How can you test and adjust the audio mix of a video before the final cut?

1 Why test and adjust the audio mix?

The audio mix of your video is the combination of all the sounds that are recorded, added, or edited during the production process. This includes dialogue, music, sound effects, ambient noise, and transitions. The audio mix can affect the mood, tone, and message of your video, as well as the viewer's attention and engagement. Therefore, it is important to test and adjust the audio mix to ensure that it matches your creative vision, meets the technical standards, and delivers a clear and consistent audio experience.

2 What tools and software do you need?

To test and adjust the audio mix of your video, you will need some basic tools and software to monitor, edit, and optimize the sound quality. Invest in a pair of headphones or speakers that can accurately reproduce the sound, as well as a sound meter or loudness meter to measure its volume and intensity. Additionally, you should find an audio editor or digital audio workstation (DAW) to manipulate the sound tracks, add effects, and adjust levels. Popular examples include Audacity, Adobe Audition, Logic Pro, and Pro Tools. Lastly, you’ll need a video editor to sync the audio and video tracks, then export the final cut in the desired format. Examples of video editors include Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and iMovie.

3 How to monitor the audio levels?

Testing and adjusting the audio mix of your video starts with monitoring the audio levels of each sound track. Audio levels indicate how loud or quiet the sound is, and how much headroom or dynamic range it has. Generally, audio levels are displayed as meters or waveforms in audio or video editors. To monitor the audio levels, you should set a reference level for your audio mix, which is the average loudness you want to achieve. A common reference level is -16 LUFS (loudness units relative to full scale). Additionally, check the peak level of each sound track to ensure it does not exceed 0 dBFS (decibels relative to full scale) as this can cause distortion. Finally, adjust the gain or volume of each sound track for a balanced and coherent mix where each sound track can be heard clearly and harmoniously. This can be done through faders, knobs, or sliders on your editor.

4 How to edit the audio tracks?

To test and adjust the audio mix of your video, you should edit the audio tracks to remove any unwanted noise, enhance the sound quality, and create the desired effects. Trim or cut the audio tracks with scissors, razor, or blade tool to remove any silence, pauses, or irrelevant parts that can affect the flow and pace of your video. Fade in or fade out the audio tracks with the fade or crossfade tool to create smooth and natural transitions between different sounds. Apply filters or effects to modify the frequency, amplitude, or phase of the sound, which may include equalization, compression, reverb, delay, and distortion. Lastly, mix the audio tracks with pan, mute, solo, or bus tool to blend and balance the different sounds together.

5 How to optimize the audio quality?

The final step to test and adjust the audio mix of your video is to optimize the audio quality to ensure that it meets the technical specifications and standards of your distribution platform. To do so, you should normalize the audio tracks to increase or decrease their overall loudness with a normalize or loudness tool in your audio or video editor. Additionally, you should export the audio tracks to a suitable format and codec, such as WAV, MP3, AAC, or AC3. This can be done using an export or render tool in your audio or video editor. Finally, you can test the audio mix on different devices and platforms with a media player, web browser, or mobile app to identify and resolve any issues that may occur during playback.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?