Apple MA261Z/A User Manual - Page 654

Efficiently Using the Frequency Spectrum It's fairly obvious that the most important sound in the mix should have the highest level, but there are other methods for blending without increasing loudness. Most sounds occupy a particular frequency range, so if you mix sounds in different ranges, you can still maintain clarity without too much level adjustment. Too many sounds in the same range can create cacophony. You can use equalizers to shape sound, making "holes" in the used frequency spectrum in which you can then place other sounds. For example, if you are trying to make dialogue in the 1-3 kHz range more audible over existing background sound, you could try filtering the background sound to reduce the 1-3 kHz range instead of reducing the level of the entire track. Equalization allows you to reduce the volume of sounds only at selected frequencies, making the mix clearer in that part of the spectrum. Tips for Cutting Dialogue Use cross fades to smooth out problem edits. If you're having trouble finding an edit point between two audio clips that sounds smooth, try using a transition instead of a straight cut. More information on audio transitions can be found in "Adding Transitions" on page 507. Use subframe keyframes to eliminate pops and clicks at edit points. If there is a popping or clicking sound at an edit point that you can't get rid of, you can eliminate it by opening the clip in the Viewer, setting audio level keyframes within the frame with the clicking, and fading those few audio samples all the way down to -60 dB. See "Example: Setting Subframe Audio Level Keyframes to Eliminate Clicks" on page 617 for instructions. 654 Part VIII Audio Mixing