POST-PRODUCTION TIPS: Smooth Sounds


POST-PRODUCTION TIPS: Smooth Sounds 

By: Michael French


One thing we have found is “picture perfect” isn’t always top priority. If you have to pick between a cut with good audio and a cut with good picture, go with the audio. Yes, in an ideal world, you want your picture to be beautiful. But viewers can be forgiving in that area…and can chalk up blurry or shaky shots to artistic choice. They will, however, lose patience and bail if they can’t make out what your actors are saying. 

What happens if your only audio choice is not ideal? First, think twice before hiring that sound guy again (just kidding…it’s not always their fault…but then again, sometimes it is 🤨). Then, take a look at these three tips for smoothing out your sound.
  • Put Ambient Sound To Work– Sometimesyou have audio recorded in different locations, or with different mics, that you want to use in the same scene. In all likelihood, they will have different ambient sound in the background. This can cause auditory choppiness between your cuts and break up the scene. You can, however, layer excess ambient sound from one of the locations/mics used in the scene - or ambient sound that suits the scene from a sound effects library - to fill gaps or lay across the scene to set one tone. 
  • Crossfade For Smoother Transitions– In the above situation, where you are jumping between cuts from different sources, you may need more help to smooth out the sound. A good tool for this is the crossfade feature in any editing platform. Use the crossfade to fade the volume of the first clip down gradually, and use it again to slowly raise the volume of the second clip. That will eliminate the unwanted snaps, crackles and pops in the audio jumps.
  • EQ Is Where It’s AtEQ is your one-stop-shop for fixing a ton of issues with your sound. Take time to learn the tricks of the EQ feature, because there are so many problems it can fix: like, low-frequency rumble, “boomy” dialog, wind hissing, and high pitch, distracting hums. It can also be used to make two or more audio clips recorded with different microphones sound more like one another, like the other tips above.  

And, if these tips sound too daunting to try alone, the sound technicians at 16:9 Post can help smooth things out. Give us a call at 818-479-4200.

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