Audio Behaviors

Audio behaviors can be applied to audio tracks from movie clips with sound or to standalone audio tracks. There are two ways to apply an audio behavior:

Dragging an Audio behavior from the Library to an audio track in the Audio list or Audio Timeline
Selecting a track in the Audio list or Audio Timeline and then choosing an Audio behavior from the Add Behavior pop-up menu in the toolbar

For more information about applying behaviors, see Applying and Removing Behaviors.

There are two useful behaviors to control audio tracks in Motion: Audio Auto Pan and Audio Fade In/Fade Out.

Audio Auto Pan

Automates commonly used panning effects in an audio track.

Parameters in the Inspector

Pan Position: A slider that sets the position of the pan. If the Pan Position slider is set to 0, the sound is equally balanced between the left and right channels. With larger negative values of Pan Position, the sound increases in volume in the left channel and decreases in the right channel. With larger positive values of Pan Position, the sound increases in volume in the right channel and decreases in the left channel.
Depth: A slider that sets how far the automatic pan occurs in the left and right channels. Values range from 0 to 100.
Direction: A pop-up menu that sets the direction in which the pan moves over the behavior’s duration. Choose Left or Right. If the direction is set to Right, over the behavior’s duration the volume of the audio decreases in the left channel as it increases in the right channel, giving the impression of a sound moving from left to right. If the direction is set to Left, over the behavior’s duration the volume of the audio decreases in the right channel as it increases in the left channel, giving the impression of a sound moving from right to left.
Volume: A pop-up menu that sets how audio levels are affected during the pan. Choose from four options:
- Constant: An animation curve that allows no change in volume.
- Ramp Up: An animation curve that creates a constant increase in volume
- Ramp Down: An animation curve that creates a constant decrease in volume
- Crescendo: A logarithmic animation curve that creates a slowly accelerating increase in volume
- Decrescendo: A logarithmic animation curve that creates a slowly decelerating decrease in volume
Gain: A slider that sets the target gain used for volume. Values range from –96 dB to +6 dB.
Loops: A slider that sets the number of times the auto pan effect repeats. Values range from 1 to 30.
Apply Volume: A pop-up menu that sets how audio levels change when the Auto Pan effect repeats. Choose Once Per Loop or Over Entire Duration. If you choose Once Per Loop, the Auto Pan affects audio level changes each time a loop marker is met. If you choose Over Entire Duration, the Auto Pan affects audio level changes.
End Condition: A pop-up menu that sets how the pan loops when the Auto Pan effect repeats. Choose Repeat or Ping Pong. This setting has an effect only if Loops is set to a value greater than 1.
Start Offset: A slider that sets the number of frames from the beginning of the audio after which the audio effect starts.
End Offset: A slider that sets the number of frames from the end of the audio before which the audio effect stops.

HUD Controls

The HUD contains the same controls as the Inspector, except for the Start Offset and End Offset controls.

Audio Fade In/Fade Out

Automates fading in and out an audio track.

Parameters in the Inspector

Fade In Time: A slider that sets the number of frames over which the audio fades in from –96 dB to 0 dB from the first frame of the audio track. A duration of 0 frames leaves the beginning of the audio track unmodified.
Fade Out Time: A slider that sets the number of frames over which the audio fades out from 0 dB to –96 dB. A duration of 0 frames leaves the end of the audio track unmodified.
Start Offset: A slider that sets the number of frames from the beginning of the audio track after which the volume animation starts. Adjust this parameter to make the behavior start after the beginning of the audio track.
End Offset: A slider that sets the number of frames from the end of the audio before which the animation stops. Adjust this parameter to make the behavior end before the end of the audio track.

HUD Controls

The Audio Fade In/Fade Out behavior has a custom control, shown below.

Figure. HUD showing Audio Fade In/Fade Out behavior controls.

Note: The Audio Fade In/Fade Out HUD control is identical to the Fade In/Fade Out Basic Motion behavior.