Add audio files

Do one of the following:

• Drag an audio file from the File Browser or the Finder into the Layers list, Timeline, Canvas, Audio Timeline, or Audio list.

  Each audio track is imported as an individual audio object in the Audio list.

  Important: Audio tracks from files with more then two tracks of audio (such as 5.1 surround audio) are imported as individual audio objects.

  The link icon for the object also appears in the Layers list, indicating that the object has a corresponding audio element.

  

  The audio file is added to the project and appears in the Audio Timeline, Audio list, mini-Timeline, and Media list.

  Note: To display the Audio Timeline, click the Show/Hide Audio Timeline button in the lower-right corner of the Motion workspace.

  

• In the Audio list, click the Add button (+), locate the audio file you want to add in the Import Files dialog, then click Import.

• With the Audio list active, choose File > Import (or press Command-I), locate the audio file you want to add in the Import Files dialog, then click Import.

• Control-click in the Audio list, choose Import Audio from the shortcut menu, locate the audio file you want to add in the Import Files dialog, then click Import.

The audio file is added to the project and appears in the Audio Timeline, Audio list, mini-Timeline, and Media list (but does not appear in the Layers list).

1. In the Library, select the Music category.

2. Select a playlist, then select a song in the file stack.

3. Do one of the following:

   • In the preview area, click Apply.

   • Drag the file to the Layers list, Canvas, Timeline, Audio Timeline, or Audio list.

   Note: Rights-protected AAC files cannot be imported into Motion and do not appear in the file stack. This includes non-iTunes Plus music purchased from the iTunes Store.

The audio file is added to the project and appears in the Audio Timeline, Audio list, mini-Timeline, and Media list (but does not appear in the Layers list).

You can also add an audio file to your project without having it appear in the composition. For example, you might want to archive an audio file for later use. You do this by dragging the file into the Media list.

1. Click Media in the Project pane to open the Media list.

2. Drag an audio file from the File Browser or the Finder into the Media list.

The audio file is added to the Media list, but not to the Audio Timeline or Audio list. If you later decide to add the file to the active composition, drag the audio layer from the Media list to the Canvas, Timeline, or Audio Timeline.

When you add a QuickTime movie to your project, the movie’s video and audio tracks are both imported. If you don’t need the video, you can add only the audio track to your project.

• Drag a QuickTime movie file from the File Browser or the Finder to the Audio list of the Project pane.

  The audio track from the movie is added to your project, without the video footage. The video footage is added to the Media list (but isn’t used in your composition).

You can import audio from QuickTime files containing dual stereo or multiple audio channels as a single stereo track or as individual tracks.

When you add a QuickTime movie file containing both video and audio, you can use its audio track independently of the video. When the file is unlinked from its source, a track can be individually enabled, disabled, or deleted. However, deleting a source QuickTime movie file from the Media list deletes all audio and video that originated from that file.

1. Choose File > Import (or press Command-I).

2. In the Import File dialog, select a QuickTime movie file.

3. Click the Audio pop-up menu at the bottom of the Import Files dialog, then choose an import option:

   • Mix to Stereo: Imports the movie file as a single stereo track.

   • Import All Tracks: Imports the movie file with a separate audio track for each channel.

4. Click Import.

   If you chose Mix To Stereo, the file appears in the Audio list as a single audio track, and the video appears in the Canvas (and Layers list). The link icon in the Audio list (next to the lock icon) indicates that the audio object has a corresponding video element.

   If you chose Import all Tracks, the file appears in the Audio list with an individual audio track for each channel in the file. The following image shows the Audio list after importing a stereo QuickTime movie file using the Import All Tracks option, with the resulting left and right tracks.

   

When you export a multichannel audio file from Motion, you can export all channels or mix them down into a single track. See Select output channels.