audtiming

Audtiming is a professional audio practice used in the film and television post-production industry to match the lips of spoken characters with the soundtrack of a movie or television show. The term "audtiming" is a blend of the words "audition" and "timing," describing the process of fine-tuning the audio to perfectly sync the dialogue with the corresponding movements of the speaker's lips.

The audtiming process typically involves assembling an entire sequence of edits, usually with a rough cut of the video elements, and syncing them with the audio dialogue. This allows the editors and sound engineers to identify any inconsistencies or discrepancies in the dialogue's timing. Changes are then made to the timeline to ensure that each speaker's words match the opening and closing of their mouth. This technique is frequently utilized in conjunction with sound effects and music, further refining the final audio product.

Engaging in the audtiming process requires patience and attention to detail, as it involves meticulously re-syncing the dialogue after any edit is made. This involves creating temporary audio locus points during the editing process to facilitate precise timing alignment. In film and television productions, a highly trained and skilled editor will devote a significant amount of time to precise audtiming to deliver high-quality picture and sound. Additionally, modern digital audio post-production tools and software have helped standardize and streamline this process.