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time-saver to smooth audio transition

lapis molari

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Cutting a scene is easy, but often the transition sounds abrupt. Familiar, right? Anyone not raising their hand is in denial.  :dodgy:

Audacity is a great tool to tackle those audio transitions, but it's frustrating how time consuming the small transitions can be (especially when the sound almost continues perfectly). I added a method to my list of options, and hope someone will find this helpful to save time too.

Instead of cross-fading every transition in Audacity, I try them in my video editor. I would think every good video editor can work for this. My experience is with TMPGenc, which doesn't allow audio editing separate from the video. The solution is to:
1) Export your scene with the correct video transition. Your video looks great, but audio is abrupt.
2) Add some frames on one or both sides of the cut and add a cross-fade transition of that exact length. This is trial and error, I've had success with as little as 3 frames and as many as 30. Once the transition sounds to your liking, export. Now your audio sounds great but the video isn't.
3) The two files have the same frame length (the extra frames for the audio transition overlapped in the cross-fade). Now merge the good video with the good audio (I use MKVToolnix).

This doesn't work for all transitions. It's best for the category of "Ugh, it's almost seamless enough that I can get away with leaving it". Familiar, right?
 

ThrowgnCpr

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Most decent consumer grade NLEs (e.g., Vegas, Premiere, Final Cut) have excellent audio editing capabilities, so cross-fades are possible (and quite easily executed) without needing to use a separate program.
 

Sinbad

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A simple solution I've found useful a few times is experimenting with small segments of the score (if appropriate) it can sometimes smooth things over between cuts audio wise.
 

The Scribbling Man

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I use Vegas and most of the time, simple crossfades and well timed visual cuts work just fine. Vegas also has a variety of different crossfade options beyond its default.
 

lapis molari

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The Scribbling Man said:
I use Vegas and most of the time, simple crossfades and well timed visual cuts work just fine. Vegas also has a variety of different crossfade options beyond its default.

Hm, I know many here already use Vegas, but I'm not eager to switch software and go through a new learning curve (and spend money). I'll read up on Vegas to see if switching will save me time in the long run.
 

ThrowgnCpr

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lapis molari said:
I'll read up on Vegas to see if switching will save me time in the long run.

spoiler alert: it will.
 

The Scribbling Man

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What editing software are you using? If money is an issue then keep an eye on dig's free editing software thread. Some good stuff pops up there sometimes.

My current version was very cheap, purchased through Humble Bundle. Also worth keeping an eye on.
 

lapis molari

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The Scribbling Man said:
What editing software are you using? If money is an issue then keep an eye on dig's free editing software thread. Some good stuff pops up there sometimes.

My current version was very cheap, purchased through Humble Bundle. Also worth keeping an eye on.

I use TMPGenc MPEG Smart Renderer and their Video Mastering Works. Supplemented with the free tools Audacity, MKVToolnix, and Subtitle Edit.

A quick online search shows me Vegas 12, 13, 14, 15 have differences for 4K editing (not applicable for me, yet) and several reviews say 15 is faster at rendering (that's attractive, but it's the only version I don't see on sale anywhere). The Suite is listed as having amazing add-ons but without clear descriptions I don't know how useful those are for my amateur editing.

Which Vegas version do you use? And are there any plug-ins you find very helpful?
 

The Scribbling Man

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lapis molari said:
Which Vegas version do you use? And are there any plug-ins you find very helpful?

Magix Vegas Pro 14, I believe. Only plugins I've used are Boris FX, but they caused problems when rendering so I've stopped. 
Everything I do editing-wise I do in Vegas and all the built in plugins suit my needs currently, which are quite minimal (general editing, audio mixing, picture filters etc.) I use other software only for getting the source into a lossless, editable format. 

Unless you're doing something quite advanced, I can't imagine you needing anything outside of a good piece of editing software + the various freeware available for converting, compressing, demuxing etc. 

There's also much to be learned from browsing the technical forums - which in my experience is (more often than not) much more helpful and consistent than googling around the Web. 

I haven't checked it out, but DigModiFicaTion recently shared about some free editing software called Shotcut, which could also be worth a look.
 

DigModiFicaTion

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lapis molari said:
I use TMPGenc MPEG Smart Renderer and their Video Mastering Works. Supplemented with the free tools Audacity, MKVToolnix, and Subtitle Edit.

That's kind of like eating all the different components of a sandwich separately. NLE is the way to go. Shotcut, Hitfilm, Lightworks, and Avid Media Composer First are all free options.
 

lapis molari

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Thank you @"DigModiFicaTion" for the pointers. Well, there goes my spare time for the immediate future: reading up on software.

Now I understand why I got stuck color correcting the deleted scenes in my Diamonds Are Forever edit. I was using the wrong tool for the problem!
This also nails down which of my in-the-works to complete first: Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom. That's a straight-forward cut where my current software suffices.

This wasn't the outcome I expected when I started this thread, but thank you all for sharing your experience. This is helpful!
 

TV's Frink

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Also be aware that while Vegas Pro is quite pricey, you can do a ton with Vegas Studio for not very much money at all.
 

DigModiFicaTion

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Frink is right. I won't touch audacity anymore unless I absolutely have to. Vegas has become my go to audio editor. Much easier to use.
 

ThrowgnCpr

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just to add, Vegas is pretty awesome as an audio editor. I actually use it to record music as well. It works with my 8-input XLR interface really well.
 

The Scribbling Man

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ThrowgnCpr said:
just to add, Vegas is pretty awesome as an audio editor. I actually use it to record music as well. It works with my 8-input XLR interface really well.

That's good to know. I've been wanting to start recording some music again, but forking out the money for a program like Logic (or alternative) isn't very practical for me currently. Maybe I'll have a go at recording some demos...
 

ThrowgnCpr

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The Scribbling Man said:
ThrowgnCpr said:
just to add, Vegas is pretty awesome as an audio editor. I actually use it to record music as well. It works with my 8-input XLR interface really well.

That's good to know. I've been wanting to start recording some music again, but forking out the money for a program like Logic (or alternative) isn't very practical for me currently. Maybe I'll have a go at recording some demos...


I don't know how to use (insert anything) when it comes to Apple, but in terms of just recording/mixing/mastering, Vegas is great. And there are loads of decent free VSTs for effects. If you want to do any midi work, you'll probably need to seek out another option.

I have a Presonus Firepod and its really easy to set up all the individual inputs in Vegas for recording my drum kit.
 

Sinbad

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Vegas pro is on that humble bundle deal again for about £14 gbp
 

TV's Frink

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ThrowgnCpr said:
The Scribbling Man said:
ThrowgnCpr said:
just to add, Vegas is pretty awesome as an audio editor. I actually use it to record music as well. It works with my 8-input XLR interface really well.

That's good to know. I've been wanting to start recording some music again, but forking out the money for a program like Logic (or alternative) isn't very practical for me currently. Maybe I'll have a go at recording some demos...


I don't know how to use or insert anything

WIR
 

lapis molari

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Thanks @"Sinbad" for your eagle-eye!

I just completed installing Vegas Pro 14.0 on my PC. I look forward to hours of tutorials, trial and errors, and playing around. First goal: color corrections, so I can make new progress on my Bond edit. :cool:
 
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