Chapter 7. Working With Audio

Audio isn't just the other half of video editing; it's the greater part of the whole production. Because the earunlike the eyeis hard to fool and is often subconsciously able to register any errors, problems, or distractions within, audiences are apt to pick up audio mistakes far more quickly than visual errors. How good (or bad) your audio editing is contributes to your audience's visual enjoyment; without good audio they will miss vital clues as to what is going on.

With these scary factors in mind, you need to take audio very seriously indeed. That's why this chapter appears after the chapter that covered how to fine-tune your Timeline Sequence and before the chapter that covers adding effects and titles. You must make sure your sound is correct early on in the edit process and not shuffle it over to the "do it later" section of your life.

In this chapter, you will learn how to adjust audio levels, disband stereo tracks, add sound filters, and lastly, play around with the new and exciting 5.1 surround sound feature. By the time you've conquered all the skills in this chapter, your audio files should sound as good as your video looks. Fail, and the eye will almost certainly be distracted by the ear.