DAD 310
Sound Design for Film

Editing and layering Foley

DAD 310 — Fall 2026

Today we’ll edit the A Quiet Place Foley we recorded together. As we compare takes and try different edits, listen for how timing and balance change what you believe about the action on screen. Use the same process with your team for Assignment 2: Foley Recording .

Monday, September 28

By the end of class, you should be able to choose a Foley take, synchronize it to picture, and balance it with another layer. We’ll work together on the studio computer. You’ll help choose performances, judge synchronization, and suggest changes to the mix.

Listen and choose takes

Save a new project version and mute the cue beeps. Watch the recorded section with picture, then compare two takes of the same action at similar playback levels.

  • Which performance fits the action and the character’s weight?
  • Is the problem the performance, the timing, or an unwanted sound in the recording?
  • Can an edit solve it, or would another take be better?

Keep the alternate takes so you can return to them. If none fits the action, identify what needs to change in a new recording.

Synchronize and clean an edit

Choose one clear contact or impact. Find its frame in the picture and locate the audible attack in the recording. Use the cue item’s left edge as a starting guide, then move the recorded item while watching and listening. Compare an early, late, and convincing placement.

Trim the slate and unwanted lead-in without cutting off the attack. Preserve the decay. Add short fades where needed and compare the edit before and after. For continuous movement, listen for the rhythm of the whole gesture instead of lining up only its first sound.

Once your takes are roughly aligned, open Track Manager and hide the CUES tracks from both TCP (track control panel) and MCP (mixer control panel). This clears space for editing and balancing your recorded layers. Keep the cue tracks in the project; show them again in Track Manager if you need to check a sync point or record another take.

Layer and balance

Combine two separately recorded elements, such as surface contact and clothing or prop movement. Listen to each alone, then together with picture.

  • What does each layer contribute?
  • Does either layer hide the important action or create an accidental second hit?
  • How does changing the balance change the apparent weight or material?

Adjust timing and item or track levels, then watch the section at a consistent listening volume. Suggest one change to the mix and listen to it alongside the previous version. Which better fits the picture, and why?

Review and apply to your robot

Play the short edited section without stopping. Identify one successful choice and one remaining problem. Save, then reopen the project to check that the media are present.

For your robot project, identify which takes you need to compare, which cues need synchronization work, and which layers need balancing. Review the complete-project submission requirements below. Submit Assignment 2 on D2L by Monday, October 5.

Before you submit

For Assignment 2: Foley Recording :

  • Mute CUE BEEPS and keep the VIDEO track’s master send off so beeps and guide audio stay out of the mix.
  • Remove slates from the edited performance and check that edits preserve natural attacks and decays.
  • Watch the robot sequence all the way through, from 00:00:10:00 to 00:00:21:06. Check for missing actions, accidental double hits, and layers that mask one another.
  • Save and reopen the project from its own folder to confirm that all audio and video files are present.
  • Submit the complete zipped project folder on D2L by Monday, October 5.