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Chapter 40 Overview of Audio Mixing 565
VIII
Making the Final Mix
During the final mix, you choose exactly how to balance dialogue, effects, and music
for optimal clarity and impact. If you simply combine all the stems together without
adjusting levels, the combined level may be too high, dialogue may be inaudible, and
sound effects or music that worked in the individual stem mixes may feel wrong in the
context of the other audio.
To make the final mix, it’s critical that you use audio monitors you can trust. Once the
final mix sounds good and the levels are consistent, you can then output to tape or
digital audio files.
When you mix, keep the following goals in mind:
 Keep levels consistent throughout your sequence, especially from shot to shot within
a continuous scene.
 Avoid low signal levels, which can result in unintelligible and noisy audio.
 Avoid distortion caused by overly high levels.
 Make sure all dialogue is clearly audible, well above background noise and music.
 Remove background noise that interferes with dialogue. This includes low-frequency
rumble caused by wind or vehicle noise.
Determining the Number of Output Channels/Speakers
Early audio systems were monophonic, capable of recording and playing back a single
channel of audio. However, soon after sound was introduced to movies, filmmakers
began exploring the creative possibilities of mixing multiple audio channels together
to create a monophonic mix, and later two (stereo) speakers.
Before you begin your final mix, you need to know how many speakers you are mixing
for. The most common configurations are:
 Mono: A single speaker. This is typical on older radios, televisions, and film projectors.
 Stereo: A two-channel system with speakers on the left and right, corresponding to
each ear. Today, almost all forms of media support stereo audio.
Adjusting Audio Levels
In Final Cut Express HD, each clip has its own audio level control. As you adjust levels,
watch the audio meters to check that the average levels are acceptable and that the
peaks aren’t too high. Check your levels in the floating audio meter to make sure the
overall level is at a consistent level. If the audio output is too high (above 0 dBFS), the
sound will be distorted.
In Final Cut Express HD, you can adjust audio levels in the Viewer or Timeline. You can
view levels by using the floating audio meters. For more information, see Chapter 44,
“Mixing Audio in the Timeline and Viewer,” on page 601.