Video production company in Melbourne, Australia.
We mix dialogue, voiceover, music, ambience and sound effects for your video, making speech easy to hear and balancing the volume throughout.
Finishing the sound
We listen for uneven speech levels, background noise and abrupt changes between recordings.
We smooth the dialogue edits and balance the levels between speakers. We set the music low enough to hear the words comfortably, then bring it up where appropriate between spoken sections. Recorded location sound helps retain the atmosphere of the scene.
An interview video might use just speech and music. An animation, commercial or event film may involve more layers of sound.
Recording captures the voices and location sound during filming. Editing and mixing happen afterwards, when we prepare the recordings and combine them into the finished soundtrack.
During filming, we choose and position microphones, monitor the recording and deal with room noise where possible. For interviews, we may use a shotgun microphone just out of frame. A wireless lapel microphone can be useful when following someone as they move or filming a documentary.
See how Dream Engine approaches sound recording for video.
During video editing, we work with those recordings alongside voiceover, music and effects. Dialogue editing and noise reduction prepare the audio for the final mix.
We normally do the final mix once the picture edit is settled.
Our process
We work through the video in sequence, checking the balance as speakers, music and scenes change.
Audio meters help us spot peaks and uneven levels. We also listen through the edit to check that voices sound natural, music edits are smooth and the volume stays comfortable.
We sync separately recorded dialogue with the picture, then organise the voiceover, music and effects tracks.
We choose the clearest recording, tidy the joins and use short fades and room tone (the background sound of the room) to smooth the cuts.
We reduce steady background noise, low rumble and clicks where possible, and even out small differences in volume.
We set dialogue levels first, then adjust the music, ambience and effects around the speech.
We listen across each edit for unwanted clicks, gaps or sudden changes in volume.
We check the levels, peaks and stereo balance of the main video and each cutdown, then export them to the agreed audio specification.
Dialogue first
Whether we’re working with interviews, presenters or voiceover, we aim for a consistent volume while preserving the person’s natural delivery.
We may use gentle equalisation, compression, level adjustments and noise reduction where they help. Too much processing can make speech sound muffled or metallic, so we check that voices still sound natural.
Between answers: short fades and natural room tone help smooth the joins between dialogue clips.
Between recordings: we match the tone and volume when combining audio from different microphones or takes.
Between speakers: we adjust the levels so one person is as easy to hear as the next.
With music: we lower the track during speech and bring it up in the gaps where appropriate.
The audio tracks
A track may need to be brought forward, kept in the background or faded out as the scene changes.
We keep voices at a consistent level and smooth the joins between answers.
We time the narration to the picture and graphics, allowing for pauses and emphasis.
Music helps set the tone and pace. We edit the track to fit the sequence and adjust its volume around the speech.
Location sound establishes the setting. Effects can accompany an animation, highlight a step in a demonstration or link two scenes.
Music selection and sound design begin before the final mix. See how we choose music and sound effects for your video.
Sound design
In an animation, product demonstration or commercial, an effect might accompany a moving graphic, a logo reveal or a button press. Background sound can also maintain the atmosphere of a location after the dialogue has been edited.
Interviews often need only speech, music and recorded ambience. Extra effects can be distracting, so we use them sparingly.
Playback
We check that the music doesn’t overwhelm the speech, including when the video is played at a lower volume.
People may watch on a phone in a noisy place or with the sound off. We keep speech prominent in the mix and check that any captions are accurate and easy to read.
Tell us if your video will play through a venue’s sound system. We’ll check any audio requirements with you before preparing that version.
If a broadcaster, agency or platform supplies an audio specification, we check it before export and prepare the required version.
Most Dream Engine corporate videos are delivered with a stereo mix. If you need separate dialogue, music and effects files (known as stems), specialist audio restoration or broadcast mastering, we’ll agree on that work before the final export. See our guide to video distribution for more on planning delivery.
Client review
Can you follow every interview answer, presenter line and voiceover without straining?
Does the music suit the video, and can you hear the speech comfortably over it?
Are names and technical terms correct and pronounced as intended?
Do any cuts, music changes or effects sound too loud, too quiet or abrupt?
Listen in a reasonably quiet place, using headphones as well as the device you normally watch videos on. If something sounds wrong, send us the timecode and describe what you hear. We’ll work out how to address it.
We’ll listen to the recordings and explain what we can improve. The result depends on how the audio was captured and how much background noise or distortion is present.
We can often reduce steady hum, low rumble and small clicks, smooth rough edits and even out differences in volume.
Strong room echo, changing background noise, heavy wind, clothing rustle and overlapping voices can be difficult to remove without affecting the speech.
Badly clipped or distorted speech, missing words and voices buried in background noise may need to be recorded again.
Frequently asked questions
A stereo sound mix is normally included in a complete Dream Engine production. We’ll quote separately for specialist restoration, extensive sound design, broadcast mastering, separate stems or work on a large amount of supplied audio.
Sound recording happens during filming and captures interviews, presenters, location sound and other source audio. Sound mixing happens in post-production and brings dialogue, voiceover, music, ambience and effects together into the finished soundtrack.
Steady background noise, rumble and clicks can often be reduced. Strong echo, wind, distortion, changing noise or sound that covers the words may not be removable without making the voice sound unnatural.
It depends on the voice and the music. We adjust the track throughout the edit so you can hear the speech comfortably, bringing it up where appropriate when there’s no dialogue.
No. We might add an effect to a transition, animation or product demonstration, or use background sound to establish a location. Many corporate interview videos need only dialogue, music and natural ambience.
Yes. We’ll review your edit and audio files, including any separate microphone recordings, and ask where the video will be used. We can then explain what work is needed and any problems we may not be able to fix.
We normally do the final mix once the picture edit is settled. An early rough cut may have temporary music and roughly balanced dialogue. We’ll let you know when the sound is ready for review.
Tell us what you’re making, where it’ll be shown and whether you’ve already filmed it. We can plan the sound as part of the production or assess the audio you have.
