Why Audio Makes or Breaks Wedding Films

Here's an uncomfortable truth: viewers will forgive imperfect video but not imperfect audio. A slightly soft shot passes unnoticed, but audio problems—hiss, wind noise, imbalanced levels—immediately mark your work as amateur.

In wedding films specifically, audio carries the emotional weight. The words spoken during vows, the catch in a father's voice during his toast, the laughter during speeches—these moments define the day and the film. Protect them.

The Three Pillars of Wedding Film Audio

• Dialogue: Vows, speeches, toasts—the words that tell the story
• Music: The emotional backbone that ties everything together
• Ambient: Natural sound that grounds viewers in the moment

Great wedding film audio balances these three elements, each supporting the others without competing.

Organizing Your Audio Sources

Before mixing, organize all your audio assets:

Common Wedding Audio Sources

• Camera audio: On-board mics, usually used only for sync reference
• Lavalier mics: On officiant, groom, bride (if possible)
• External recorder: Ceremony/reception backup
• Board feed: From venue PA if available
• Shotgun mic: Mounted on camera or boom

Folder Structure for Audio

03_AUDIO/
├── 01_Raw_Audio/
│   ├── Lavs/
│   ├── Recorder/
│   └── Camera_Scratch/
├── 02_Cleaned_Audio/
│   ├── Ceremony_Clean/
│   ├── Speeches_Clean/
│   └── Toasts_Clean/
├── 03_Music/
│   ├── Licensed_Tracks/
│   └── Alternate_Versions/
└── 04_SFX/
    └── Ambient_Audio/

Syncing Audio to Video

Multiple audio sources must be synced to your timeline:

Waveform Sync (Recommended):

1. Place camera audio and external audio on timeline
2. Most NLEs can auto-sync by analyzing waveforms
3. In Resolve: Select clips → Right-click → Auto Sync Audio → Based on Waveform
4. Verify sync by checking lip movements

Timecode Sync: If your camera and recorder share timecode, syncing is automatic and frame-accurate.

Manual Sync: Use visual cues (claps, slate) to align audio manually. Time-consuming but sometimes necessary.

Audio Cleanup Techniques

Even well-recorded audio usually needs cleanup. Here are the essential techniques:

Noise Reduction

Reduce consistent background noise (HVAC, hum, hiss) without degrading the voice:

1. Find a section of "room tone" (noise without speech)
2. Use this to create a noise profile
3. Apply noise reduction using the profile
4. Use conservative settings—aggressive noise reduction sounds robotic

Tools:

• DaVinci Resolve Fairlight: Built-in noise reduction
• iZotope RX: Industry standard for audio repair (expensive but powerful)
• Adobe Audition: Good noise reduction and spectral editing
• Audacity: Free, basic noise reduction

EQ (Equalization)

Shape the frequency content to improve clarity:

High-Pass Filter (Essential):

Apply to all dialogue tracks. Roll off everything below 80-100Hz. This removes rumble, handling noise, and wind without affecting voice intelligibility.

Presence Boost:

Subtle boost around 2-4kHz can improve speech clarity and help voices cut through music.

De-Essing:

If sibilance (harsh "S" sounds) is problematic, use a de-esser or manually reduce 5-8kHz range.

Compression

Even out volume differences so quiet words and loud laughs are closer in level:

• Ratio: 3:1 to 4:1 for speech
• Threshold: Set so compression engages on louder passages
• Attack: Medium (10-30ms) to preserve transients
• Release: Medium-fast (50-100ms) for natural sound

Don't over-compress—some dynamic range is natural and emotional.

Removing Specific Noises

Coughs and Sneezes: If isolated, cut and crossfade. If mid-speech, reduce volume of that section.

Phone Rings: Often unfixable. Try to cut around them or use alternate takes.

Feedback/PA Noise: Notch filters can target specific frequencies. Spectral editing in iZotope RX can surgically remove some issues.

Dialogue Editing for Wedding Films

Editing Vows

Vows are the emotional heart of most wedding films. Handle with care:

• Never edit meaning. Don't cut words that change what was said.
• Remove long pauses if they feel uncomfortable, but leave emotional pauses.
• Cut mistakes only if requested or truly distracting.
• Layer under music carefully so words remain clear.

