Editing and adding sound workflow.

tayete · Post by **tayete** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 7:38 am

Now my animation is near its end, I'd like to add some sounds and music. I had first thought of exporting to Flash and adding it there, but maybe those experts around are using a better approach.

So, how do you add sound, and what apps do you use?

Thanks a lot!!!

Genete · Post by **Genete** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 8:38 am

I'm not an expert and not very experienced user but as far as I have needed to do once I have done in the best way I have found.

I suggest to do the animation in the oposite way. First create the sound track based on a written timing storyboard. For my a storyboard was a list of animation scenes and the desired timing. Then I recorded the voice (my voice) in separated samples files and add them in a non linear video editor. In my case is cinelerra (only for linux). Order and pad the recorded sounds in the proper position and export them as wav. Then insert the wav file into AS and adjust the animation to the sounds where needed. Finally because I use linux I export only the aimation and insert it again to cinelerra and at the end export it as mov with sound.
If you want you can make a semi-story board in AS with the main basic animation scenes and export them as several mov files and insert them in the non linear video editor together with the sound track pieces. Realign them properly and export it as a basic animation that you can import to AS. I cannot do is because I canot manage videos in AS for linux. Later refine the basic animation to the final one.

I hope I have helped you. Sure someone else would have better ideas than mine.
Best
Genete

tayete · Post by **tayete** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 9:50 am

Thanks Genete, your approach is surely the one I should have used, but as my initial intention was just to test AS, not to create an animation, I didn't follow the proper steps of AUDIO FIRST, ANIM SECOND. For the next one I'll surely use your way, as it lets me adjust timing "by sound" which I guess is more professional.

Anyways, anyone has used any compositing app worth it, preferable free, and easy of use, with AS?

AmigaMan · Post by **AmigaMan** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 9:59 am

I haven't used this compositing app with AS but have with other animation footage. Check out the demo - it will work fine I'm sure. It's not free but very good value and has had excellent press reviews.

http://fxhome.com/compositelab/composit ... rview.html

byanfu · Post by **byanfu** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 4:28 pm

Genete's suggestion is definitely the best way to go but I am in the same situation as Tayete, having a test that I wanted to add sound effects to. What was your final format of the movie going to be flash? Do you have a video editor? I'm my cast I am just going to export the animation to .mov, import into premiere and use that as sort of a multi-track recorder. Once I have all the sound effects done export the soundtrack only out to mp3 and add it to AS. I'm hoping that will work. I haven't tested it yet to make sure that in compressing the mp3 file it doesn't change the timing of the effects slightly.

tayete · Post by **tayete** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 4:46 pm

I am thinking of giving a try to Windows' standard "Movie Creator", as a friend of mine who is a professional video editor, says it is fine for an amateur like me, who just wants to import a video, add some sounds and export it again.