Audio editing plays an important role in the space of video creation, acting as one of the many puzzle pieces to a refined final product. As a video producer, your goal is to tell stories that resonate with your audience. Sound is equally important in emulating a unique viewing experience, in addition to the visuals and script. The world of audio editing may appear to be daunting, but this comprehensive guide will help you get started by providing you with the principles of audio editing for video.

What is Audio Editing for Video + Why is It Important?

Audio editing for video is the process of modifying and designing sound elements in your video’s audio, including dialogue, sound effects, and music, to improve the viewers’ audio experience, and overall video viewing experience for that matter. 

Editing audio could look like adjusting volume levels, eliminating background noise, applying effects, and syncing the audio with the visuals. Audio editing is a must if you want to level up your video’s quality to keep your audience engaged. Even minor changes in audio editing can effectively strengthen the emotions and storytelling of your video, making your video more powerful and memorable.

Different Types of Audio Editing Software

Selecting which audio editing software to use can differ based on your level of expertise and project requirements:

Entry-Level Software:

  1. Audacity: a free and open-source digital audio editor and recording application software available for Windows, macOS, Linux, and other Unix-like operating systems. Audacity provides a range of effects and plugins, as well as the ability to cut, copy, splice, and merge multiple tracks together.
  2. Garageband: a free entry-level digital audio workstation (DAW) for iOS and Mac users that allows users to create music or podcasts. Highlights features like sampling, editing, transposing music, and downloading third-party plugins to edit audio in MIDI or Audio form.

Intermediate Software: 

  1. Adobe Audition CC: a comprehensive toolkit for music production and audio editing. It offers advanced audio tools such as sound remover, waveform editing, and pitch bending for creating, mixing, editing, and restoring audio content. 
  2. iZotope RX 10: an industry-leading audio editing software that offers advanced features for audio restoration and repair. iZotope RX 10 can work as a plug-in compatible with some video editing software and provides you with more control in manipulating audio frequencies as well as repairing and enhancing audio.

Professional Software: 

  1. Avid Pro Tools: an industry-standard digital audio workstation that offers a range of advanced features for music production and audio editing. Pro Tools gives the user precise control over the audio mix with a wide range of mixing and mastering tools, including EQ, dynamics, reverb, and automation.
  2. Steinberg Cubase: another professional DAW that provides advanced mixing and mastering tools alongside a customizable and user-friendly interface with a solid foundation for audio editing tasks.

Preparing Your Audio for Editing

Preparing your audio for editing is the foundation for crafting excellent sound in your video projects. If you’re working with poor quality audio, even the best audio editing skills might not even be able to save it. Sticking with the following best practices to prepare your audio for editing ensures that you have clear, quality audio to work with during editing:

  1. Location: The best audio quality and the least amount of background noise can be achieved by choosing the right location for recording. Look for areas that are quiet with little background noise and echo. Blankets and other soundproofing materials can help reduce reflections as well. Finding an optimal recording area when filming an outdoor vlog might be challenging at times. In these cases, other background noise reducing equipment, like windscreens, can help, or you may want to record a voiceover in a quieter location.
  2. Conduct Audio Tests: Conduct audio tests to check the sound quality and make sure everything is working properly before recording so you can identify and troubleshoot any problems. 
  3. Using Quality Audio Equipment: While some built-in microphones can get the job done, investing in a high-quality microphone can take your recording to the next level. Consider investing in a microphone that suits your specific recording needs. An audio interface can also help with better sound quality and more control over the recording process, but ultimately depends on your video’s purpose.
  4. Position Your Mic Accordingly: The best place to put your microphone can be based on the subject and recording situation. For dialogue, place the microphone close to the speaker to capture clear audio. For ambient sounds or atmospheric recording, experiment with different microphone placements.
  5. Perform Post-Recording Checks: After recording, review the audio files to check for any issues or inconsistencies. If possible, re-record any problematic sections to maintain the highest audio quality.
  6. Choose Music: Keep in mind the mood, theme, and environment you want to create in your video when looking for background music. The tracks that you download should work together with your visual content to achieve the vision you have for your project.  

Track Club’s music library contains a meticulously curated selection of high-quality, authentically crafted music, and uses Smart Filters to simplify your search process, helping you find exactly what you need, quickly.

  1. Explore Sound Effects: Just like music, adding additional sound effects can help enhance the emotions and story of your video. Find out what kind of sound effects fit your project with this guide on SFX in film and video.
  2. Organize Your Audio Files:  Organize a dedicated folder for your audio files, ensuring that your files are named and labeled clearly so you can easily identify each file.

Preparing your audio during the recording process and music selection phase provides a solid base to not only enhance the overall quality of your video, but also makes the editing process easier and more efficient.

How to Edit Audio in a Video

Now that your audio is well-prepared, let’s move on to the editing process. Here, we'll explore both basic and advanced audio editing techniques to elevate the quality of your audio:

Basic Editing Functions and Techniques

Trimming: Usually, this is the first step when editing your audio. Before diving into other adjustments, you’ll want to trim your audio and remove any unnecessary sections.

