3 seconds after Marker "B".

Place the Edit Cursor at the 5-second point. Turn on the Select feature. Select the region from 5 seconds to 16 seconds (that is, from 3 seconds before Marker "A" to 3 seconds after Marker "B")(see Figure 1-13).

Figure 1-13 Marking the music bed for 6-seconds of reduced volume, plus 3-seconds of Fade-down and 3-seconds of Fade-up.

You have now identified a 5-second section of the music bed (the section between Marker "A" and Marker "B") where the volume will be reduced for a voice over. In addition, you have identified 3 seconds before for a Fade-down, and 3-seconds after for a Fade-up.

Next, set the parameters for the Fade.

Select the Fade feature in the Tools menu. The Fade Dialog box will appear (Figure 1-14).

Figure 1-14 The Fade Dialog Box.

Under Type, select Custom.

Under First Segment, select Linear.

Under Start Amplitude, select 0 dB. This means that the Selected region will start at full volume before Fade-down.

Under End Amplitude, select 0 dB. This means that the Selected region will end at full volume after Fade-up.

Under Markers, you will see "A" in the Name Box. Click inside of the Amplitude Box, and type in "-12". You are telling Fast Edit to reduce the volume at Marker "A" by 12 dB. Click on the Next button. The name in the Name Box will change from "A" to "B". Click inside the Amplitude Box again, and type in "-12". This tells Fast Edit to reduce the volume at Marker "B" by 12 dB.

Click on the "OK" button. This will start the Fade process.

You have told Fast Edit to reduce the volume of the music between Markers "A" and "B" by 12 dB. You have also told Fast Edit to do a smooth 3-second Linear Fade-down starting at 5 seconds, and to do a smooth 3-second Linear Fade-up starting at 13 seconds.

While the Fade operation is taking place, you will see the Fade Progress indicator in the Info box (Figure 1-15).

Figure 1-15 Fade Progress Message box.

When it is finished, you will see the Faded music bed (Figure 1-16). Play the Faded music bed. You will hear a smooth Fade-down from 5 seconds to 8 seconds, a steady low volume from 8 seconds to 14 seconds, and a smooth Fade-up from 13 seconds to 16 seconds.

Figure 1-16 The Faded music bed.

You will now grab the voice from the bottom window for the voice-over.

Click inside of the Read Only window. The top of the Read Only window will turn red. This means that the Read Only window is now the active window.

Choose the Select All under the Edit menu. The entire Read Only window will be highlighted.

Click on the Copy button under the Read Only window.

You now have a copy of the voice in the Clipboard.

You will Mix the voice into the Faded section of the music bed.

Click on the "S" box under the top window. This will turn off the Select feature and make the Edit Cursor available for the Mix operation.

Move the Edit Cursor to Marker "A" in the top window. This indicates that you want the voice Mix to start at Marker "A".

Select the Mix function from the Tools menu. The Mix Dialog Box will appear (Figure 1-17).

Figure 1-17 The Mix Dialog Box.

Adjust the level of the voice in the Mix.

Slide the Clipboard scroll bar box to set the voice to -10 dB in the Mix. Then click the "OK" button.

While the Mix operation is taking place, you will see the Mix Progress Message box similar to the Fade Progress Message box.

Fast Edit will perform the voice-over. The result is shown in Figure 1-18. Play the top window to hear the voice-over.

Figure 1-18 The completed voice-over.

The voice sounds a little weak. No problem! We can undo our last edit operation, and re-do it.

Undo the last edit (the Mix operation).

Hit the "End" key. The music bed will be highlighted from 18 seconds through the end.

Select Fade from the Tools menu. When the Fade Dialog Box comes up, click on "Fade-Out", and then click on the "OK" button.

When the Fade operation is complete, play the entire promo. The end of the promo will Fade out smoothly.

 

You have performed 5 edits:

(1) Paste the music bed to the top window

(2) Fade-with-Markers

(3) Mix the voice in the Faded music bed (later undone)

(4) Mix the voice at a higher volume

(5) Fade-out the end of the promo

Fast Edit remembers these 5 operations.

Select Edit History under the Display menu

The Edit History Dialog Box will come up (Figure 1-19). It shows the 5 edits you did, in reverse order. The top line is highlighted and labeled "current".

Figure 1-19 The Edit History Dialog Box.

The Edit History List allows you to go back in time to a previous point in your editing session.

Click on the Edit History line labeled "-1 Mix". This line will become highlighted. Then click on the Select button.

The sound in the top window will return to the way it was before your last edit operation (before you did the Fade-out at the end). Play the top window to verify that the Fade-out at the end has been removed.

Now, return to the Edit History List and back up one more step.

Select Display Edit History under the Display menu.

Click on the Edit History line labeled "-2 Mix undo". Then click on the Select button.

You will see that the voice in the voice-over is quieter. Going to line "-2" takes us back to the result of our first Mix, which was too quiet. The "undo" on this line tells you that you decided not to keep this edit operation.

Select the "-3" line of the Edit History List. This will take you to before the first Mix, which is to say, it take us to the point following the Fade-with-Markers operation. If you play the top window now, you will hear the Faded music bed, but no voice-over.

Select the "-4" line in the Edit History List. This takes you to when you Pasted the music bed into the top window. Play the top window. You will hear the unedited original music bed.

The Edit History List lets you back up as many as 10 steps. In effect, this lets you have up to 10 "undo's" because you can back up 10 steps and start over.

What if you liked all of your edits after all? Just call up the Edit History List and select the "current" line at the top (do this!). All of your edits will return to the top window.

Use the "Save As" command to save your promo as "mypromo". It will be stored on the hard drive as "mypromo.wav".

Exit Fast Edit by selecting Exit under the File menu.