How to Edit Audio in DaVinci Resolve: A Step-by-Step Guide

DaVinci Resolve is best known for its color grading tools, but it also contains a fully featured audio editing environment that most video editors only scratch the surface of. Whether you need to trim a dialogue track, reduce background noise, or mix a full multi-track project, everything you need is already inside the application. This guide walks through the complete audio workflow, from basic timeline edits to professional mixing and final export.

Understanding DaVinci Resolve’s Two Audio Workspaces

The most common source of confusion for new DaVinci Resolve users is not knowing which page to use for audio work. DaVinci Resolve separates audio tasks across two distinct environments, and choosing the right one early saves a significant amount of time.

The Edit page is where most editors spend the majority of their project time. It handles audio at the clip level, directly alongside video. You can trim clips, adjust volume, add simple fades, and make gain corrections without ever leaving the page. It is the right place for quick fixes and inline adjustments during the video editing phase.

The Fairlight page is a dedicated, DAW-grade audio workstation built into DaVinci Resolve. It provides a full mixer, automation lanes, parametric EQ, a compressor, loudness metering, and an effects library that includes noise reduction. Think of it as the equivalent of Adobe Audition or Logic Pro, but integrated directly into your editing software. It is the right place once your video edit is locked and you are ready to treat audio seriously.

A solid audio workflow in DaVinci Resolve moves from the Edit page to the Fairlight page. Do your rough clip work in the Edit page, then switch to Fairlight for cleanup, mixing, and quality control.

How to Import and Organize Audio Clips in DaVinci Resolve

Before any editing begins, you need to get your audio files into the project properly. DaVinci Resolve supports WAV, MP3, AAC, AIFF, and most other common audio formats through the Media Pool.

1. Open the Media Pool in the Edit page (top-left panel). Right-click inside the Media Pool and select “Import Media,” or drag files directly from your file browser into the panel.

2. Create a dedicated bin for audio files. Right-click in the Media Pool and select “New Bin.” Keeping dialogue, music, and sound effects in separate bins makes the project easier to navigate.

3. Drag audio clips to the timeline. Place dialogue on a dedicated audio track (A1), music on a separate track (A2), and sound effects on another (A3), and so on. Separation by track type gives you independent control over each element.

4. Unlink audio from video when you need to move them independently. Hold Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) and click the audio portion of a linked clip. This selects only the audio, allowing you to trim or reposition it without affecting the video.

5. Check your sample rate. Go to File > Project Settings > Master Settings and confirm the timeline sample rate matches your source audio (48 kHz is the standard for video projects). A mismatch causes pitch and speed issues.

Basic Audio Editing on the Edit Page Timeline

Most audio problems in a video project can be addressed without leaving the Edit page. The tools here are straightforward, and mastering them covers the majority of what a typical video edit requires.

Trimming and Cutting Audio Clips

Trimming audio on the Edit page works the same way as trimming video. Hover over the left or right edge of an audio clip until the trim cursor appears, then drag inward to shorten the clip. To cut a clip at the playhead, press Ctrl+B (Windows) or Cmd+B (macOS) with the Blade tool active, or simply press B to switch to the Blade tool temporarily.

For dialogue cleanup, cut tightly around each line of speech and delete the silent gaps between takes. This gives you precise control over pacing and makes noise reduction in Fairlight more effective later.

To remove a section from the middle of a clip without leaving a gap, use the “Ripple Delete” function. Select the region, right-click, and choose “Ripple Delete.” The surrounding clips will close the gap automatically.

Adjusting Volume and Clip Gain

Every audio clip on the timeline has a thin white horizontal line running across it. This is the volume overlay bar. Click and drag it upward to increase volume or downward to decrease it. The change applies only to that individual clip and is expressed in decibels relative to the clip’s original level.

For more precise control, use the Audio Inspector. Select a clip, then open the Inspector panel (top-right). The Inspector shows a Clip Gain slider that adjusts the raw input level of the clip before any other processing. This is the correct place to fix a clip that was recorded too quietly or too loudly, because gain adjustment happens before effects in the signal chain.

A useful shortcut: right-click any audio clip and select “Normalize Clip Levels” to have DaVinci Resolve automatically bring the clip to a target peak level. This is a fast starting point, though manual adjustment usually produces more consistent results across multiple clips.

Adding Fades and Crossfades

Abrupt audio cuts are one of the most noticeable problems in a finished video. DaVinci Resolve makes fades easy to add directly on the timeline.

Hover over the top-left or top-right corner of any audio clip. A small fade handle appears. Click and drag it inward to create a fade-in (left corner) or fade-out (right corner). The shape of the fade curve can be adjusted by right-clicking the fade area and selecting from options such as linear, ease in, or ease out.

To create a crossfade between two adjacent clips, place them directly next to each other with no gap, select both, and go to Effects Library. Then, navigate to Video Transitions and choose “Cross Dissolve.”

