Audio Advice (page 2)

A cousin to filters, equalization is much like the tone control on your home or car stereo - boosting and cutting certain ranges of the audio spectrum. This can be as simple as a bass and treble adjustment or as complicated as a 31-band graphic equalizer. But don't let the terminology intimidate you; equalizers are very useful in shaping the sound quality of your production audio. Maybe your talent has a small, thin voice. A properly tuned equalizer can beef up the low end and add some sparkle to the upper frequencies. Whether for audio first-aid or simply for stylistic purposes, adding equalizing your audio clips can make a dramatic difference.

Many video editing programs include a feature that allows you to adjust audio volume continuously throughout a clip. Premiere calls these rubber bands and they are very simple to use. Expand the audio track to the full view and you will see a red line running though the middle of the waveform. Clicking anywhere on the red line creates a handle that you can move up or down to adjust the audio volume. A series of these handles offers a great degree of control and allows you to make spot volume adjustments throughout the length of your video, including professional-sounding fades.

In addition to the zillion audio effects included in most editing packages, many offer the convenience of installing additional effects called plug-ins. These plug-ins are the software equivalent of buying a new piece of specialized audio equipment. Ranging from simple filters and equalizers to more esoteric processing like phasers and vocoders, plug-ins give you recording studio effects on your desktop. The best part is many of these plug-ins are bundled with various audio software you already own. With a little snooping, you can also find a boatload of audio plug-ins for free on the Internet: www.directxfiles.com is a great place to start.

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