riding/mixing audio levels - a newcomer question

LR wrote on 5/24/2003, 3:29 PM
my current "newbie" puzzle is controling audio levels -

I'm used to incite editing - there, there are key frames you can set along the way on each of your audio tracks..... so that you set the level at X at the first frame, drop to level Y 3 seconds later, bring it back up to something in between a little later yet... Anoter example: start up with music for 4 seconds - then bring down under voice - let it sit under a voice tack for 20 seconds - then do 5 second fade out - in other words more than just fading in and fading - acutally riding the level on each audio track as needed. Im sure i know sound forge there would be a simple solution for this, but I don't know it. I do own an older version - 4.5.

Comments

BillyBoy wrote on 5/24/2003, 4:04 PM
Just add a volume envelope to EACH audio track. Then right click to set points freely where and as many as needed. That will give you basic control over volume.

But why stop there? Vegas is VERY powerful with audio and sadly it is mostly glossed over as a general topic in this the video forum. You can peek in the Vegas Audio forum, maybe get some advice, problem is it is much noiser than here due mostly to endless pissing contests. How stupid.

Anyhow, look at the header area at the extreme left of the audio track. See the third (green) icon? Click it. This will bring up the default Audio FX controls, Noise Gate, Track EQ and Track Compressor. With these alone you can do a lot. Want more? Again click on the green icon, this time from within this work area which exposes you to audio plug-in chain builder. Didn't count them, think there are about 2 dozen more audio FX filters you can add. Just select one, then ADD then OK.

Want more control?

Check out the manual for how you can set up Audio Bus tracks can have multiple mixer controls. If you know Sound Forge, it is very similar as far as how-to.

LR wrote on 5/24/2003, 5:41 PM
Absolutely outstanding explanation. what a great release from audio frustration. thanks!

i found those neat audio controls you mentioned too. very fine.

while i am on a roll: is there a way to select a clip on the timeline (so that you can trim it or whatever) WITHOUT setting the transport bar on the clip you've selected?
filmy wrote on 5/24/2003, 6:35 PM
>>is there a way to select a clip on the timeline (so that you can trim it or whatever) WITHOUT setting the transport bar on the clip you've selected<<

Not sure if this helps but you can select a clip and than open it with your audio editor - in this case Sound Forge. I don't have it open but I believe it actually says "Edit audio with Sound Forge" or "Open audio with Sound Forge".
BillyBoy wrote on 5/24/2003, 6:35 PM
Not sure what you mean by setting the transport bar. There are two basic ways to edit in Vegas. The older method many editors use is the trimmer method (from Menu Bar view, check trimmer) or you can use my preferred method simply break the timeline into events.

An "event" is whatever you decide to make it length wise. In other words you can carve up what's on the main timeline into smaller chunks, hundreds of them if you like, then Vegas will treat each seperately without harming or changing your source files in any way. To try it, move your cursor anywhere on the timeline, click. Now from Edit on Menu Bar, pick split. You now have two events. Note that as you split each event has its own controls. The top is the pan/crop control, the bottom one is FX.

Assuming you've elected to show the various controls at the bottom of the work space (if not, click View on Menu bar, and pick some for example Video FX. If you can't see a list of filters, drag one of the sub windows to give more room. Now click on a FX filter name, like Color Corrector and as you hold down your left mouse drag it to the timeline and drop it on an event. The FX button of the event you dropped it on turns green indicating you've dropped something.

Now whatever filter you dropped only effects the event you dropped it on. So you can change the hue or levels for example of just a scene or a few frames of it and not touch the rest. Much harder to do in some other editors. The work space for the FX control opens in its own work area by default at the bottom of the work space. You can set the various filter controls as you wish (better) or use or start from the many presets. If you want to apply a filter to an entire track, just drop the filter over the track header area.

Depending on how you set up options events can act very differently on the timeline. Events can be grouped, ungrouped and altered in many ways.

Few examples:

Move your cursor over the last event on timeline while holding down left mouse just drag it right. It moves, but doesn't change, except for its location on the timeline.

This time click on the right edge, if you're not already at the file end dragging the right edge expands the video outwards further in time So if you wanted you cut cause a breaks at the 10 minute mark in a 30 minute move and drag its edge all the way out to the 30 minute mark or stop anywhere before with single frame precission. Dragging the right edge left trims backwards in time. You can do the same with left edge.

If you have Automatic cross fades checked, dragging one event over the other generates an automatic cross fade who's length is determined by the amount you drag one event over the other respresened by the "X" created. Drag and drop any transation on the X area, automatic transation, easily changed by the length of the overlap. I could go on and on, but I already got carried away.
LR wrote on 5/25/2003, 11:40 AM
I'll give your suggestions a shot. they've been helpful so far. havent checked my other posts recently, but currently my big issues are still:
* importing dvcam clips from sony dsr 1500 so that audio is full
* fixing this: i keep losing device control over the dsr 1500 from vegas. it starts to work. but then it just hangs up. i will set up some separate posts about this - maybe get some help.