Working in the Fairlight Page for Advanced Audio Editing

Once your basic timeline edits are complete, switch to the Fairlight page by clicking the musical note icon in the toolbar at the bottom of the screen. This is where serious audio work happens.

Navigating the Fairlight Interface

The Fairlight page has five main areas:

• Track headers (left side): Show each audio track with mute, solo, arm, and input controls.

• Timeline (center): Displays audio waveforms. You can zoom in horizontally for precise editing.

• Mixer (right side): A vertical strip mixer for each track with faders, send controls, and bus routing.

• Meters (far right): Real-time level metering showing peak and RMS values.

• Effects Library (top-left panel): A searchable library of audio plugins including EQ, compressor, noise reduction, and reverb.

If you do not see the mixer, press Shift+6 to toggle it. If the Effects Library panel is not visible, go to View > Show Effects Library.

Using Volume Automation and Keyframes

Volume automation allows you to draw precise volume changes across the length of a track, which is essential for mixing dialogue against music or sound effects.

1. Click the automation button on the track header (it looks like a small waveform or “A” icon) to enable automation view.

2. In the timeline, you will see a horizontal automation lane below the waveform for that track.

3. Use the Curve tool (press F8 or select it from the toolbar) to click on the automation lane and add keyframes.

4. Drag keyframes up to raise volume at that moment, or down to lower it.

5. Click between two keyframes and drag the curve to create smooth ramp transitions rather than sudden jumps.

This technique is particularly useful for ducking background music under dialogue. Set the music track to a comfortable listening level, then add automation dips wherever a voice is speaking.

Applying Audio Effects from the Effects Library

DaVinci Resolve’s Fairlight page ships with a library of built-in audio effects that cover the most common post-production needs.

1. Open the Effects Library panel from the top-left of the Fairlight page.

2. Browse or search for the effect you want (for example, “Noise Reduction,” “Reverb,” or “De-Esser”).

3. Drag the effect directly onto a track in the timeline or onto the track header to apply it to the entire track.

4. The effect opens in the Clip/Track Inspector panel on the right side of the screen. Adjust parameters there.

To manage multiple effects on one track, click the small “FX” button on the track header to open the effects chain for that track. Effects process from top to bottom, so order matters. Generally, place noise reduction and EQ before compression.

How to Remove Background Noise in DaVinci Resolve?

Background noise, whether it is room hum, air conditioning, or outdoor ambience, is one of the most common problems in raw footage. DaVinci Resolve includes a built-in Noise Reduction plugin in Fairlight that handles moderate noise effectively without requiring a third-party plugin.

1. Switch to the Fairlight page and locate the clip or track with background noise.

2. Identify a region of “room tone” in your clip, a moment where only the background noise is present with no dialogue or intended sound. Even one to two seconds is sufficient.

3. Open the Effects Library and search for “Noise Reduction.” Drag it onto the affected track.

4. In the Noise Reduction plugin panel, click “Learn” or “Auto Speech Mode” (the exact label varies by Resolve version) while the playhead is over your room-tone region. This samples the noise fingerprint.

5. Press play and listen to the result. Adjust the Threshold slider to control how aggressively the plugin identifies noise. Adjust the Reduction slider to control how much of the identified noise is removed.

6. Avoid pushing reduction above 70-80%. Over-processing creates an unnatural “underwater” effect on the audio. A light touch leaves the recording sounding natural while still improving clarity.

7. Apply the same noise profile to additional clips from the same recording environment by copying the effect settings.

Note: Noise reduction in post can improve audio, but it cannot fully recover severely noisy recordings. If background noise is a persistent problem in your projects, the most effective fix is at the recording stage. Using an omnidirectional wireless lavalier microphone like the Hollyland LARK MAX 2, which features AI Noise Cancellation and 32-bit Float Internal Recording, gives DaVinci Resolve’s Fairlight engine significantly better-quality audio to process from the start.

How to EQ and Compress Audio in DaVinci Resolve?

Equalization and compression are the two most important tools for making audio sound polished and consistent. DaVinci Resolve’s Fairlight page includes both as built-in processors.

Opening the EQ panel:

1. In Fairlight, double-click a track header or click the EQ button on the track strip in the mixer. The parametric EQ panel opens above the mixer.

2. The built-in EQ has six bands. Each band can be set to high-pass filter, low-shelf, bell, high-shelf, low-pass filter, or notch modes.

Common EQ adjustments for dialogue:

• Apply a high-pass filter at around 80-100 Hz to cut low-end rumble, handling noise, and HVAC hum that muddies speech.

• Boost gently around 2-4 kHz to add clarity and presence to a voice.

• Roll off slightly above 12 kHz if the recording sounds harsh or sibilant.

