Magic Music/smartsounds

Douglas6836

Newbie Location: California Joined: Nov 19, 2015 20:36 Messages: 22 Offline

Solved by

Dec 26, 2015 18:48

Hi:

I've been happy with PowerDirector 13 until I started trying to add music to my slideshow. I'm using Full Feature Editor to create a memorial slideshow.

I've added all the photos, transitions and titles. I'm now trying to add music. I haven't been able to find a helpful/useful tutorial. I've explored Members Zone and the link to tutorials, above. I can't find anything that exclusively teaches about magic music/smart sounds.

The internet has a few amateur magic music videos on PD 8/9 that weren't much help. I've gone into C:/Programdata/Smartsounds/files and there's nothing there except for 70 preview files.

I found some music under Magic Music. I can listen to the clips but don't know how to add them to the timeline. Apparently, some are free but I can't figure out which ones. None are highlighted when I click on "select a song". If I click on "Purchase" there's a only a $20 and $100 packages.

All I want is 3 music clips that I found in Magic Music. I've tried to drag/apply them to the timeline without success. Smartsound doesn't help because there's no files there.

I've followed the 4 steps in magic music. The 4th step is "select a variation and apply timeline". Theres' always only one clip -- no variations -- to choose. I right click but the "add to music track" is not highlighted.

How do I take the 3 songs I've found in magic music and add them to the timeline? I'm hoping I can control the length of the sound clips once I add them to the timeline and blend the clips into each other.

Maybe it's just me ...

Thanks for your time.

tomasc

Senior Contributor Joined: Aug 25, 2011 12:33 Messages: 6464 Offline

Dec 26, 2015 19:25

The top 60's style music titles in bold text are the free ones that you can use. Simply drag the variation after you preview them to the music track on the timeline where you want the music to start. You can drag the end of the music clip left or right to change the duration.

Those other music titles below the ones in bold text are available for purchase as you have found.

Douglas6836

Newbie Location: California Joined: Nov 19, 2015 20:36 Messages: 22 Offline

Dec 26, 2015 20:14

Thanks. Apparently I needed to download some updates to get the free music. I did that and now see the highlighted songs at the top. Unfortunately, the selection is extremely small. The songs I want are not free. When I clicked on 1 of the 3-4 songs I want and then click on purchase it takes me a page that says if I want to buy that song I have 3 purchase options:

Download lasting memories disc for $99

Download Pro quality (48k) Single $19.99

Ship Lasting memories disc $99.

I must be reading this wrong! I want about 4 short music clips (1-2 minutes) to add to my slideshow. It sounds like they want me to pay $20 for that one song. That can't be correct? Of course I'm not going to pay $20 for each song I want or $99 for a download of an album? No-one would -- right?

What's the best way to get appropriate songs for the background for a slideshow?

Thanks again.


Filename	music.PNG	Download
Description	purchase
Filesize	17 Kbytes
Downloaded:	163 time(s)

tomasc

Senior Contributor Joined: Aug 25, 2011 12:33 Messages: 6464 Offline

Dec 26, 2015 20:45

Many users have downloaded music from other sources like freesound, youtube, etc. I have used music from my CD's. If you don't plan to upload it to the internet and only for your own personal use on your pc then any music should be okay. If others are to see those slideshow you create then there may be a problem. Recall that one user said that his slideshows are for him and family only. That to me is okay as long as no one in his family rat on him.

Neil.F.1955

Senior Contributor Joined: Mar 07, 2012 09:15 Messages: 1303 Offline

Dec 26, 2015 23:51

As an aside to, but sort of related to this thread, As I've mentioned elsewhere, I have both Versions 8 and 14 of Power Director on my computer(both "Ultra"). I was looking in the programme files on my computer a while back and found the audio files for the menue pages for PD8. I copied them to a separate file I called "Audio Grabs" and occasionally use them at the beginning and end of some of my videos. When it comes to burning them to DVD, having the music bed of your video clip matching the music in your manu page adds an extra dimension to your finished production.

Cheers!

Neil.

tomasc

Senior Contributor Joined: Aug 25, 2011 12:33 Messages: 6464 Offline

Dec 27, 2015 01:17

Neil - You are very intuitive here. I have extracted all the menu music years ago and reduce the volume by 12 db and save them as wav files for use in menus. Those old ones like maybe PD8 can be as short as 15 seconds while those from those from the newer menus can be a few minutes long. Never used them on the timeline though.

One thing you may want to check out is those those sound clips in the DZ to add to your collection. They are useful in menus if you don't use the timeout feature. You may find them useful on your timeline too. Check them out if you have time.

