Adding a sound track to your animation allows you to synchronize animation to sound. Add a sound track to lip-sync a character speaking, for example.
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Track View or
Motion panel > Highlight a track using the Audio controller in the Track View hierarchy. > Right-click the track. > Properties
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Track View or Motion panel > Double-click a track using the Audio controller in the Track View hierarchy. > Properties
Interface
Audio File group
Use this group to add and remove sound files from the controller, and to adjust amplitude.
- Choose Sound
- Displays a standard file selector dialog. You can choose WAV and AVI files.
- Remove Sound
- Removes any sound file associated with a controller.
- Absolute Value
- Controls the interpretation of sound amplitude. The value returned by the Audio controller is sample amplitude divided by maximum amplitude.
Value=(sample amp.)/(maximum amp.)
When Absolute Value is turned on, the maximum amplitude equals the maximum sampled amplitude from the waveform. This ensures that potential for the output value reaches the target value.
When off, the maximum amplitude equals the maximum potential amplitude of the waveform. Output reaches the target value only if the waveform reaches its maximum potential amplitude.
The maximum potential amplitude for an 8-bit file is 128; for a 16-bit file, it's 32768.
Real Time Control group
Use this group to create interactive animation that's driven by sound captured from an external audio source, such as a microphone. Use these options only for interactive presentations. You can't save the real-time sound or save the animation produced by the controller.
- Enable Real Time Device
- Sets whether sound is captured from an external audio source. This option is inactive if a sound capture device is not installed in your system.
When on, any selected audio file is ignored, and the controller uses sound captured by the selected device.
When off, the controller uses the selected audio file.
- Real Time device list
- Displays all available real-time sound devices installed in your system. Select the device you want to use for real time sound capture.
Sample group
This group contains controls to filter out background noise, smooth out the waveform, and control display in Track View.
- Threshold
- Sets the bottom cut-out level as a percentage of total amplitude. Any amplitude below the threshold drops to 0.0.
Threshold range is from 0.0 to 1.0.
A Threshold of 0.0 has no effect on amplitude output values.
A Threshold of 1.0 drops all amplitude output values to 0.0.
You can use low threshold values to filter out background noise from the controller.
- Oversampling
- Smoothes the waveform. Multiple samples are averaged to remove peaks and valleys. Enter a number in the Oversampling field to calculate the average
- Fast Track View
- Controls the display of oversampling.
When turned on, oversampling is ignored for the Track View display.
When turned off, oversampling is applied to the Track View display. High oversampling values can slow the display of the waveform.
Base Point & Target Point groups
Here you enter minimum and maximum parameter values returned by the controller. The fields you see vary by the type of parameter using the Audio controller.
Float parameters are displayed in the Controller Range group with Min. and Max. fields.
Vector parameters (3 components), such as Transforms, display Base and Target groups with fields for X, Y, and Z values.
- Base Scale
- Defines the float value or X, Y, and Z values returned for an amplitude of 0.0.
- Target Scale
- Defines the float value or X, Y, and Z values returned for maximum amplitude.
Channel group
With this group you select which channel drives the controller output value. These options are only available if you have chosen a stereo sound file.
- Left Uses the left channel amplitude.
- Right Uses the right channel amplitude.
- Mix Combines the two channels so that the returned amplitude is the greater value of either channel.