MediaCentral | UX User’s Guide : Using Audio : Working with Audio Tracks in Advanced Sequences

Working with Audio Tracks in Advanced Sequences
 
For an advanced sequence, the timeline in the Sequence pane includes three different types of audio tracks:
NAT (natural sound): Audio recorded at the same time as the video clip by the microphone built-in to the video camera. MediaCentral UX supports single-channel or dual-channel NAT tracks. Media in the NAT track and its associated video segment is colored green. If a video segment includes both NAT and SOT audio, the video segment is colored light blue.
SOT (sound-on-tape): Audio recorded at the same time as the video clip, usually with a microphone separate from the one built in to the video camera, which records the natural sound. MediaCentral UX supports single-channel or dual-channel SOT tracks. Media in the SOT track and its associated video track is colored light blue.
VO (Voice): Audio recorded through an audio device connected to your system or an audio-only media file opened from the Interplay Production database. MediaCentral UX supports single-channel Voice tracks. Media in the Voice track is colored purple.
The following illustration shows, from left to right, Video with NAT and SOT, VO, Video with NAT, and Video only. A video segment without associated audio is colored dark blue.
An Interplay Production administrator can change the labels that identify each track by changing the settings in the Interplay Administrator Application Database Settings.
The Interplay Administrator Application Database view also includes settings for specifying the number of channels to use for NAT and SOT and how to patch source and output tracks. You can select a maximum of five audio tracks for source and output:
One or two NAT tracks
One or two SOT tracks
One Voice track
For more information, see Configuring Settings in the Interplay | Production Administrator.
You can override the default output patching. See Overriding the Default Audio Track Patching.
Automatic Adjustment of Audio Gain Levels
The application automatically sets audio gain levels to ensure the clearest sound for the master audio track of your story. This provides default volume levels for separate tracks so that you do not need to manually adjust audio gain levels. Audio gain levels are set according to the following parameters:
If a Voice track is present, the application lowers (or “ducks”) the audio level on any other tracks (NAT track, SOT track, or both) running at the same point in the Sequence Timeline.
If no Voice track is present, and a SOT track is present, the application ducks the audio level on the NAT track running at the same point in the Sequence Timeline.
If no Voice or SOT tracks are present, NAT sound remains at full volume.
An Interplay Production administrator can change the amount of ducking by changing the setting in the Interplay Administrator Application Database Settings. For more information, see Configuring Settings in the Interplay | Production Administrator. The default level is 12 dB.
Automatic Creation of Audio Dissolves
By default, MediaCentral UX creates an audio dissolve between each clip in your sequence. Because the dissolve requires at least one frame to fade out or fade in, you should not mark your In point at the first frame of your clip or your Out point at the last frame of your clip. Instead, use the Video monitor controls to step in a few frames from the beginning or end of your clip before marking your In and Out points.
An Interplay Production administrator can change the number of frames used for the dissolve by changing the setting in the Interplay Administrator Application Database Settings. For more information, see Configuring Settings in the Interplay | Production Administrator. The default number of frames is 2.