Adjusting Volume: Make sure the audio throughout your video stays at a consistent level. Adjust the volume so that dialogue and other audio elements aren’t too loud or too soft. 

Fades and Crossfades: To prevent abrupt transitions in your audio, try fading your clips in and out. Crossfades can also help you smoothly blend the endings of one clip with the beginnings of another, for example, if you want to blend the end of a dialogue section with the beginning of a music track.

Noise Reduction: Many of the software programs we’ve listed above come with easy-to-use noise reduction effects or plug-ins, allowing you to remove background noise for a crisper sounding dialogue.

Advanced Editing Functions and Techniques

Audio Effects: Experiment with various audio effects, such as reverb and pitch modulation, to add depth and creativity to your audio. Effects can enhance the atmosphere of your video, create unique soundscapes, and evoke specific emotions, making your content more engaging and immersive.

Shaping Audio with EQ: Understanding different audio frequencies and shaping them can add clarity to your audio and reduce harshness. EQing (equalization) is the process of shaping an audio's sound by boosting or cutting high, mid, and low frequencies to add character or fix problems.

Automating Effects: Automating audio effects allows you to energize and make your audio more dynamic. By making changes in volume, panning, and effects settings throughout your video, you can add movement and create a more immersive experience.

Techniques for Editing Music for Video

  1. Choose the right music: Select music that fits the tone and mood of your video. To find the right music, a great option is Track Club, a music licensing subscription service with a meticulously curated small-batch catalog of unique, high-quality music for brands and creators.
  2. Edit to the beat: Use markers to identify the beats of the music and cut your video clips to match the rhythm. This will create a more dynamic and engaging video.
  3. Using Track Club’s MixLab: Track Club’s MixLab gives you full control over customizing the music for your video. MixLab allows you to adjust the volume levels of individual instruments, change the song's BPM, and more. 

Learn more about how to create your own custom soundtrack, here.

How to Edit and Mix Sound in Premiere Pro

Some video editors use Adobe Premiere Pro to edit videos. If this is you, the good news is that Premiere Pro offers built-in audio editing capabilities. Here's how to edit and mix sound in Premiere Pro:

  1. Importing Audio: After editing your audio files in dedicated audio editing software, import the final versions into Premiere Pro's timeline. Ensure that the audio is correctly synchronized with your video files.
  2. Trimming: Position the playhead at the desired starting point of your audio track, then press "I" on your keyboard to set the in-point. Move the playhead to the desired endpoint and press "O" to set the out-point.
  3. Adjusting Volume: Select the audio clip on the timeline and go to the "Effect Controls" panel. Locate the "Volume" option and adjust the slider to increase or decrease the volume.
  4. Adding Audio Effects: Select the audio clip and go to the "Effects" panel. Browse through the available effects and drag them onto the audio clip on the timeline.
  5. Mixing Multiple Tracks: Use the Audio Track Mixer panel. Adjust the volume levels of each track to create a balanced mix.

Tips for Exporting Audio to Your Video Projects

When you’ve finished editing your audio, the next step is to export your audio to your video project. Follow these tips to maintain the quality and synchronization of your audio:

File Formats: Most programs will allow you to import and export audio in various formats, including MP3, WAV, and AIFF. High-quality formats ensure that your audio retains its clarity and fidelity during export, but the file size ends up being larger than more compressed formats.

Sample Rates and Bit Depth: Exporting with a higher sample rate and bit depth increases your audio’s detail for a more polished sound. Like file formats, take note that a higher sample rate and bit depth results in a  larger file size.

Audio Sync: Make sure your audio starts and ends at the correct points to maintain a smooth visual-audio experience for your audience.

Key Tips and Takeaways for Beginners

  1. Master the Basics: Before jumping ahead to advanced techniques, make sure you understand the basic functions of audio editing.
  2. Good Preparation Can Save Time: Going into the audio editing process with already quality audio by making sure you’re well prepared in the recording stage can save you lots of time when crafting the best audio for your video.
  3. Experiment and Be Creative: Don't be afraid to experiment with different effects and techniques to add creativity and uniqueness to your audio.
  4. Choose Audio that Aligns with Your Story: The audio you choose and editing choices you make should work with your video to paint a complete picture. Keep in mind what kind of experience you want people to have when watching your video.
  5. Practice Regularly: Like any skill, you’ll get the hang of editing audio with practice. Regularly edit audio and see what works for you to refine your skills and grow as an editor.

Wrap-Up

Audio editing for video is an art that requires both technical skills and a creative mindset. By understanding the essentials of audio editing, selecting the appropriate software, and applying various editing techniques, you can create professional-sounding tracks that enhance the impact of your video projects. 

Need music? Track Club’s customizable small-batch music library can help you enhance your content with the perfect soundtrack to captivate your audience as a quality video creator.

Start your 30-day free trial today!