CMG Hidden Gems: Chapter 36 – Working With Audio

We’re going through our book Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects 5th Edition (CMG5) and pulling out a few “hidden gems” from each chapter. These will include essential advice for new users, plus timesaving tips that experienced users may not be aware of.

After Effects has never made audio one of its strong points. If you need to seriously rework a soundtrack, do it in a dedicated audio program (such as Adobe Audition, which is now part of the Production Premium suite as of CS5.5). But if you just need to edit, mix, and do some basic improvement or “sweetening” to your sound track, After Effects already has the tools you need. In this installment, we’ll share some tips on working with audio; in the next installment, we’ll cover audio effects.

Review: Roland OCTA-CAPTURE 8/10-channel USB 2.0 audio interface

Many of the affordable pro audio interfaces that are available on the market have a maximum of two balanced microphone inputs, and few of them include hardware-based limiting, compression, or gating. Among the special features of Roland’s OCTA-CAPTURE is the fact that it contains 10 total audio inputs, of which 8 are balanced microphone inputs. The OCTA-CAPTURE allows recording to a standalone audio recorder and/or to a computer. At least when used with a computer and a compatible piece of audio software, the operator can even record all of the available inputs on individual tracks, which provides extra flexibility in post-production, i.e. to mute a cough, or to re-adjust volume or equalization of any particular source after-the-fact without affecting any other source recorded simultaneously. The OCTA-CAPTURE also features onboard compression and gating. In this article, I’ll cover the OCTA-CAPTURE’s features, setup, preamp quality, compatible audio software, and then offer my conclusions.

A Sound Solution to HDSLR Audio

It seems everyone wants a piece of the HDSLR pie, and Sennheiser USA is no exception. With Rode microphones and Zoom recorders aggressively achieving an early HDSLR market position, Sennheiser is a bit late in the game, but according to Kevin Waehner of Sennheiser, their new MKH 8060 shotgun brings a high end solution for those seeking a camera top shot gun microphone.

The Cure for Rolling Shutter?

One of the highlights of NAB 2011 for me was having an opportunity to sit down with Sr. Product Manager for Adobe CS5.5 Production Premium and Adobe Audition, Ellen Wixted. Ellen took some time out of her busy schedule to visit with us, and tell us why the latest creative suite is the answer to the problem of rolling shutter.

The Phantom Hum

I do a certain amount of freelance work, mostly for friends that have businesses.  Last weekend I started work on an instructional video for Exerstrider, makers of poles you use while walking that really ramps up the exercise value.  We were plowing through the script at a rapid pace when…

...The Phantom Hum reared it’s ugly head.

Audition: Made for Video (Part Three)

In part one of Audition: Made for Video, I demonstrated how developing a workflow can save you time and money - when time is of the essence. We explored how to bring single clips, multiple clips, and complete sequences from Premiere Pro to Adobe Audition - with and without video. We took a look at the roundtrip process of bringing audio back into Premiere, as well as the process of going back and forth between the two applications to make changes, sweeten the audio or master the final mix.

In part two of Audition: Made for Video, we took a look at some of the features of Adobe Audition that we use on a regular basis when producing motion+connect.

In the final segment of Audition: Made for Video, we’re going to take an in-depth, step-by-step look at the process of integrating Adobe Audition and Premiere Pro, where the pitfalls are in the current release, and hopefully provide insight as to why these issues exist from a technical perspective.

Audition: Made for Video (Part Two)

In Audition: Made for Video Part One, I demonstrated how developing a workflow can save you time and money - when time is of the essence. We took a look at the workflow I use each month when producing our online show, motion+connect as a means to understand the value of ‘workflow’ - as well as providing an example of how this applies to ‘real-life’ projects.

Then, we added Adobe Audition to the mix. We explored how to bring single clips, multiple clips, and complete sequences from Premiere Pro to Adobe Audition - with and without video. We took a look at the roundtrip process of bringing audio back into Premiere, as well as the process of going back and forth between the two applications to make changes, sweeten the audio or master the final mix.

In part two of Audition: Made for Video, we’re going to take a look at some of the features of Adobe Audition that we use on a regular basis when producing motion+connect.

Here is a look into my own real-world workflow using Audition.

After Effects Apprentice: Parenting

As we mentioned earlier, we’re in the process of recording our book After Effects Apprentice as a series of training videos, where you get to look over our shoulders and hear what we’re thinking as we work through each lesson. Our latest installment is on the subject of Parenting.

Parenting is a way to group multiple layers within the same composition inside After Effects. In this lesson, Chris shows how to set up a parenting chain, discusses what makes a good parent, and demonstrates several techniques using Parenting such as creating a title animation with a minimum number of keyframes, building a geometric construct, and bringing an anthropomorphic robot arm to life. Sidebar topics include avoiding a scaling gotcha with parenting, and creating abstract backgrounds using the Fractal Noise effect.

Click to PLAY VIDEO »

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