Audio FX

This Adobe Premiere Pro CC tutorial will teach you how to import your video, timeline basics, add effects, export, and more. At your own pace, you’ll learn all the basic editing techniques that Premiere Pro has to offer and how to apply them to your editing work. The Loudness Radar shows you a visual representation of your video's loudness over time. Premiere Pro CC lets you apply these attributes much more selectively, though; when you go to. The second ring indicates the Target Loudness setting (based on the settings in the Loudness Radar). The other rings help you measure the on-going loudness of your project. The lower right corner indicates the average level of your entire project, measured in LKFS or LUFS (based on the settings in the Loudness Radar).

Even after you’ve mixed your audio, it still might not sound right. Some clips may have unwanted noise or still be too loud or too soft. Effects are the solution to these problems, although some clips cannot be completely fixed. This section discusses some of the most commonly used audio effects.

Multiband Compressor

A compressor is the tool that can help raise or attenuate the relative level of the clip and gives your audio punch and strength (Figure 4.30). You may want to use a compressor when you need your audio levels not to go any louder than a certain value or to remain between a certain range of values. When editing for broadcast (usually commercials), I usually run all of my audio through a compressor/limiter on the master track, which helps me remain within the broadcast audio levels.

Figure 4.30 A compressor is one of the most commonly used tools; it lets you control the DR of voices and/or instruments.

You should think about audio levels in two different ways: One is the absolute level—the level that the meter displays—and the other one is the subjective level, which is how loud you perceive the volume.

Can you recall a certain bathroom tissue commercial where people were whispering? This gave the perceived level of being quiet. In reality the audio levels were just as loud as when the announcer was plugging that particular brand. What the meter displays and what you perceive are sometimes different.

Adobe Premiere Pro’s Multiband Compressor effect separates the audio into different frequencies (or bands) and processes them separately; what this means is that you could affect some frequencies in one way and other frequencies in a different way. Based on frequencies, you could affect some instruments and not others. This could be useful if you are editing a music video and need to master the audio as well, for example, maybe the bass is too soft or too loud. Using this effect you could affect only the frequency in which the bass sound exists.

Here are some controls in the Multiband Compressor that you should know:

Threshold. Threshold is the minimum level that will make the compressor start working. Depending on the ratio (described next), the compressor will “kick in” when your audio levels reach the threshold you set on this effect. The threshold is commonly set in decibels; a lower threshold (e.g., -60dB) means more of the clip will be compressed.
Ratio. The amount of gain reduction is determined by the ratio: A ratio of 3:1 means that if the input level is 3dB over the threshold, the output signal level will be 1dB over the threshold. In this case, the gain (level) is reduced by 2dB. For example:
- Threshold = −10dB
- Input = −7dB (3dB above the threshold)
- Output = −9dB (1dB above the threshold)
Try to keep the ratio at no more than 3:1 to maintain a gentle-sounding effect. If the ratio goes above 3:1, the audio might sound unnatural.
Attack. Attack is the time that it takes to reach maximum level of compression. Attack will affect drums if the release is too fast, which will result in unnatural level changes.
Release. Release is the time that it takes for the audio level to return to normal (no compression). You should have slow release times to minimize the unnatural level changes (pumping).

If your clip has a wide DR, you’ll notice the compression more because it will click more often and for a less amount of time.

EQ

An equalizer (EQ) is an effect that will let you balance different frequencies throughout your program (Figure 4.31). You will be able to select a specific frequency (or range of frequencies) and adjust their levels to increase or decrease their volume.

Figure 4.31 An EQ helps balance the frequencies throughout your program.

For example, if you are working with a music clip in which you can hardly hear bass, you could add the EQ effect and increase the volume of the bass only, making it more present in the mix.

To better accomplish this task, you can train your ears to recognize a well-balanced audio program by playing good audio through your system. Play audio that is similar to the program that you are mixing. If you are mixing a high-impact commercial, listen to something comparable. It’s best if the sample audio is the same genre as the program you’re working on.

As you become more familiar with the EQ tool and your ears begin to detect audio nuances, your changes will be very small. You will have changes in many places, but these changes will be minimal—for example, 2dB or 3dB at the very most.

When you want to use the EQ effect because you need to do more than make small adjustments, reconsider your microphone placement and your audio recording techniques.

When you’re working with the EQ, do not alter the volume of your speakers (seriously, don’t touch this volume at all). If you do, you might overcompensate and the EQ will not be accurate.

Constantly compare the processed audio with the original version. Also, compare your clips with each other. Using the EQ is one of the ways to achieve audio continuity in your program.

To use the EQ effect, follow these steps.

Add the EQ effect to the clip (or the track).
Launch the clip Fx Editor by clicking the Edit button in the Effect Controls panel. To launch the Track Mixer, double-click the Fx slot where the EQ is located.
Choose from several presets that are available. Once you become familiar with this tool, you can even create your own. Sometimes it’s easier to start from a preset and then adjust it rather than starting from scratch.
Select the appropriate check boxes in the Fx Editor. To make adjustments, you can either use the knobs or simply click and drag the control points. Notice that the control points are “connected,” which means that the resulting feathering effect will sound more natural.
Adjust the Q control, which controls the smoothness of the curves that “connect” the control points. You can either adjust these control points by using the knob or by clicking and dragging the handles directly on the control points.
Adjust the overall gain by using the Output Gain slider to the right of the knobs.

EQ practice

To better understand how the EQ works, follow these steps.

Open the project Chapter04_Audio.prproj, and then open the sequence named EQ. The sequence contains two different groups of clips in the Timeline in two different tracks. The first one is unprocessed; the second clip has the EQ effect added to the track
Listen to both clips.
Open the Audio Track Mixer.
Open the Fx Editor for the EQ applied to the second track (by double-clicking on it).
Note how the frequencies were modified (Warm Presence preset), and try making some changes of your own
Start training your ears to distinguish between the sound qualities of the different changes.

Loudness Radar

The Loudness Radar effect (Figure 4.32) is a tool that lets you read the loudness of your program over time. If the audio will be used in a program destined for broadcast, you are probably aware that you’ll need to comply with loudness standards. If you don’t, the broadcast house may adjust your audio levels

Loudness Radar Premiere Pro Cc