WHAT IS AUDIO SWEETENING?
Audio sweetening refers to the enhancement of audio using a variety of tools and methods including tone control, dynamics control, time-based effects, laugh tracks and other audience reaction sounds, the addition of instruments, sound effects, and more. In some videos, much or all of the initial audio may come from the actual shoot. But that’s not the only audio that will be used. This is where the idea of sweetening comes in. Sweetening is a general term for adding a little something extra.
Audio Enhancement
When we say “Audio Sweetening” or “Audio Enhancement”, we simply mean making your audio sound better. We split the tools in our software products into basic categories, with Audio Enhancement and Noise Reduction being two of them. The Audio Enhancement tools share equal billing with Noise Reduction because in many cases, once the noise is removed, the result sounds a little hollow…with Audio Enhancement, new life is breathed into your audio files. Unlike Audio Archival, the goal here is to make the material sound as good as it possibly can. We’re not so worried about the “true” sound from a historical perspective…rather, what makes our ears happy. With Audio Enhancement, not only are we removing noise, but we’re applying a series of filters to boost low and high end; we’re using tube simulators to stimulate stale sounding phrases. We could also add echo or reverb or compression and expansion to help make something audibly better. The sky is the limit and, because each set of ears is different, no two people will make the same file alike.
In Any Film or Video Program Quality Sound is Just as Important as Excellent Images.
music, background sounds, audio positioning and, of course, voice plays such a prominent part in many of our programs. Wherever possible we take our projects through a sound design process. The aim is to create a soundtrack with three layers – natural and background sounds, plus sound effects that should allow you to get a feel for where you are and what is happening without seeing the visuals; a music track, where this is appropriate, that enhances the feel of the video, provides more atmosphere, and helps to push the viewer’s reactions to the action and environment faster, or slow it down; and voice, which might be on screen characters speaking or a voiceover artist, or a combination of the two.
The key to both audio sweetening and mixing is to remember that every sound, no matter its volume on the final track, will have some influence on how the viewers feel. This is why nothing but the best will do. That’s the TIP approach to this vital component of your project.