Fenman

Senior Contributor Location: Cambridge, UK Joined: Nov 24, 2011 04:44 Messages: 731 Offline

Dec 27, 2015 06:34

I wonder if I'm in a minority insofar as I find it irritating that a music track is included by default in the menu templates so that I have to remember to click to exclude it separately for each menu page. I don't usually want music at all but if I did what makes CL think their choice is my choice anyway? Regards,
Mike

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BarryTheCrab

Senior Contributor Location: USA Joined: Nov 06, 2008 22:18 Messages: 6240 Offline

Dec 27, 2015 09:45

Smartsound is more expensive than previous years, this is a result of the cost of business going up, it never goes down. Occasionally they have a sale, but those are less frequent then in the past. Certainly you all know how difficult it can be to find music you can use without risk, even free music sites demand a credit. You can visit my site to find many links to assets, including music. I have about 20 Smartsound albums purchased thru the years (many when it was priced lower), I have to say it's the best and most fun to use. When I score in SonicFire Pro, I feel like a Maestro! To me it's worth the expense, particularly when you get a sale. HP Envy Phoenix/4thGen i7-4770(4@3.4GHz~turbo>3.9)
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BarryTheCrab

Senior Contributor Location: USA Joined: Nov 06, 2008 22:18 Messages: 6240 Offline

Dec 27, 2015 10:58

One more thing...WHERE did you find a price of $19.99? HP Envy Phoenix/4thGen i7-4770(4@3.4GHz~turbo>3.9)
Nvidia GTX 960(4GB)/16GB DDR3/
Canon Vixia HV30/HF-M40/HF-M41/HF-G20/Olympus E-PL5.
Tape capture using 6 VCR, TBC-1000, Elite BVP4+, Sony D8 camcorder with TBC.
https://www.facebook.com/BarryAFTT

DouglasW

Member Joined: Mar 09, 2008 14:49 Messages: 66 Offline

Dec 27, 2015 11:58

My videos are not commercial , so I use music from my own CD's , and , my best stuff is the soundtrack albums of movies , such as the Harry Potter movies , and most recently , The Danish Girl .

You go to I Tunes , look up 'soundtracks" , then find a film you may have enjoyed , or you suspect may be in character for your own film , and you can listen to brief clips of each track , which then cost about $1.29 .

Clips are from just over a minute to over 5 minutes , or , get the whole album for about $11.29 .

They make your movies much more interesting , and the sound is very rich and professional . After all , it is film music .

DougW

'

BarryTheCrab

Senior Contributor Location: USA Joined: Nov 06, 2008 22:18 Messages: 6240 Offline

Dec 27, 2015 12:46

NEVER underestimate the value of music, soundfx and soundscapes to take an average video and transform into real entertainment. I distribute my videos often in public sites, such as Youtube, so I favor Smartsound Licenses, as well as their uncanny ability to be customized, each song is essentially it's own app within the interface. HP Envy Phoenix/4thGen i7-4770(4@3.4GHz~turbo>3.9)
Nvidia GTX 960(4GB)/16GB DDR3/
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ynotfish

Senior Contributor Location: N.S.W. Australia Joined: May 08, 2009 02:06 Messages: 9977 Offline

Dec 27, 2015 12:57

Hi Douglas6836 -

SmartSound music isn't just "ordinary" music, as you may have learned from watching those tutorials. It's dynamic, in that you set the duration of the piece & SmartSound/Magic Music structures the audio so that it has a beginning, middle & ending. With multi-track pieces, you can mix the instruments just as you wish to get the right "feel". You can't do that with "ordinary" music. That, and the *licensing*, is what makes it significantly more expensive than "ordinary" music (say from iTunes).

PDR13 comes supplied with one SS album - *Core Foundations* (10 tracks) - which retails at $99.95. Put that number beside what you paid for PDR13

Comparing SS music with "ordinary" music just isn't a valid comparison.

Cheers - Tony

P.S. Barry - the $19.95 track price is what showed up in the SS module. See the attachment at https://forum.cyberlink.com/forum/posts/list/46805.page#242921

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Dec 27. 2015 13:00

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Douglas6836

Newbie Location: California Joined: Nov 19, 2015 20:36 Messages: 22 Offline

Dec 27, 2015 13:26

Thanks for the feedback. I now understand that smartsound is not ordinary music -- but $20 for one song is ridiculous.

Does anyone have a link to a tutorial on Magic Music/Smart Sound? I can't find one that's of much use.

I have an MP3 file on my computer that I'd like to use in the slideshow. I can't figure out how to get the file to the timeline. I dragged it to "C:/Programdata/smartsound/sound files hits" but I can't get it on the timeline music track. I can drag it into the Magic Music window. It appears that the song is being copied but then it disappears and I have no idea where it went. I've tried to drag it from the sound files hits to the timeline but nothing happens.

Thanks. Doug

tomasc

Senior Contributor Joined: Aug 25, 2011 12:33 Messages: 6464 Offline

Dec 27, 2015 13:38

Hi Douglas,

Just drag the mp3 clips to the PD13 media library which is that big top left window. You can then drag it to the very bottom track which has the music note symbol wherever you want the music to start.

An alternative would just do file/import of any music file. That would put it in the media library.

ynotfish

Senior Contributor Location: N.S.W. Australia Joined: May 08, 2009 02:06 Messages: 9977 Offline

Dec 27, 2015 13:46

Douglas -

If you click on "Linked Tutorial Catalog" in my signature, you'll find a list... scroll down to the SmartSound sub-header & you'll find a tutorial that might help.

No - don't try to put the mp3 in your SmartSound Library or any SmartSound sub-folder. It just doesn't work like that. You import "ordinary" music just the same way you import video clips, photos & graphics... go to Import Media & locate your mp3 file, then drag it to the timeline. It's shown in this tutorial - https://youtu.be/ccSNU_Z7BRc?t=8m

... just like tomasc just said.

Cheers - Tony
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