Automatically clean and boost your audio with Auphonic and DaVinci Resolve

Curtis Judd
10 Mar 202409:52

TLDRThis tutorial demonstrates how to automate audio post-production using Auphonic and DaVinci Resolve. Auphonic offers a free tier for up to two hours of audio processing monthly, ideal for YouTubers. The video explains how to export audio from DaVinci Resolve, use Auphonic for leveling, filtering, and noise reduction, and then re-import the processed audio. The result is a balanced, clean audio track that enhances video production quality.

Takeaways

  • 😀 Auphonic is a service that automates audio post-production, offering 2 free hours of audio processing per month.
  • 🔊 For YouTubers publishing weekly videos, Auphonic's free tier is sufficient as it covers up to 2 hours of audio processing.
  • 🎚️ DaVinci Resolve's Fairlight tab is used to identify audio issues before processing with Auphonic.
  • 📐 Plosives are less of an issue at typical microphone distances but can be mitigated with a foam cover for close-up podcasting.
  • 🔄 Auphonic can balance dialogue and music levels, reduce breath noise, and clean up audio.
  • 📋 To export audio from DaVinci Resolve, use 'Bounce Mix to Track' and then export the selected audio clip.
  • 📁 Auphonic requires uploading the audio file and setting output preferences such as format and file name.
  • 👂 Auphonic's adaptive leveling and compression features even out audio levels and reduce dynamic range to prevent distortion.
  • 🔍 The service includes noise reduction and breath removal, with adjustable settings to avoid sounding robotic.
  • 📈 Loudness normalization to -16 LUFS is recommended for YouTube, with settings adjusted for dialogue or music.
  • 🔄 After processing, Auphonic provides the option to download the improved audio file in WAV format for better quality.
  • 🎬 The final step is to import the processed audio back into DaVinci Resolve, ensuring it matches the video length and sync.

Q & A

  • What is Auphonic and how can it be used for post-production of audio in videos?

    -Auphonic is a service that automates the post-production process of audio for videos. It can be used to balance dialogue and music, reduce noise, and enhance audio quality. It offers a free plan for processing up to two hours of audio per month, with paid plans available for more extensive needs.

  • How much audio can be processed for free with Auphonic per month?

    -Auphonic allows users to process up to two hours of audio for free each month.

  • What is the purpose of the Fairlight tab in DaVinci Resolve?

    -The Fairlight tab in DaVinci Resolve is used for audio editing and mixing. It allows users to work on audio tracks, adjust levels, and apply effects to improve the audio quality of their projects.

  • Why might one encounter plosive issues when using a shotgun microphone?

    -Plosive issues can occur when using a shotgun microphone at close range, such as for podcasting. The proximity to the mouth can cause 'p' or 'b' sounds to create a puff of air that directly hits the microphone, leading to unwanted noise.

  • What is the recommended way to avoid plosive issues when using a shotgun microphone up close?

    -To avoid plosive issues, it is recommended to use a foam cover on the microphone and position it off to the side, still aimed at the corner of the mouth, to prevent direct air impact during speech.

  • How can DaVinci Resolve and Auphonic work together to improve audio in a video project?

    -DaVinci Resolve is used for initial audio editing, while Auphonic is used for advanced audio post-processing. Users can export audio from DaVinci Resolve and import it into Auphonic for further enhancement, such as adaptive leveling, noise reduction, and loudness normalization.

  • What does Auphonic's adaptive leveling do for the audio?

    -Auphonic's adaptive leveling evens out the volume levels between music and dialogue, ensuring a balanced audio mix. It also applies compression to reduce the dynamic range, allowing for an overall louder mix without distortion.

  • What is the recommended loudness level for YouTube videos that are mostly dialogue?

    -For YouTube videos that are mostly dialogue, a loudness level of -16 LUFS is typically recommended.

  • Why is it important to match the length of the processed audio from Auphonic back to the video in DaVinci Resolve?

    -Matching the length of the processed audio to the video is crucial to ensure that the audio remains in sync with the visual content. Any changes in length could cause the audio to be out of sync, which would affect the viewer's experience.

  • How can one ensure that the processed audio from Auphonic is in sync with the video in DaVinci Resolve?

    -After importing the processed audio back into DaVinci Resolve, users should align it with the original audio track, ensuring it starts at the same time and is the same length. This can be visually checked and adjusted as needed.

  • What is the recommended audio file format for exporting processed audio from Auphonic?

    -The recommended audio file format for exporting from Auphonic is WAV, specifically 24-bit PCM WAV, as it provides higher quality audio without the artifacts that can be present in MP3 files.

Outlines

00:00

🎙️ Audio Post-Production Automation with Auphonic

This paragraph introduces the process of automating audio post-production using Auphonic, a service that offers free processing for up to two hours of audio per month. It's suitable for YouTubers who publish weekly videos of 10 to 15 minutes. The speaker demonstrates the process in DaVinci Resolve's Fairlight tab, highlighting audio issues such as imbalance between music and dialogue, plosive sounds, and background noise. Auphonic is presented as a solution to these problems, with a step-by-step guide on how to export the audio from DaVinci Resolve and prepare it for processing in Auphonic, including muting the original tracks and choosing the right export settings.

