Audio waveform

A visual representation of the sound in a recording, shown along the bottom of video clips and audio-only clips in Final Cut Pro.

An audio waveform’s height (amplitude) and length change according to the underlying sound’s volume and duration. A short, loud sound such as a drum beat has a sharp, peaked waveform, whereas low-level crowd noise has a lower, more uniform waveform. These properties make it easier to find specific edit points when trimming clips or keyframing effects.

A timeline clip showing the audio waveform at the bottom, the volume curve in the middle, and several keyframes added to the volume curve.