At this point, you have assembled all of the final visual elements exactly as approved, the sequence timecode is correct, bars/tone/slate is inserted, the colors are legal, and the only element left is the audio mix. For some reason, the default tone level in FCP is -14. After you cut in your tone media, change it to -20. And only use the SMPTE bars that come as a default with FCP. Do not use SMPTE bars digitized from any other source.

If you are using your own mix, I recommend using a limiter effect on any clips that peak sporadically enough to make them hard to keep “in the pocket”. Some interviewees, for example, “lean into” the microphone or surge at certain points in their speech, and a limiter will even things out. Sound levels on a digital scale should not have sustained peaks above -10, meaning closer to zero on the scale. There are various arguments for whether it should be -8 or -12 or some other number, but generally speaking, if you have sustained peaks at -10, you will be safe. Talk to your mix engineer or dubbing facility if you want a foolproof answer. The reason for this is that when you output your master with reference tone at -20 on the digital scale, then use that master as a source for dubbing to an analog system, the relative peak level on the master has to be usable in the analog world. For example, if you playback the reference tone on the digital master and setup the audio record levels on the analog deck to zero, the program volume on the master should not cause the analog record levels to peak to the point of distortion. If you record -20 digital reference, then line up analog record levels to zero, but the program peaks up to -2 on the digitial scale, the analog audio levels will be too high and will distort.

Dialog and overall levels should be checked at various places in a longform master sequence to assure consistency throughout the program. Sometimes the audio meters will show that different sections appear to be at the same level, but the overall loudness is quite different. If the overall levels of the program are OK, but simply too low or high in relation to “line level” (the level at which it is loudest without peaking too high), you can adjust the program “collectively” in FCP using Modify/Levels while keeping the setting to Relative. Or, you can export an AIFF stereo file of your master sequence to your media drive, then import it back into your project. Make a copy of your master sequence and drop in the stereo AIFF file and sync it up to the original mix. Once you have aligned it properly, delete the old sound tracks and leave only the stereo AIFF tracks. You can then adjust the overall mix levels to wherever it needs to be. Do not be seduced into being instructed to “Make it loud!” If you create a master that is over the video standard levels, someone else down the line will just lower it.

If you do not have experience in the video world with sound levels, you should be aware that the standards in video are not the same as in the music recording world. In the music world, the goal is to enrich the mix as much as possible and slam the overall mix up to as close to zero on the digital scale as possible. That is why, when you extract an AIFF from a commercial CD, the levels in your FCP audio meters are flush up to zero. Not so in video. Comply to the video standards no matter what your instincts tell you.

If you are working with a mix that was created by an outside mixing studio, you do not need to do anything to the levels. One could reasonably assume that a professional studio will provide you with a mix that is compliant to video broadcast standards. If it is a simple stereo mix, cut in the studio mix on two additional audio tracks and synchronize the clip to the original audio. Normally, I coordinate with the mixing studio to agree upon how the AIFF file will be created, such as having the first frame of the file be 00:59:58:00 of the master (at the 2-pop). This makes marking the in-point for the edit easier.

Go through various places in the master and check sound sync. If the mix and the original audio are in sync, you will hear either a phasing sound, a very very slight offset, or maybe a “boost” in levels due to it being doubled up. Once in a while, I have come across a mix that is completely in sync except for one scene that has been shifted a frame for some reason. In this case, I slip the picture to match the mix, but only if the slip has no significant effect on the edit. You cannot, obviously, slip the mix without throwing everything else out of sync, unless you start slicing up the final mix. Do so at your own peril!

Once your mix check is complete, delete all of the original audio and slide the final stereo mix up to tracks 1 & 2. Remember to unlink all of your clips first do you don’t delete video along with audio. Delete all of your empty tracks. Check to make sure your sequence’s audio tracks 1 & 2 are a stereo pair. They are by default, but if anyone has been messing with the settings, make one last check. Your master is now ready to output.