Ducking lowers your background music for a set part of your video so commentary or a big crowd moment comes through clearly. This article shows you how to add a duck to a music track in the Video Editor and set when it happens, how far the music drops and how smoothly it fades.
[VIDEO PLACEHOLDER: Video_Editor_09_Audio_Ducking_v1.1.mp4]
What ducking does
When you add music to a highlight or compilation, it plays at the same volume the whole way through. That works for most of the video, but it can drown out the moments that matter, such as the commentator calling a goal or the crowd reacting.
Ducking solves this without cutting the music. For the section you choose, the music dips to a lower level, then rises back up afterwards. The viewer still hears the music, but the important audio sits on top of it.
For example, in a Harbour City (HCF) v Ridgeview (RVR) highlight, you might duck the music for the few seconds where HCF scores so the commentary and the crowd at LIGR Demo Stadium are clear.
Before you start
Open your project in the Video Editor.
Make sure your music is already on the timeline as its own track.
Make sure the clip with the commentary or crowd audio you want to hear is also on the timeline, so you know where the duck needs to go.
Add a duck to your music
On the timeline, click the music track to select it. Ducking is applied to the music, not to the clip you want to hear.
In the settings for the selected music, find Ducking.
Click the + next to Ducking. A new duck is added and its settings appear, ready for you to adjust.
Tip: play through your video first and note when the key moment starts and finishes. This makes the next step much quicker.
Set the duck
Each duck has four things to set. Together they control when the music dips, how far it drops and how smoothly it moves.
Start and end
Set where the duck starts and where it ends. This is the section of the video where the music is lowered. Line these up with the moment you want to hear, for example from just before the shot on goal until the celebration settles down.
Level
Set the level the music drops to during the duck. A lower level makes the music quieter, so the commentary or crowd stands out more. A higher level keeps more of the music audible. Choose a level that lets the key audio come through clearly without the music disappearing completely, unless that is the effect you want.
Ramp
The ramp is how quickly the music fades down at the start of the duck and back up at the end. A short ramp gives a quick, noticeable dip. A longer ramp gives a smoother, more gradual fade that is harder to notice. If the change in volume sounds sudden or jumpy, try a longer ramp.
Check the result
Once your duck is set, it shows on the music track in the timeline, so you can see exactly which section is lowered.
Move the playhead to just before the duck.
Play the video in the preview player.
Listen as the music dips while the key moment plays, then comes back up afterwards.
If it does not sound right, select the music again and adjust the start, end, level or ramp.
When you are happy, carry on editing or export your video as normal. The ducking is included in the exported file.
Tips and common mistakes
Select the music, not the clip. The duck lowers the volume of the track it is added to. If you add it to the commentary clip, you will lower the audio you wanted to hear.
Start a little early. Begin the duck slightly before the key moment so the music is already down when the commentary starts.
Use the ramp to hide the change. A smooth ramp makes the dip feel natural rather than sudden.
Recheck after trimming. If you trim or move clips after adding a duck, play the video again to make sure the duck still lines up with the right moment.
One moment, one duck. If you have several moments to bring forward, such as two goals, set up a duck for each one rather than lowering the music for the whole video.