Final Cut Express- splitting audio from video

[ker-plop]

Is there a way to separate the audio and the video in footage? It would be very helpful if I knew how. Thanks.

[terryj]

when in the timeline of FCE, select the imported footage on the timeline,
and uncheck the link selection button at the end of the timeline...
( I have FCS, but I assume it is the same for FCE...)
this seperates the audio and the video.

[ker-plop]

OK, that worked. Now I have two more questions...

1) How can I fade in and out of black with the video clips?

2) When I put a different audio track to a video track, the audio is crackly and skips. How do I fix this?

[terryj]

#2. How was the audio recorded? Meaning, outside of FCP,
does the audio play the same in Quicktime Player or iTunes?

You could use an audio editor ( my choice, Amadeus II) that
you could apply pop filters, denoise filters, and try and fix it.
Then, re-import it back into FCE.

#1 Fades are easy.
First create a Photoshop .jpg image of full black, 720 x 480 @72dpi
(720 x 576 272 dpi for PAL) and import that into FCE.

then, place the .jpg at the end of the clip.
Select the end of the video where it meets the .jpg,
and right click ( option click if you do not have a 2 button mouse)
and select Video Transition-->Dissolve-->Cross Fade*
and the video will dissolve into the black .jpg.
Adjust the length of the cross fade for longer or
shorter dissolve time.

(*might be slightly different between FCE and FCP)

[mrswla]

You don't even need to create a black jpg in Photoshop. Just place a slug after the video and then put the cross fade in between the video and slug. Shorten the slug if it's too long for you.

This way you don't have to have photoshop.

[ker-plop]

#2. How was the audio recorded? Meaning, outside of FCP,
does the audio play the same in Quicktime Player or iTunes?

You could use an audio editor ( my choice, Amadeus II) that
you could apply pop filters, denoise filters, and try and fix it.
Then, re-import it back into FCE.

It plays just fine in iTunes and in QuickTime Player.

EDIT: In one case, it's an MP3 extracted from an AVI file. In the other, it's just a plain MP3 file.

[terryj]

Since it plays fine in iTunes, and not in the FCE timeline,
I would suggest taking the file into an audio editor
( again Amadeus II is my choice, but the free Audacity should
also work) and play it there. If it plays fine, export-->AIFF
(16kbps, minimum of 44.1 khz) and then re-import that
into FCE.

Play it then in FCE, and if it plays fine, replace
your problem audio with this new audio.

[xleggs]

MP3s don't often work in Final Cut- they crackle like you describe. I always convert them to AIFF first in iTunes or Quicktime Player.

[ker-plop]

You don't even need to create a black jpg in Photoshop. Just place a slug after the video and then put the cross fade in between the video and slug. Shorten the slug if it's too long for you.

This way you don't have to have photoshop.

OK, I fixed the audio issue... but what's a "slug?"

[terryj]

think "matte", aka garbage matte.
STFM for FCP / FCE......

mrswlais correct, but to expedite things and because
i usually have PS open along with FCP, it's natural
for me to bounce a black jpeg in when needed.
*shrugs* either way works....

[mikehorne]

to create a slug you right click the timeline, then select 'slug' from the dropdown box.