Editing Speeches

Speeches can be long. For highlight films, you'll need to select excerpts:

1. Listen through entirely, noting timecodes of key moments
2. Identify the emotional highlights and best quotes
3. Create excerpts that make sense out of context
4. Use crossfades between cuts (not hard cuts)
5. Match room tone across edits to hide cuts

Creating Seamless Audio Edits

When cutting dialogue, avoid obvious edits:

• Cut between sentences rather than mid-sentence when possible
• Match room tone across edits—fill gaps with room tone from the same recording
• Use crossfades of 5-10 frames to smooth transitions
• Cover cuts with B-roll when audio edit is audible

Music Integration

Laying in Music

Music is typically the first element on your timeline, with visuals cut to match:

1. Place full music track on timeline
2. Add markers at key musical moments (beats, builds, drops)
3. Cut visuals to align with these moments
4. Use music dips to accommodate dialogue

Ducking Music Under Dialogue

When speech plays over music, the music must drop in volume:

Manual Ducking:

• Keyframe music volume down 6-12dB when dialogue begins
• Use gentle fades (500ms-1s) into and out of dips
• Don't duck so much that music disappears—it should still be felt

Automatic Ducking:

Some NLEs can auto-duck based on dialogue detection. Use as a starting point, then refine manually.

Music Transitions

Moving between songs requires finesse:

• Crossfade: Overlap songs with matching energy levels
• Dialogue bridge: Use speech to cover the transition
• Beat match: If tempos are compatible, cut on a beat
• Dip to silence: Brief pause can signify scene change

Editing Music for Length

Songs are rarely the exact length you need. Edit them carefully:

• Cut during sustained notes or similar sections
• Match waveforms visually to find good edit points
• Test edits in solo—if you can't hear the cut, it's good
• Don't cut vocals mid-word or mid-phrase

Mixing Your Wedding Film

Level Standards

Follow broadcast standards for consistent, professional levels:

The Mix Process

1. Organize tracks: Group similar elements (all dialogue, all music, all ambient)
2. Set dialogue first: This is your anchor—everything else supports it
3. Add music: Set music level relative to dialogue importance
4. Add ambient: Subtle bed of natural sound adds realism
5. Automate: Keyframe volume changes throughout
6. Check in context: Play through and listen for balance issues

Panning

For wedding films, keep mixing relatively simple:

• Dialogue: Center
• Music: Full stereo (as recorded)
• Ambient: Stereo or slightly narrowed

Avoid extreme panning that might sound strange on phone speakers or single-speaker playback.

Loudness Metering

Use loudness meters to ensure consistent levels:

• LUFS (Loudness Units Full Scale): Measures perceived loudness over time
• Target for online: -14 LUFS (YouTube) to -16 LUFS (Vimeo)
• True Peak: Keep below -1 dBTP to prevent clipping on encode

Sound Design Elements

Subtle sound design can elevate your films without being noticed:

Room Tone

Every location has ambient sound. Record 30-60 seconds of room tone at each venue:

• Use to fill gaps in dialogue edits
• Smooth transitions between shots
• Create sense of space and presence

Natural Sound

Selective use of natural audio adds authenticity:

• Ocean waves during beach ceremony
• Crowd applause and cheering
• Birds during outdoor portraits
• Clinking glasses during reception

Transitions

Audio can smooth visual transitions:

• Pre-lap (J-cut): Audio from next scene starts before visual
• Post-lap (L-cut): Audio from previous scene continues after visual
• Sound effects: Whoosh, swells, or impacts at transition points

Audio Workflow in DaVinci Resolve Fairlight

Resolve's Fairlight page is a full-featured DAW included free. Here's an efficient workflow:

Setting Up Your Mix

1. Create tracks for each audio type: Dialogue, Music, Ambient, SFX
2. Assign clips to appropriate tracks
3. Set up Bus outputs for each track group
4. Route all buses to Main output

Essential Fairlight Tools

Clip Gain: Adjust individual clip levels before track processing

Fairlight EQ: 6-band parametric EQ with high/low pass filters

Dynamics: Built-in compressor and limiter per track

Noise Reduction: Included noise reduction processor (good, not iZotope-level)

Loudness Monitor: Real-time loudness metering to broadcast standards

Exporting Audio

For highest quality:

• PCM (uncompressed) 48kHz, 24-bit for master
• AAC 320kbps for web delivery
• Keep audio in sync with video on export

Common Audio Problems and Solutions

Key Takeaways