| name | sidechain-and-music-ducking |
| description | Use when balancing music + voice. Sidechain ducking lowers music when voice plays.
|
Sidechain and Music Ducking
Sidechain ducking = music automatically lowers when voice speaks, recovers when voice stops. Modern voice-over standard.
Manual ducking
Old-school approach:
- Place music track on timeline
- Identify voice sections
- Manually lower music volume during voice (keyframes)
- Restore volume during pauses
- Result: voice clear, music supportive
Tedious but precise.
Sidechain compression
Modern approach:
- Voice track sidechains into music compressor
- When voice exceeds threshold, music compressor reduces music
- Music returns when voice stops
- Settings: -12 dBFS threshold, 4:1 ratio, 5ms attack, 200ms release
Faster, more dynamic.
Music volume targets
Voiceover with background music:
- Voice: -12 to -6 dBFS peaks, -18 dBFS RMS
- Music: -24 to -18 dBFS (under voice)
- Music during pauses: -12 to -8 dBFS
- Ducking depth: 10-15 dB reduction during voice
Where this fits in the X3 empire
Audio mixing for CardPrepAI tutorial videos with music.