An audio editor takes care of mixing songs that are in movies or TV shows.
An audio editor is an expert in the sound of movies and television shows. He or she is responsible for timing the dialogue, debugging, mixing the music, and the overall level of sound quality. This position generally requires many years of study and apprenticeship. The editor can be proud at the end of the day knowing that he has added a layer of realism to the production.
Audio editors use mixing consoles to manipulate sound.
An audio editor typically begins learning their craft at a technical school. These two- or three-year programs help prepare students for a life of sound with courses in audiology, equipment, and production techniques. Very few audio editors jump straight from school to the editor’s chair, instead working for several years as an assistant, helping with post production and feel editing duties.
All the work of an audio editor is done after a movie or TV show is recorded. It is the responsibility of the audio engineer to capture the sound of the presentations, and the editor takes the finished tapes or audio files to do their job. An audio editor’s workplace is usually a soundstage with a large mixing desk and at least one television screen. In many cases, the large mixing desk is replaced by a single computer with editing software that the audio editor knows well. Editing occurs with images on screen to help enhance these effects.
It is the primary responsibility of the audio editor to synchronize all sound on screen with the audio tracks. The audio tracks include the dialogue spoken by the actors, as well as other sound elements. The music for the production is an equally important element and needs to be played at specific levels at specific times to get the right effect. Also, the sound effects must be perfectly timed at this stage. The right mix of voices, music, and sound effects creates a level of realism and believability for any production.
Finally, the audio editor takes the final product to a director or production team for final review. Here, everyone watches the TV show or movie to study how all the visual and audio elements came together. If there are any errors or unsatisfactory areas in the audio edit, the editor is asked to fix these issues. The overall sound level is one of the most common corrections audio editors make at this stage.