Apple Final Cut Pro 5 - Manual (Page 867)

80 Part I Media and Project Management
Using the Mute Button to Silence Audio Tracks
Sometimes, while monitoring your sequence audio, you may want to disable the
playback of certain audio tracks. For example, if you’re editing a section of dialogue and
you want to hear it without the music on another track, you can mute the tracks with
the music clip without stopping playback.
Muting a track does not remove audio or pan keyframes; it simply turns off the audio
output of that track until you turn it back on. Muting a track also doesn’t delete audio
render files associated with clips on that track. A track’s mute status overrides its solo
status, so even if a track is soloed, you won’t hear it if it is muted.
Note: Mute buttons cannot be automated.
When Audio Mixer Controls Aren’t Available
There are several instances when the controls of a given track’s track strip aren’t available.
 If there is no clip on that track at the position of the playhead: The fader on that
track’s track strip is set to indicate that there is complete silence at the gap in the
track. It is not possible to adjust a given track’s fader if there is no clip at the current
position of the playhead.
 If the clip at the position of the playhead is not enabled: The result is the same as if
there were no clip on the track. Because the clip is disabled in the track, the track
strip cannot control it. You can enable or disable a clip by choosing
Modify > Clip Enable.
 If that track is locked in the Timeline: The track strip for that track is unavailable,
preventing you from making changes to that track. The fader and panning slider
continue to animate, however, as audio from that track is still being output.
 If the entire track is disabled in the Timeline: The track strip for that track is dimmed,
preventing you from making changes to the track. Fader and pan automation set
for clips in that track remain untouched, however, and are preserved when you
reenable that track.