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Audio Unit – Cleaning, Balancing & Enhancing Sound
Audio Unit – Cleaning, Balancing & Enhancing Sound
Goal: Learn to clean, balance, and enhance audio for professional-quality sound in your video projects.
A great video isn’t just about visuals — sound is half the experience. Poor audio can distract or even ruin a project, while clean, balanced sound makes your work feel professional and polished. In this unit, you’ll learn how to manage, repair, and mix audio so that your audience stays focused on the story you’re telling.
You’ll explore how to:
Understand and control audio levels to avoid distortion or uneven sound.
Use the Essential Sound Panel to quickly clean up dialogue, music, and sound effects.
Reduce noise and reverb to fix imperfect recordings.
Balance dialogue, music, and effects with audio mixing tools.
Work with advanced techniques like multichannel mixing, EQ, and compression to get broadcast-quality results.
By the end of this unit, you’ll know how to transform rough recordings into clear, dynamic, and professional audio tracks that support and enhance your video edits.
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
Clean up your audio first (remove noise/reverb).
Balance levels so dialogue is always clear.
Use tools like the Essential Sound Panel for speed, or Audio Track Mixer for precision.
Mixing is about clarity, consistency, and impact.
Good audio = professional video.
Getting Started
Essential Sound Panel
Essential Sound Panel
Simplifies audio work with presets for Dialogue, Music, SFX, and Ambience.
Lets you quickly apply EQ, compression, noise reduction, and volume controls.
Great for beginners or quick fixes.
Audio Levels
Understanding Audio Levels
Understanding Audio Levels
Audio is measured in decibels (dB).
Dialogue/voice should peak around –6 dB to –3 dB.
Avoid clipping (audio that peaks at 0 dB = distortion).
Keep consistent levels across your timeline for clarity.
Reduce Noise and Reverb
Reduce Noise & Reverb
Reduce Noise & Reverb
Use tools to remove background hiss, hum, or unwanted echoes.
Noise reduction makes dialogue cleaner.
Reverb reduction helps when recording was done in a large or echoey space.
Don’t overdo it → too much can make voices sound robotic.
Remix
Remix to Fit
Remix to Fit
Automatically shortens or lengthens a piece of music to fit your video.
Keeps natural transitions in the song (no awkward cuts).
Perfect for trailers, promos, or sequences with a fixed runtime.
Create an Audio Mix
Create an Audio Mix
Create an Audio Mix
Balances dialogue, music, and sound effects together.
Adjust volumes so dialogue is always clear.
Use keyframes to fade music in/out when someone is speaking.
A balanced mix feels professional and polished.
Audio Track Mixer
Audio Track Mixer
Audio Track Mixer
Panel that controls entire tracks, not just individual clips.
Allows global changes like EQ, volume, and effects per track.
Saves time on long projects with many clips on the same track.
Multichannel Mix
Mix Multichannel Audio
Mix Multichannel Audio
Lets you work with audio that has multiple channels (e.g., stereo, surround).
You can adjust levels for left/right or surround speakers.
Useful for professional outputs (film, broadcast, live events).
Mix Like A Pro
Mix Like a Pro
Mix Like a Pro
Combines EQ (equalization), compression, limiting, and dynamics for polished sound.
Ensures loud moments aren’t too harsh and quiet moments aren’t lost.
Adds subtle polish to make soundtracks feel “broadcast-ready.”
Advanced Techniques
Advanced Audio
Advanced Audio
Dive deeper into detailed effects:
EQ → shape tone of voices/instruments.
Compression → evens out volume differences.
Limiters → prevent peaks above a set level.
Automation → adjusts volume or effects over time.
Used for precise control in professional mixing.
Demo Task – Audio Fix & Mix Practice
Demo Task – Audio Fix & Mix Practice
Showcase your learning from the audio tutorials by creating a practice reel that demonstrates your ability to clean, balance, and enhance sound. This is a skills demo, not your main creative project.
Instructions
Instructions
Collect Examples
Choose 4–6 short clips where audio needs work (dialogue with noise, uneven music, multiple tracks, etc.).
Each example should highlight one of the techniques from this unit.
Before & After Format
Play 5–7 seconds of the original (unedited) audio/video.
Follow with the edited (after) version showing your fixes or mix.
Keep each example focused on one technique.
Techniques to Demonstrate
Across your reel, show at least four different skills:
Understanding/controlling audio levels
Cleaning dialogue (reduce noise or reverb)
Using Remix to Fit to adjust music length
Creating a balanced audio mix (dialogue, music, SFX)
Applying EQ, compression, or advanced audio effects
Mixing in the Audio Track Mixer or handling multichannel audio
Titles & Spacing
Add a title card before each example (e.g., “Noise Reduction”, “Remix to Fit”).
Place 1 second of black screen between examples.
Final Assembly
Compile all examples into a single sequence.
Total runtime: 1–2 minutes.
Export
Export as H.264 .mp4.
Save as: Audio_Demo_YourName.mp4.
Deliverables
Deliverables
Final practice reel video (1–2 minutes) with:
4–6 examples
Before & After comparisons
Title cards naming the skill
1 second of black spacing
Short reflection (3–5 sentences):
Which audio tool was most effective for you?
Which tool felt most challenging?
How did these changes improve the clarity of your video?
This demo ensures you’ve practiced the key tools from the tutorials and are ready to apply them in a larger creative project.
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