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Processing Audio Using an External Editor
If you need to make a change to an audio item that you’ve already imported, you can
use the Open in Editor command to open any file using the application specified by that
file’s creator code. You can also choose the specific application with which to open audio
files in the External Editors tab of the System Settings window. See the Final Cut Pro
documentation for more information.
Creating Temporary Music in Soundtrack Pro, GarageBand, or
Logic Studio
Because editing typically begins long before a composer starts working on the score,
editors often rely on temporary (“temp”) music to develop the rhythm of a scene and to
make it easier to watch events in an emotional context. Many editors use stock music or
music files provided by the director or producer as a reference until the final soundtrack
is available. However, if you’re musically inclined, you also have the option of using a
music application (two of which you probably already have installed) to create custom
temp music that’s specific to your needs.
Using Soundtrack Pro
Soundtrack Pro comes with a library of loops of different musical styles that you can use
to assemble a quick multitrack music bed that’s specific to the mood of your scene.
Although the Soundtrack Pro interface has been refined over the years to support dialogue
cutting and mixing for audio post-production, its roots as a loop-based music editor,
along with its audio library search tools, make it well suited for the creation of temp music
tracks. You can expand your library of loops for even more variety by buying add-on loop
collections from Apple (Jam Packs) and from many third-party vendors.
If you want to work synchronized to picture, you can select the range of clips you want
to create music for and then use the Send To Soundtrack Pro Multitrack Project command
to send the selected video and audio to Soundtrack Pro together. If you placed scoring
markers in the Timeline, these are sent to Soundtrack Pro also. After assembling the loops
you want to use as your temp music bed, you can disable the source audio tracks and
export the temp tracks as a single AIFF or WAVE file for editing back into your original
sequence.
Using GarageBand
GarageBand (which you probably already have on your computer) also comes with a
library of loops that are actually shared with Soundtrack Pro, so that all the loops available
to one application are also available to the other. GarageBand has a streamlined interface
dedicated to music creation using loop editing, MIDI instruments, and live recording.
59Chapter 3 Integration During Editorial Development