New Media Station Documentation - iMovie Audio Tracks

Importing Audio

iMovie will allow you to import various audio files including AAC, MP3, WAV, and AIFF formats. Simply use the Import option under the File menu to bring in new audio sources. You can layer these audio tracks with the existing audio in a clip as well as extract and edit that audio.

You can also capture audio track directly from a CD in iMovie. Insert an audio CD and then use the Audio pane to select the CD from the pop-up menu at the top of the pane. You can choose the track or tracks you wish to import for your project.

Sound Effects

iMovie includes a library of digial sound effects that you can use in your projects. In the Audio pane, select iMovie Sound Effects from the pop-up menu at the top of the pane.

Voiceover

The computers at our New Media workstations have built-in microphones that allow you to record voiceover narration while you are working in iMovie. Use the Audio pane and click the red Record button to start recording.

Given the ambient noise in the Student Computing Clusters, however, you may need to record voiceover audio elsewhere and bring in as a digital file that you can import.

Working with Audio Tracks

Working with various audio tracks, editing them, adjusting volume levels, moving them around, and synchronizing them with the video is one of the more complicated parts of creating an iMovie project. If you are going to be working with anything beyong the simplest of audio tracks, be sure to throughly read Apple's iMovie Tutorial Lesson 6: Working with Sound.