05:03

🔊 Advanced Audio Processing Techniques in Auphonic

The second paragraph delves deeper into the audio processing capabilities of Auphonic. It covers the setup of a production project, including uploading the audio file, choosing output settings, and skipping speech recognition for a free account. The paragraph explains the importance of adaptive leveling, compression, and filtering to balance audio levels and reduce noise. Specific settings for loudness normalization suitable for YouTube are detailed, with a focus on dialogue and music balance. Noise reduction and breath removal techniques are discussed, emphasizing the need for a subtle approach to avoid sounding robotic. The paragraph concludes with instructions on how to avoid automatic cutting for video projects, start the production process, and receive notifications upon completion. Finally, it guides on how to download the processed audio and replace the original audio in DaVinci Resolve, ensuring sync with the video and achieving desired audio levels.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Auphonic

Auphonic is an automated audio post-production service that helps to clean and enhance the audio quality of videos. In the video, Auphonic is used to balance the levels of music and dialogue, reduce noise, and improve the overall sound quality. It is mentioned as a service that can be used for free up to two hours of audio processing per month, which is sufficient for a YouTuber publishing a weekly video of around 10 to 15 minutes.

💡DaVinci Resolve

DaVinci Resolve is a professional video editing software that also includes advanced audio editing features. The script refers to it as the starting point for the audio editing process, where initial audio issues are identified and the audio mix is prepared for further processing in Auphonic. DaVinci Resolve is used to export the audio for Auphonic and later to replace the original audio with the processed version.

💡Plosives

Plosives are the sounds produced by sudden bursts of air when pronouncing certain consonants like 'p' and 'b'. In the context of the video, plosives can cause audio issues, especially when using a close-talking microphone for podcasting. The script suggests using a foam cover to mitigate plosive problems, illustrating the practical application of audio recording techniques.

💡Adaptive Leveling

Adaptive leveling is a feature within Auphonic that automatically adjusts the volume levels of audio to achieve a consistent loudness. The video explains that this feature is used to balance the dialogue and music, ensuring that they are at appropriate levels relative to each other without manual intervention.

💡Compression

In audio production, compression is the process of reducing the dynamic range of an audio signal to make it sound louder and more consistent. The script mentions setting the compressor to auto in Auphonic, which helps to achieve the desired loudness without causing distortion.

💡Filtering

Filtering in audio processing refers to the use of equalization to remove or enhance certain frequency ranges. The script mentions using 'voice auto EQ' in Auphonic to clean up the audio, which suggests that filtering is applied to improve the clarity and quality of the sound.

💡Loudness Normalization

Loudness normalization is the process of adjusting the volume of audio to meet specific loudness standards, such as -16 LUFS for YouTube. The video script explains choosing -16 LUFS for dialogue-heavy content and setting the maximum peak level to -1.5 dB true peak to ensure the audio is optimized for online platforms.

💡Noise Reduction

Noise reduction is the process of removing unwanted background noise from an audio recording. The script discusses setting the noise reduction to a dynamic level of 12 dB to subtly reduce noise without making the audio sound robotic or overly processed.

💡Remove Breathings

Remove breathings is a feature in Auphonic that lessens the audible breaths between spoken words, which can be distracting in audio recordings. The video script cautions against setting the reduction amount too high, as it can make the audio sound unnatural by completely eliminating breaths.

💡Bounce Mix to Track

In DaVinci Resolve, 'Bounce Mix to Track' is a function used to export the audio mix from the timeline to a new track. The script describes using this feature to prepare the audio for processing in Auphonic, highlighting a key step in the workflow between video and audio editing software.

💡Export Audio Files

Exporting audio files is the process of saving the audio from a video editing project into a standalone audio format, such as WAV or MP3. The script details the steps to export audio from DaVinci Resolve with specific settings for use in Auphonic, emphasizing the importance of choosing the right format and settings for optimal audio quality.

Highlights

Auphonic is a service that automates audio post-production for video content.

Auphonic offers a free plan for processing up to two hours of audio per month.

Paid plans are available for users requiring more than two hours of audio processing monthly.

Auphonic is suitable for YouTubers publishing videos weekly with a duration of 10 to 15 minutes.

The tutorial demonstrates using Auphonic within DaVinci Resolve's Fairlight tab.

Issues such as unbalanced music and dialogue, prominent breaths, and background noise are addressed by Auphonic.

A step-by-step guide on how to export audio from DaVinci Resolve for Auphonic processing is provided.

Instructions on muting original tracks and exporting the selected audio clip are included.

Auphonic allows uploading and processing of audio files through its web interface.

Custom settings in Auphonic such as adaptive leveling, filtering, and noise reduction are explained.

The importance of setting the correct loudness normalization for YouTube is discussed.

Auphonic's noise reduction feature can be adjusted to avoid sounding robotic.

The tutorial covers how to handle breathing sounds in audio to maintain naturalness.

Auphonic's automatic cutting feature should be avoided for video to prevent altering audio length.

The processed audio is then downloaded and imported back into DaVinci Resolve.

Ensuring the processed audio is in sync with the video and checking levels completes the tutorial.

Final steps include exporting the video with the improved audio.