DV Filmmaking

Outputting Your Audio

As you get your project ready to share with an audience, you have a number of audio options at your disposal, ranging from creating a stereo or two-channel mono mix to significantly more elaborate multi-channel mixes. Depending on the equipment you have access to, as well as your comfort and expertise with technical processes, you can output your final audio mix on your own or bring your audio to a postproduction facility.

This section outlines some of the options available to you.

For more information on exporting audio, see “About Multi-Track and OMF Audio Export” in the Final Cut Pro Help files, or “Rendering a Movie” and “Rendering to OMF” in the After Effects Help files.

Stereo

As described in Chapter 18, stereo audio uses two channels to produce what’s called a stereo image: some sounds are sent to the left channel, others to the right channel, and some sounds are sent to both. Regardless of how many tracks you have in your project, you can mix your entire sound design down to two-channel stereo by using the pan controls to assign specific sounds to a particular channel. (For more information on using pan controls, see Chapter 18.)

Filmmakers often create a stereo mix for a program because it works on various types of audio systems. Just about all new televisions play stereo sound, and a stereo mix will also be compatible with newer surround-sound and home theater systems, as well as older, mono television sets.

Creating a stereo mix with the help of a post ...