Adding compression:

1. From the Effects Library, drag the “Compressor” (or “Bus Compressor”) onto the dialogue track.

2. Start with a ratio of 3:1 and a threshold around -18 dBFS.

3. Set attack to around 10 ms to let transients through, and release to 100 ms for natural-sounding dynamics.

4. Adjust the output gain to compensate for volume reduction caused by compression. Aim for a gain reduction of 3-6 dB on average for dialogue, which keeps the voice consistent without squashing it.

Setting output levels for delivery:

Different platforms have different loudness targets. The Fairlight loudness meter (found in the meters panel) shows integrated LUFS, which is the standard measurement for broadcast and streaming loudness.

Use a Limiter as the final effect in your master bus chain, set to a true peak ceiling of -1 dBTP to prevent clipping on any platform.

How to Sync Audio and Video in DaVinci Resolve?

Dual-system audio recording, where you capture audio on a separate recorder from the camera, is common in indie film and documentary work. DaVinci Resolve has tools to sync these sources without third-party software.

1. Import both the camera clip and the external audio file into the Media Pool.

2. Select both clips in the Media Pool (hold Ctrl or Cmd to multi-select the video clip and the corresponding audio file).

3. Right-click the selected clips and choose “Auto Sync Audio” > “Based on Waveform.” DaVinci Resolve analyzes the shared audio waveform (both recordings captured ambient sound) and aligns them automatically.

4. The synced clip appears in the Media Pool. Drag it to the timeline. The external audio replaces the camera audio automatically.

5. For manual sync, place the video clip and audio file on separate tracks. Find the clapper/slate frame in the video and the corresponding spike in the audio waveform. Drag the audio clip until the spike aligns with the visual cue, then mute or delete the camera audio track.

To unlink audio from video on the timeline for independent repositioning, hold Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) and click the audio portion of the clip.

Exporting Your Project with Optimized Audio Settings

Correct export settings ensure that your audio quality is preserved from the timeline to the final delivered file. Go to the Deliver page by clicking the rocket icon at the bottom of the screen.

1. Select your export preset or create a custom one. For most video exports, choose H.264 or H.265 for video and configure audio separately.

2. Choose the audio codec:

• AAC for web delivery (YouTube, Vimeo, social media). Widely compatible and produces small file sizes.

• Linear PCM (WAV/AIFF) for professional handoff or broadcast master delivery.

3. Set sample rate to 48 kHz. This is the video industry standard. Using 44.1 kHz (which is common in music production) can cause compatibility issues in video players and broadcast systems.

4. Set bit depth to 24-bit at minimum for any professional delivery. Use a 32-bit float if you are handing audio off to a separate audio engineer or DAW for further processing.

5. For audio-only exports, select “Audio” from the Format drop-down. Choose WAV or AIFF and configure the codec settings as above.

6. Add your job to the render queue and click “Start Render.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Can DaVinci Resolve be used as a full audio editor?

Yes. The Fairlight page is a professional DAW-grade workstation with mixing, EQ, compression, noise reduction, automation, and loudness metering built in. For video post-production workflows, it handles everything a separate application like Adobe Audition or Logic Pro would handle, without requiring you to leave your editing environment or round-trip files.

What is the difference between clip gain and volume in DaVinci Resolve?

Clip gain adjusts the raw recorded level of the audio file before any effects or processing are applied. Volume is a post-processing level control adjusted via the mixer fader or automation lane. Set clip gain in the Inspector to correct recordings that are too quiet or too loud at the source. Use volume automation for dynamic mixing decisions across a track.

How do I fix audio that is too quiet or too loud in DaVinci Resolve?

Select the quiet clip and increase Clip Gain in the Audio Inspector. For clipping or distortion, reduce clip gain first to bring peaks below 0 dBFS, then apply a limiter in Fairlight to prevent future clipping. A fast option for any clip is right-clicking it and choosing “Normalize Clip Levels,” which automatically adjusts it to a defined peak target.

Does DaVinci Resolve support 32-bit float audio?

Yes. DaVinci Resolve’s Fairlight engine fully supports 32-bit float audio files. This is particularly valuable when working with source recordings captured in 32-bit float mode, because the format preserves headroom even in sections that appear clipped or overdriven on conventional meters. You can recover previously unusable levels directly inside Fairlight without distortion artifacts.

How do I add music to my video in DaVinci Resolve?

Import the music file into the Media Pool and drag it to a dedicated audio track below your video and dialogue tracks. Adjust the volume overlay bar or mixer fader so the music sits well under dialogue, typically around -18 to -25 dBFS. Use fade handles at the clip’s tail to create a smooth exit. Add volume automation to duck the music further whenever someone is speaking.

Conclusion

Audio editing in DaVinci Resolve follows a clear two-stage workflow. Use the Edit page for clip-level tasks such as trimming, fades, and basic level adjustments during your video edit. Then move to the Fairlight page for noise reduction, EQ, compression, automation, and final loudness control before delivery. Both workspaces are capable and complementary. The most important thing to remember is that post-production tools can only improve what was captured at the source, so investing in a clean recording technique pays dividends in every project.