Final Cut- How to start audio fade from higher than 0db?

Question

In Final Cut Pro, I drag the fade handle at the beginning of an audio clip to fade in.

However, I want the audio to fade in Starting at -20 and fade up to 0. I don't want it to start from 0.

How can I do this?

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If it helps, what I'm trying to do is increase the level of an audio clip several minutes in to it. The clip is playing at -20db because there is narration speaking above the level of the audio. Once the narrator is finished speaking, I want the clip to fade from -20 to 0.

So, I thought I would use the blade tool, split it into 2 audio clips, and on the second put the fade from -20 to 0. If there's a better way, I'm all ears.

Thanks

Answer 1

You need to use keyframes. It's been a few versions since I used Final Cut, but they are generally represented by a little diamond indicator. If you add a keyframe at the point you want the level to start increasing and another at the point where you want it to stop increasing, you can then adjust the value at the later point and the volume adjustment should automatically be performed over the time in-between the two keyframes.

More information on audio keyframes in FCPX is available from Apple here.