James Cunliffe

Film & Video | Video Editing

The importance of audio in video editing: tips and tricks

As a video editor, it’s easy to focus on the visual aspects of your project and overlook the importance of audio. But good audio is just as important as good video, and can make a huge difference in the overall quality of your project. Here are some tips and tricks for getting the best audio in your video edits:

Invest in a good microphone:

A good microphone is essential for capturing high-quality audio. Consider investing in a directional or shotgun microphone, which can help reduce background noise and capture clear, detailed audio.

Use a separate audio recording device:

If possible, try to use a separate audio recording device – such as a digital audio recorder – to capture your audio. This will give you more control over the audio quality and allow you to make adjustments in post-production.

Adjust your audio levels:

Make sure to adjust your audio levels during the editing process to ensure that your audio is clear and audible. Use the audio metres in your software to guide you, and be sure to remove any background noise or unwanted audio.

Use equalisation (EQ) to shape your audio:

Equalization (EQ) allows you to adjust the frequency spectrum of your audio to shape its overall sound. Use it to boost or cut specific frequencies, or to create a specific sound or feel.

Use compression and limiting:

Compression and limiting can help even out the dynamic range of your audio, making it more consistent and easier to listen to. Use them to smooth out any peaks or valleys in your audio, or to give it more punch.

Related Articles

New Skool Community

The Hidden Archive: Free Creative Tools, Resources and a New Teleprompter App Over the past few years, I’ve created a slightly ridiculous number of things. Books. Apps. Courses. Music. Videos. Experiments. Resources. Some useful, some strange, and quite a few that sit somewhere in between. One of the things I’ve wanted to do for a while is create a single place where I can bring more of this work together and make it accessible to people who might find it useful. That place is The Hidden Archive Skool community. The idea is to build a growing library of creative

Read More

The Hidden Archive

What is The Hidden Archive? The YouTube channel finally got a rebrand. I realised two years ago that my YouTube page was starting to feel uncurated. The simple truth was that being multidisciplinary, and wanting to explore a wide variety of mediums, had led to a kind of anti-niching. In my own way, I was navigating the principle of correspondence. In creative abstraction terms, that essentially means gaining an understanding of multiple fields and then connecting the dots between them to deepen my understanding of creativity as a whole. That said, I realised that on the surface, this

Read More

What Are UFOs?

What Are UFOs and What Do They Say About Humanity? Back in 2024, I went down the rabbit hole of UFOs/ UAPs. It was around the time David Grusch hit the scene and it really did seem like we were going to get disclosure any day. There was an energy around the topic, it felt charged, so much so that I found I could rarely think of much else. I read American Cosmic by Diana Pasulka, picked up Elizondo’s Imminent, watched all the congressional hearings on the topic, and got hooked on AJ’s The Why Files. The whole

Read More

The Gnostic Creation Story

Why This Story Is Valuable While researching the Red Book series, I’d occasionally read comments linking Jung’s work to Gnosticism. I was raised by Christians, and although I’m agnostic myself (if I had to put a label on it), I’m still interested in the history of religion and more recently whether the stories hold any value in the modern world. I eventually made my way to an Alex O’Connor video with Bart Erhman where they outlined the core aspects of the Gnostic Creation Story, from the Apocryphon of John. Which then led me to a translation of those

Read More

James Cunliffe

Creative & Multimedia Artist

A full-time creative sharing the journey.

Previously an animation technician for a subsidiary of Epic Games. As well as a digital producer, creative director, and gaming media content lead for multiple award-winning agencies.

I lead end-to-end content delivery, shaping the idea, building the plan, and directing execution through production + post.

Latest Book
My Current Focus
Latest Videos
Scroll to Top