View Audio files

The Audio list, located in the Project pane, displays audio tracks in your project, as well as the Master track, which controls your project’s overall audio mix. You can adjust the settings for each track using controls in the Audio list (see Adjust audio tracks).

You can view additional information about your audio files in the Audio Timeline, in the Keyframe Editor, in the Media list, and in the Audio Track Inspector.

Show the Audio list

Do one of the following:

  • If the Project pane is visible, click the Audio tab at the top of the pane.

  • Choose Window > Audio (or press Command-6).

For information about adjusting audio tracks in the Audio list, see Adjust audio tracks.

Sort the Audio list

  • With the Audio list open, click the Search button at the bottom of the Project pane, then enter the name of a track in the Search field.

    Search button in Audio list

    The Audio list shows the track (or tracks) that match your search term.

    To stop filtering and return to the complete Audio list, click the Clear button at the right of the Search field.

Open the Audio Track Inspector

  • Select an audio track in the Audio list or Audio Timeline, then click Audio Track in the Inspector.

    Level, Pan, and Output Bus controls become available.

Show waveforms in the Audio Timeline

To see your audio tracks as waveforms laid out over time, open the Audio Timeline:

  • Click the Show/Hide Audio Timeline button in the lower-right corner of the Motion project window.

    Show/Hide Audio Timeline button

    The Audio Timeline opens (in the Timing pane), displaying a green bar containing the waveform of the file. (If the bar does not show a waveform, adjust the height of the tracks. For more information about adjusting Timeline tracks, see Customize the Timeline.)

    Audio Timeline containing two tracks

    Important: In a multichannel audio file, all audio channels in the file appear in the Audio Timeline.

Show waveforms in the Keyframe Editor

You can also view an audio track in the Keyframe Editor, to compare the waveforms of the track to keyframe placement in your project.

  1. To open the Keyframe Editor, click the Show/Hide Keyframe Editor button in the lower-right corner of the Motion project window.

    Show/Hide Keyframe Editor button
  2. Choose an audio track from the waveform pop-up menu at the top-right side of the Keyframe Editor.

    Choose waveform button in the Keyframe Editor

    The waveform of the track appears in the Keyframe Editor, along with keyframes.

    Audio waveform in the Keyframe Editor

View individual tracks in the Keyframe Editor in a multitrack project

If there are multiple audio tracks in the project, by default only the waveform of the master track appears in the Keyframe Editor. Use the waveform pop-up menu to select a different track.

Waveform pop-up menu in Keyframe Editor
  • Choose a track name from the waveform pop-up menu at the top-right side of the Keyframe Editor.

    Choose waveform button in the Keyframe Editor

Show additional information about your project’s audio files

Do one of the following:

  • In the Project pane, open the Media list.

  • Select the audio file in the Media list, then open the Media Inspector.

    The Media list in the Project pane and the Media Inspector display information about each audio file, including kind, duration, sample rate, format, file size, and other details.