People will watch slightly soft footage. They will not sit through hiss, echo or a voice they can't make out. Sound is half of the experience, even when nobody notices it.

Clean dialogue first

Dialogue is the backbone. I remove background noise, reduce room echo, even out levels between speakers and make sure every word is intelligible on phone speakers, not just studio monitors.

Music that follows the edit

Music should support the story's rhythm rather than fight it. I cut to the beat where it helps, fade music down under speech and let it swell where the picture has room to breathe.

Layers you feel more than hear

Room tone, ambience and small effects such as a door, footsteps or a whoosh on a title make a scene feel real. Remove them and the video suddenly feels empty, even if nobody could say why.

Mix for where it will play

A cinema mix and a phone mix are different things. For social media I keep dialogue forward and the overall level consistent with what people are used to on the platform, so nobody has to reach for the volume.

Use licensed music

Unlicensed tracks get videos muted or taken down. I source music and effects from licensed libraries, so the finished video can be posted anywhere without surprises.