Opening a Multitrack Project

By now you are familiar with techniques for opening single audio files in Soundtrack Pro, but what if you want to edit the audio from an entire sequence in one shot? For example, you might want to apply the same compression settings to all the clips in a specific track, not just to individual clips. In Final Cut Pro, you can’t assign effects to an entire track in a sequence, but in Soundtrack Pro, you can. Let’s open a multitrack project from Final Cut Pro and begin exploring the process.

1.	In Final Cut Pro, open the project 04 Begin.fcp, or continue working on the Final Cut Pro project you had open at the end of Lesson 3.
2.	In Final Cut Pro’s bin, ensure that the V1 sequence is selected (if this sequence is not selected, you won’t be able to select the menu item in the next step).
3.	Choose File > Send To > Soundtrack Pro Multitrack Project. [View full size image]
4.	In the Save dialog that appears, type myMultitrackProject.stmp and then click Save. The project opens as a multitrack project in Soundtrack Pro. [View full size image] This project includes only one track of audio, but that is about to change. You’ll add another track a few steps down the road. But first, let’s get a feel for the dialogue you will replace as this lesson progresses.

Using the Timecode HUD

The Timecode heads-up display, or HUD, shows you the playhead’s position in the sequence as an SMPTE timecode value. It’s also useful for jumping to specific points in the project.

In this lesson, you are going to replace the dialogue spoken by the very agreeable Spanish character that our hero questions when she first walks into the café. Let’s jump to the beginning of that scene now, using the Timecode HUD.

1.	In Soundtrack Pro, choose Window > HUDs > Timecode. The Timecode HUD opens and floats over the project. [View full size image] Note Drag the lower-right corner of the Timecode HUD to make the HUD bigger or smaller. Changing the size of the HUD can be handy when you need make it big enough to see the timecode value from across the room (for example, when recording Foley sounds), or when you need to make it small enough to sit in a particular section of the screen.
2.	Position the pointer over the seconds value. Two white arrows appear directly over the seconds value: one at the top and one at the bottom of the Timecode HUD. [View full size image]
3.	Drag up until the seconds display reads 30. [View full size image] As you drag, notice that the playhead moves across the Timeline. This is important to note, because the playhead’s position always reflects the timecode value displayed in the Timecode HUD.
4.	Play the project (and watch the scene) to approximately timecode value 01:01:00:00. [View full size image] In this section of the scene, the Spanish character says “yes” several times. You will record new dialogue for these “yeses” later in this chapter, so make sure you have a good feel for the pacing and rhythm of this scene. You may want to play it a few times just to be sure, because in a moment, you are going to be the voice actor! Reset the playhead to the beginning of this scene, using a different technique this time.
5.	In the Timecode HUD, double-click the display. The Timecode HUD updates to display a text field.
6.	Type 01:00:30:00 and press Return. [View full size image] The playhead jumps to exactly 30 seconds and 0 frames into the sequence.