How do you import songs off CDs into Final Cut Pro? at DVinfo.net

Heath McKnight · July 14th, 2006, 02:27 PM

I'm just curious, because I've heard of so many methods, and I have my own, too, but it may not be too complex. I usually drag the song off a CD into a folder for the project's music on my hard drive. I then use QuickTime to convert it to an AIFF that's 48 khz.

What do you all recommend?

Thanks,

heath

Boyd Ostroff · July 14th, 2006, 02:31 PM

That's pretty much what I do also, but I typically just drop it into a sequence and render the audio. Sometimes I export it out as a separate .mov file from FCP so I can use it again without rendering.

Heath McKnight · July 14th, 2006, 02:38 PM

You do change it from 44.1 khz to 48 khz? What does Final Cut Pro recommend? I swear, it changes every update, it seems. At one point, they said to use iTunes, but that was the biggest pain-in-the-butt because it dropped the file into the iTunes folder...

Remember FCP 1-3? You could easily just import Music Files in FCP and tell it where to put it on the system and where to put it in the open project, then it would convert it and bingo, that's it.

heath

Mark Bournes · July 14th, 2006, 02:42 PM

I convert it to 48 khz.

Mark
www.sharkvp.com

Jonathan Bufkin · July 14th, 2006, 02:42 PM

Same here. Good idea with bringing it back out as a .mov. That is definitely a time saver with a large audio bed.

Jon Bufkin
web.mac.com/bufdaddy

Shane Ross · July 14th, 2006, 03:18 PM

#5 Imported music from CD or iTunes

Shane's Stock Answer #5:

To get music into FCP, it needs to be an AIFF file at 48khz, 16 bit stereo. So if you want a song from a CD, you go into the iTunes Preferences and set this up under the IMPORTING tab:

File > preferences > importing > import using - AIFF encoder > Setting - Custom
Sample Rate - 48.000 kHz
Sample size - 16 bit
Channels - Stereo

If you have an mp3 that you want to use, then you can convert it thru iTunes as well.

If the piece of music you want to use is something you purchased thru iTunes, I'm afraid I can't help you there. There are copywrite issues that prevent files from being converted into the format that FCP can recognize.

Dave Perry · July 14th, 2006, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shane Ross

If the piece of music you want to use is something you purchased thru iTunes, I'm afraid I can't help you there. There are copywrite issues that prevent files from being converted into the format that FCP can recognize.

Same copyright issues as a CD.

But here's what to do with iTunes .m4a files with digital rights management.

Make a play list of the songs you desire. Burn the list to CD as an audio CD.

Rip the disc you just made to your hard drive then change to 48khz .aif with QT Pro.

Boyd Ostroff · July 14th, 2006, 05:22 PM

Also see the following thread. Obviously there are copyright issues with using content from a CD or iTunes for anything other than personal projects.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=68457

Nate Schmidt · July 14th, 2006, 05:54 PM

Another option is to import the mp3 files into FCP then select them in the browser and do a batch export of quicktime conversion to AIFF 48 KHz or send your audio from the timeline to a STP audiofile project and choose resample from the process menu and choose 48 KHZ.

Heath McKnight · July 15th, 2006, 08:24 AM

Problem is, MP3s' audio is, for some reason, dropped to zero every 1/2 second or so in Final Cut Pro. You can open an MP3 in the viewer and see little gaps where the audio waveform isn't there.

hwm

Pavel Tomanec · April 5th, 2008, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate Schmidt

Another option is to import the mp3 files into FCP then select them in the browser and do a batch export of quicktime conversion to AIFF 48 KHz or send your audio from the timeline to a STP audiofile project and choose resample from the process menu and choose 48 KHZ.

Thanks for this tip. Works great.

Pavel

Chris Hocking · April 5th, 2008, 09:41 PM

Heath, when I first started editing with Final Cut Pro, I tried a lot of different methods. But eventually I came to the conclusion that using Quicktime to convert to an a 48kHz AIFF and bringing that in Final Cut was the way to go. Quick, simple, and it just works. I did have a script lying around that automated the whole process if I needed to rip the whole CD, but have never come across a situation when I've needed it.

