Talk:Tutorial - Mixing a Narration With Background Music

=This us archived here after remomal from the page= It was formerly in "Step 5: Adjust relative volume levels"

Optional - Using the Auto Duck Effect
I'm all for leaving this out, or at least making it optional. I don't particularly like the Auto Duck effect. It is slow (about 1:30 to do a 6-minute track, and is slowest when it has to duck, actually very fast when there is white space in the control track) which makes it very time consuming to try different settings, and then apply it to the entire production. Tweaking the envelopes is more flexible IMO, and does not commit the changes. The only reason this is included is because it was mentioned in the outline that was here before I started.
 * Peter 13May12: And if we did leave this out, it would make this tutorial more applicable to legacy as well as current Audacity - and thus we could re-consider trimming the equivalent Wiki tutorial http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Creating_a_simple_voice_and_music_Podcast_with_Audacity

Have a look at the Auto Duck page for an overview of how it works.

If you've decided to try the Auto Duck effect you first need to undo the envelope you created in the step above. Repeatedly choose Edit > Undo Envelope until all the envelope control points are gone.

Note that to use this effect the narration track (which Auto Duck calls the control track) must be below the music track. So we need to drag the music track above the narration track. Click on the Track Control Panel of the music track (being careful not to click on the buttons, sliders or the drop-down menu) and drag the music track above the narration track.

With the music track above the narration track, select a portion of the music track that overlaps one of the narration clips, with two or three seconds extra on each side. Choose Effect > Auto Duck. For now, accept the default parameters (-12 dB, 1 second, 0.5 seconds, 0.5 seconds, 0 seconds, 0 seconds, -30 dB) and click the button. After the effect completes, listen to the result. If you don't like it, choose Edit > Undo. Bring up the Auto Duck dialog again and change the parameters. Continue trying different parameters until you get a result you like.

When you have settings for the Auto Duck effect that you like, choose Edit > Undo one more time. Then click on the Track Control Panel of the music track to select the entire track. Choose Effect > Auto Duck one last time. Click the button to apply the Auto Duck effect to the entire music track.


 * [[image:Tutorial3AutoDuck.png|image of tracks after Auto Duck has been applied]]

Note the difference between this and the use of Envelopes: Auto Duck has altered the music track, and the effect is permanent.