Adjustable Fading Out for Language Learning Videos

Special Interest Groups Audacity in Education
1

Hello,

I’m creating some videos for language learning. They consist of an introductory text followed by an exercise.

All along the video the user listens to a soundtrack, whose volume decreases while the user does the exercise. I reduce the volume during the exercise by entering a negative value in Effect > Volume and Compression > Amplify (e.g. -12dB)

Let me give you an example. Let’s say we have a video consisting of 50 seconds. The exercise starts in second #15.

To provide a smooth transition between the mainstream volume and the decreased volume during the exercise part, I create a “fade out” effect between seconds #12 and #15 by applying Fading > Fade Out

However, if I do this, the volume in second #15 increases from 0% (because it fades out completely) to the decreased volume value that I selected for the exercise.

What could I do so that the sound fades out in second #12 and matches the volume of the exercise without fading out completely? I’ve tried Fading > Adjustable Fade but haven’t been able to achieve this.

2

I think I found the solution on Youtube and it works fine for me.

I can do this by using “keyframes.” Here’s a tutorial in case somebody else needs it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuSXIqEZbRM

3

I don’t think that “keyframes” is the correct word, but yes you can use the Envelope Too.


Other options include Audacity’s “Auto Duck” effect, and the “Adjustable Fade” effect.

There’s a full list of effects that are included in Audacity, here: https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/index_of_effects_generators_and_analyzers.html

4

Thanks, I think I’ll use the auto duck effect.

5

Tip: Play with it first with an unimportant project. It may take a few goes to get the effect exactly like you want it, but once you’ve got the hang of it, it’s a very useful and time-saving effect.