July 14th, 2006, 02:27 PM	#1
Heath McKnight MPS Digital Studios Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Palm Beach County, Florida Posts: 8,531	How do you import songs off CDs into Final Cut Pro? I'm just curious, because I've heard of so many methods, and I have my own, too, but it may not be too complex. I usually drag the song off a CD into a folder for the project's music on my hard drive. I then use QuickTime to convert it to an AIFF that's 48 khz. What do you all recommend? Thanks, heath __________________ My Final Cut Pro X blog

July 14th, 2006, 02:38 PM	#3
Heath McKnight MPS Digital Studios Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Palm Beach County, Florida Posts: 8,531	You do change it from 44.1 khz to 48 khz? What does Final Cut Pro recommend? I swear, it changes every update, it seems. At one point, they said to use iTunes, but that was the biggest pain-in-the-butt because it dropped the file into the iTunes folder... Remember FCP 1-3? You could easily just import Music Files in FCP and tell it where to put it on the system and where to put it in the open project, then it would convert it and bingo, that's it. heath __________________ My Final Cut Pro X blog

July 14th, 2006, 05:54 PM	#9
Nate Schmidt Major Player Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Welland ON Posts: 515	Another option is to import the mp3 files into FCP then select them in the browser and do a batch export of quicktime conversion to AIFF 48 KHz or send your audio from the timeline to a STP audiofile project and choose resample from the process menu and choose 48 KHZ. __________________ "We've done the impossible, and that makes us mighty."

July 15th, 2006, 08:24 AM	#10
Heath McKnight MPS Digital Studios Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Palm Beach County, Florida Posts: 8,531	Problem is, MP3s' audio is, for some reason, dropped to zero every 1/2 second or so in Final Cut Pro. You can open an MP3 in the viewer and see little gaps where the audio waveform isn't there. hwm __________________ My Final Cut Pro X blog

July 14th, 2006, 02:31 PM	#2
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	That's pretty much what I do also, but I typically just drop it into a sequence and render the audio. Sometimes I export it out as a separate .mov file from FCP so I can use it again without rendering.

July 14th, 2006, 02:42 PM	#4
Mark Bournes Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Jupiter, FL Posts: 565	I convert it to 48 khz. Mark www.sharkvp.com

July 14th, 2006, 02:42 PM	#5
Jonathan Bufkin Major Player Join Date: May 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 253	Same here. Good idea with bringing it back out as a .mov. That is definitely a time saver with a large audio bed. Jon Bufkin web.mac.com/bufdaddy

July 14th, 2006, 03:18 PM	#6
Shane Ross Major Player Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Los Angeles, USA Posts: 539	#5 Imported music from CD or iTunes Shane's Stock Answer #5: To get music into FCP, it needs to be an AIFF file at 48khz, 16 bit stereo. So if you want a song from a CD, you go into the iTunes Preferences and set this up under the IMPORTING tab: File > preferences > importing > import using - AIFF encoder > Setting - Custom Sample Rate - 48.000 kHz Sample size - 16 bit Channels - Stereo If you have an mp3 that you want to use, then you can convert it thru iTunes as well. If the piece of music you want to use is something you purchased thru iTunes, I'm afraid I can't help you there. There are copywrite issues that prevent files from being converted into the format that FCP can recognize.

July 14th, 2006, 05:22 PM	#8
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	Also see the following thread. Obviously there are copyright issues with using content from a CD or iTunes for anything other than personal projects. http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=68457

April 5th, 2008, 09:41 PM	#12
Chris Hocking Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 595	Heath, when I first started editing with Final Cut Pro, I tried a lot of different methods. But eventually I came to the conclusion that using Quicktime to convert to an a 48kHz AIFF and bringing that in Final Cut was the way to go. Quick, simple, and it just works. I did have a script lying around that automated the whole process if I needed to rip the whole CD, but have never come across a situation when I've needed it.