What is Audio Post-Production in Film and TV?
When you watch a movie or TV show, you're probably drawn to the visuals—the stunning landscapes, the dramatic lighting, the actors’ performances. But there is an unseen layer that shapes your experience just as much: sound.
From the roar of an explosion to the subtle rustle of clothing, the emotional pull of music, or even the quiet stillness between lines of dialogue—all of this is poured over during audio post-production.
Let’s take a closer look at what audio post-production is, why it’s essential, and how it transforms a film from raw footage to a polished cinematic experience.
Avid S1 with the Avid Control app on the Mix Desk at ATX Audio Post.
What Is Audio Post-Production?
Audio post-production is the stage in filmmaking where all sound elements—dialogue, sound effects, Foley, ambience, and music—are edited, enhanced, and mixed to support the story and emotion of the film.
It happens after filming is done and is often one of the final steps before a film is released.
The Main Stages of Audio Post-Production
1. Dialogue Editing
What it is: Editing the dialogue recorded on set to make it sound seamless from shot to shot and scene to scene. Consistency is the goal here.
Why it matters: Production audio is often noisy or inconsistent. Editors remove background noise, fix timing issues, and make sure every word is clear and natural.
Common process: Building and inserting fill that bridges shots together, compositing takes together, and removing unwanted sounds (like airplane flyovers)
Dialogue Editing Pro Tools Session screenshot at ATX Audio Post
2. ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement)
What it is: Re-recording dialogue in a studio when the original audio isn’t usable.
Why it matters: Bad audio can distract the audience. ADR ensures clarity and emotional delivery.
Fun fact: Actors watch their scenes and re-perform lines to match their own on-screen lip movements.
ADR Recording at ATX Audio Post
3. Foley
What it is: Any time a character makes a non-vocal sound or interacts with the world in-scene, that is sound is re-created. It involves recording everyday sounds that the character’s body would make like footsteps, cloth movements, and interactions with doors, props, etc.
Why it matters: These subtle, natural sounds make scenes feel more real and immersive. There is a practical element as well, for instance, when a line is spoken over an effect that is seen prominently on screen, the effect needs to be re-recorded in order to be heard over or alongside the line.
How it's done: Foley artists use creative props—like walking on gravel to simulate a rocky trail, or like using a sopping paper towel to sound like meatballs falling from the sky—to mimic the action on screen.
Foley Artist Susan Fitz-Simon records foley for ATX Audio Post at the Soundcrafter foley stage
4. Sound Effects Editing
What it is: Sound effects editing involves syncing to picture and layering pre-recorded sound effects, either that the sound team recorded themselves, or from pre recorded sound libraries. These are referred to as “hard effects” and typically cover things like cars, animal sounds, gunshots, explosions, etc.
Why it matters: Sound effects are what we “expect” to hear in a sound mix. They include every day sounds like cars passing by, and more unique sounds like the sizzle of a lit cannon fuse, followed by the explosion and hurling of a cannon ball.
Process: Sound teams sometimes source particular vehicles, weapons, or other props in order to record specific sounds needed for a scene. Other times, they pull in pre recorded sound effects from sound libraries. Often, what audiences perceive as “a sound effect” is actually several layers of different sounds stacked together to create a full, rich effect.
5. Sound Design
What it is: Creating or enhancing sounds that don’t exist naturally (or aren’t captured on set), like sci-fi weapons or magical spells. These sound effects (or sound-scapes) work to cinematically enhance a story. Sound design can also include abstract sounds matched to motion graphics or other pieces of animation that exist only media and have no accompanying natural sound.
Why it matters: Sound design brings life to elements that only exist in the film’s world.
Tools used: Synthesizers, sound libraries, and digital manipulation.
6. Ambience and Backgrounds
What it is: Layering in the sounds of the environment—like the din of a distant city, traffic passing by, birds chirping, or wind in the trees.
Why it matters: Background sounds anchor a scene in a place and time, helping the audience feel like they’re really there.
7. Mixing (The Final Mix)
What it is: Balancing all audio elements—dialogue, music, effects—into a cohesive whole. It involves manipulating volume, equalization, and dynamics to achieve a cohesive mix that bolsters the story being told.
Why it matters: The mix ensures that nothing is too loud or too quiet and that everything sounds great across theaters, TVs, and headphones.
Tools used: Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) like Pro Tools, and mixing stages with surround sound setups.
Mixing Screenshot at ATX Audio Post
The Goal: A Seamless, Emotional Experience
Great audio post-production should be invisible to the audience. You shouldn’t notice ADR or Foley—you should just feel immersed in the story.
When done right, audio elevates the emotional tone, enhances realism, and deepens the impact of every scene. Think of Star Wars without the textured hum of lightsabers. Or the quick cut montages in Requiem for a Dream without the literal and abstract effects emphasizing the picture cuts and on-screen action. Or Fight Club without the, well… fighting sounds. Not quite the same, right?
Final Thoughts
Audio post-production is where sound becomes storytelling. It’s a behind-the-scenes art that takes raw recordings and sculpts them into an immersive soundscape that pulls you into the film’s world.
So next time you’re watching your favorite movie, close your eyes for a moment. What do you hear? Every footstep, breath, and musical note was put there for a reason—and that's the magic of audio post.
Want to learn more about the sound side of filmmaking? Reach out to us or explore other posts in our “What is Audio Post Production?” series!