Final Cut Pro: Sending an audio clip to Soundtrack Pro
This guide will give you step-by-step instructions to sending an audio clip from Final Cut Pro to Soundtrack Pro and back again. This is known as round-tripping.
This is great when you want to use Soundtrack's more specialised audio tools (e.g. for removing noise) and have the edited clip automatically appear back in your Final Cut sequence.
Guide
- Select an audio clip in a sequence and choose File > Send To > Soundtrack Pro Audio File Project.
- Keep the default name, choose a save location (same as the project is recommended). Tick Send only referenced media if you only want to send the edited clip, instead of the whole clip:
- Edit the clip in Soundtrack, then choose File > Save (This keeps the file name the same so Final Cut knows where to find it).
- Choose whether to include or reference source audio. Include Source Audio is safer:
- Go back to Final Cut and you should hear that the original audio clip has automatically been replaced with the one sent to Soundtrack. The name of the clip has also been updated:
- If you need to adjust the clip in Soundtrack again, right-click the clip and choose Open in Editor. Repeat steps 3-5.
FAQ's
Q: When you choose Send only reference media, what are the In and Out Handles?
A: Handles is the technical term for parts of the clip outside the In and Out point. So if you only want to work with the edited part of the clip, but might want to adjust the In or Out point after round-tripping, maybe by adding a transition, adding a Handle duration is a good idea.
Q: What's the difference between Including and Referencing Source Audio?
A: If you include the audio, you get a bigger file that is independent of the original clip. If you reference the audio, you get a smaller file that uses the original clip. If the original clip is moved, renamed or deleted, the sent clip will no longer work.
Tips
- You can also select a clip in the Browser and send it. When you complete the round-trip, the sent clip is added to the Browser.
- Choosing Send only referenced media speeds up the round-tripping process as you are working with shorter clips.
- Finish the visual edit first before working on the audio, then you can choose Send only referenced media safe in the knowledge that you won't need to work with any of the sound from the original clip that is outside the In and Out points.
Troubleshooting
Q: I've sent the clip to Soundtrack, but the sent clip doesn't show in Final Cut's sequence.
A: Check that you've saved the clip in Soundtrack, and with the same name. Check that the clip is displayed in Final Cut's sequence with (sent) added to the end. Check the name of the clip in the sequence matches the name of the edited file you saved in Soundtrack. Save your project in Final Cut, close it and re-open it.
Links
Resources for Final Cut Studio applications including links for video tutorials
Apple's Help Library for all the pro applications - check this out for quick answers
Apple's support page for Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro Forum - get answers from other users