17.1. The Two iMovie SoundtracksMuch like traditional film cameras , iMovie separates the audio and video into separate tracks, which you can view and edit independently. In iMovie, you can view the contents of your soundtracks with a single click on the clock icon shown in Figure 17-1. The top horizontal band of the Timeline Viewer displays the video component of your movie. It shows tiny thumbnails that help you identify which clips you've placed in which order. For the most part, you won't do much with this strip when you're editing audio; its primary purpose is to show where you are in the movie. The two horizontal strips underneath it are your playground for audio clips. Both audio tracks are equivalent; each of them can hold sound from any of these sources, which you're free to drag between the two tracks anytime : iTunes tracks, narration, sound effects, sounds files like MP3, WAV, AIFF, and AAC, music from a CD, plus the original audio from your camcorder. This chapter covers all of these sound varieties. Tip: Ordinarily, when playing your movie, iMovie plays the sound in both audio tracks. But you can use the three checkboxes at the right end of these tracks to control which ones play back. When you want to isolate only one track, turn off the other two checkboxes (Figure 17-2). (These checkboxes also govern which soundtracks are exported when you send your finished iMovie production back to tape or to a QuickTime movie.)
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