Audio editing and effects
Edit audio tracks, waveforms, volume, mute, fades, extracted audio, mixdown, EQ, compressor, reverb, delay, noise reduction, and voice changer.
Good audio makes edits feel professional. Use the timeline and properties panel to balance voice, music, sound effects, and source audio.
Audio track types
Pluged AI can work with:
- Audio embedded in video clips.
- Uploaded audio files.
- Library audio from the Sounds panel.
- Generated TTS voiceovers.
- Extracted/separated audio from video.
- Sound effects.
- Music beds.
Audio is mixed during preview and export.
Read the waveform
Waveforms show loudness over time.
- Tall peaks are loud sections.
- Flat areas are silence or very quiet audio.
- Sudden spikes are hits, claps, pops, or loud words.
Use waveforms to:
- Find speech starts.
- Cut silence.
- Align SFX to action.
- Place music hits.
- Check whether audio exists in a video clip.
Adjust volume
From the timeline
- Select or hover an audio clip.
- Use the clip volume line if available.
- Drag down to reduce volume.
- Preview the mix.
From properties
- Select the clip.
- Open the right properties panel.
- Click Audio.
- Adjust Volume in dB.
- Toggle Muted if needed.
Start by lowering music under speech rather than making speech louder.
Add fades
Fades prevent abrupt audio starts and stops.
- Select the audio clip.
- Open Audio properties.
- Set Fade in and Fade out durations.
- Preview the clip boundary.
Use short fades for dialogue cuts and longer fades for music transitions.
Mute a clip
To temporarily mute audio:
- Select the clip.
- Toggle Muted in Audio properties.
Use mute when comparing versions or disabling source audio under music.
Separate audio from video
Use audio separation when you want independent control.
- Select a video clip with audio.
- Use the context menu or source audio extraction control.
- Choose Separate audio or the equivalent action.
- The audio appears as a separate timeline element.
- Move, trim, fade, or process it independently.
This is useful for J-cuts, L-cuts, replacing original audio, or cleaning dialogue.
Link and unlink audio
Linked clips stay in sync.
- Linked — video and audio move together.
- Unlinked — video and audio can move independently.
Use unlinking carefully. If sync matters, relink after edits.
Add music or sound effects
- Open Sounds in the left panel.
- Search for music or SFX.
- Preview results.
- Add the sound to the project.
- Drag it to an audio track.
- Trim and fade it.
See Sounds and music for the full sounds workflow.
Add text-to-speech voiceover
- Open Text to speech.
- Type your script.
- Choose a voice.
- Adjust speed.
- Generate and preview.
- Add to the timeline.
See Text to speech for details.
Audio effects
Open audio effects from the selected audio clip's properties.
Equalizer
Controls:
- Low shelf.
- Mid gain.
- Mid frequency.
- Mid Q.
- High shelf.
Use EQ to remove rumble, add clarity, or soften harshness.
Compressor
Controls:
- Threshold.
- Ratio.
- Attack.
- Release.
- Knee.
Use compression to smooth voice levels and reduce sudden loud peaks.
Reverb
Reverb adds room or space.
Pluged AI uses deterministic synthetic impulse responses for consistent preview/export results.
Use subtle reverb for voice or sound design. Avoid heavy reverb on tutorials or speech-heavy videos.
Delay
Delay creates echo.
Use it for music, transitions, or stylized voice moments.
Noise reduction
Noise reduction can reduce hiss or background noise.
Use it carefully. Too much can create artifacts or robotic speech.
Voice changer / pitch shift
Voice changer changes pitch without changing duration.
Use it for:
- Character voices.
- Anonymous voice effects.
- Comedic moments.
- Music-style pitch effects.
Audio mastering and headroom
Aim for clean headroom:
- Dialogue should be clear above music.
- Avoid red or clipped peaks.
- Leave headroom for export mixdown.
- Fade music under speech.
A simple starting point:
- Keep voice as the main reference.
- Lower music until speech is easy to understand.
- Add SFX slightly below voice unless it is the focus.
- Preview on headphones and speakers.
Export mixdown
During export, Pluged AI mixes active audio tracks into the final file unless audio is disabled in export settings.
Remember:
- GIF exports have no audio.
- MP4 and WebM can include or exclude audio.
- Muted clips should not be heard.
- Hidden visual clips do not necessarily mute audio unless the audio element is muted.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Fix |
|---|---|
| No audio in export | Check export Include audio setting and clip mute states |
| Music is too loud | Lower music volume or add fades/ducking manually |
| Voice sounds distorted | Lower volume, reduce compression, check source audio |
| Audio out of sync | Re-link clips or undo accidental audio movement |
| Noise reduction sounds robotic | Lower the amount or remove it |