Explore the audio effects available in Adobe After Effects and learn how to use the controls to adjust and optimize sound in your compositions.
The Backwards effect reverses the audio of a layer by playing the audio from the last frame to the first frame. The frames remain in their original order in the Timeline panel. Select Swap Channels to swap the left and right channels.
The Bass & Treble effect boosts (increases) or cuts (decreases) the low frequencies (bass) or the high frequencies (treble) of the audio. For greater control, use the Parametric EQ effect.
The Compression effect reduces the difference between the loudest and quietest parts of your audio, making everything more consistent and punchier. It's essential for dialogue, music, and professional-sounding mixes.
Threshold (dB)
Range -60dB to 0dB (default: -16dB). The volume level where compression kicks in. Audio above this gets compressed, audio below stays untouched.
Ratio (x:1)
Range 0.4:1 to 30:1 (default: 3:1). How much compression is applied. A 4:1 ratio means that for every 4dB above threshold, only 1dB comes out.
Knee (dB)
Range 0-30dB (default: 15dB). Smooths the transition at the threshold point. Larger values means gentler compression onset.
Attack (ms)
Range 0-400ms (default: 6ms). How quickly compression starts working once audio exceeds threshold. Fast attack tames sharp peaks.
Release (ms)
Range 1-4000ms (default: 440ms). How quickly compression stops after audio drops below the threshold. Affects the "breathing" feel.
Auto Release
When enabled, it automatically calculates the optimal release time and disables manual release control. It is enabled by default.
Makeup Gain (dB)
Range -30dB to +30dB. Since compression reduces overall volume, this adds it back to maintain proper levels.
Output Limit (dB)
Range -30dB to 0dB. Acts as a final limiter to prevent clipping.
For dialogue, try the default 3:1 ratio with fast attack. For music, try gentler 2:1-4:1 ratios with slower attack times.
The Delay effect repeats the audio after a specified amount of time. This effect simulates sound bouncing off a surface, such as a wall.
To simulate the acoustic ambience of a room, use the Reverb effect.
Delay Time
Time between the original sound and its echo, in milliseconds.
Delay Amount
Volume of the first delayed audio, as a fraction of the original.
Feedback
Amount of the echo that is fed back into the delay line to create subsequent echoes.
Dry Out, Wet Out
The amounts of the original (dry) sound and delayed (wet) sound in the final output. Values of 50% are commonly used.
The Distortion effect clips and saturates your audio signal, creating harmonics and overtones that weren't there before. Use it for everything from subtle warmth to full-blown destruction.
Type
Define the character of the distortion. The dropdown menu offers several options, each providing a different style of distortion.
- Soft Clip
- Hard Clip
- Saturation 1
- Saturation 2
- Tube
- Fuzz
Drive
Range 0-100% (default: 25%). How much you're "overdriving" the effect. Higher values mean more distortion intensity.
Gain
Range 0-300 (default: 25). Pre-distortion amplification boost.
Mix
Range 0-100% (default: 100%). Blends between original (dry) and distorted (wet) signals. 100% means entirely distorted, and 0% means no effect.
Volume
Range 0-100 (default: 11). Controls the final output level after distortion is applied.
Resolution (bit)
Digital bit reduction for lo-fi effects.
Downsample (x)
Sample rate reduction multiplier.
- For a subtle warmth, set Soft Clip or Tube type with low drive (10-30%).
- For a radio voice effect, set Hard Clip to medium drive and reduce the mix.
- For an aggressive sound design, set Fuzz or Hard Clip to high drive (70-100%)
- For a lo-fi effect, use the Bitcrusher section to reduce resolution/sample rate.
Flange is an audio effect caused by mixing the original audio with a copy that is delayed by a varying amount that cycles over time. The frequency of the copy is also offset by an amount related to the delay. Chorus uses a larger delay to make one voice or instrument sound like multiple voices or instruments.
The default settings for the Flange & Chorus effect are for flange. To create a chorus result, use values something like the following:
- 40 for Voice Separation Time (or higher for a greater chorus result)
- 4 for Voices
- 0.1 for Modulation Rate
- 50% for Modulation Depth
- 90 for Voice Phase Change
- Stereo Voices selected
Voice Separation Time
The time in milliseconds that separates each voice. Each voice is a delayed version of the original sound. Use values of 6 or lower for flange, and higher values for chorus.
Voices
The number of voices in the processed (wet) audio.
Modulation Rate
The rate in Hz at which the modulation cycles.
Modulation Depth
The amount of modulation.
Voice Phase Change
The modulation phase difference in degrees between each subsequent voice. Divide 360 by the number of voices to find the optimum value.
Invert Phase
Inverts the phase of the processed (wet) audio, emphasizing more of the high frequencies; not inverting the phase emphasizes more of the low frequencies.
Stereo Voices
Alternates assignment of voices to one of the two channels so that the first voice appears in the left channel, the second in the right channel, the third in the left, and so on. To hear stereo voices, preview or render in stereo.
Dry Out, Wet Out
The amounts of the original (dry) sound and delayed (wet) sound in the final output. Values of 50% are commonly used.
The Gate effect silences audio that falls below a certain volume threshold. It can be used for cleaning up noisy recordings, removing background hiss, or creating dramatic audio cuts.
Threshold (dB)
Range -60dB to 0dB (default: -60dB). Audio below this level gets muted. Set it just above your background noise level.
Attack (ms)
Range 0-1000ms (default: 10ms). How quickly the gate opens when audio exceeds the threshold. Fast attack means immediate opening, whereas slow attack means gradual fade-in.
Hold (ms)
Range 0-2500ms (default: 40ms). How long the gate stays open after audio drops below threshold. Prevents rapid on/off switching.
Release (ms)
Range 5-4000ms (default: 220ms). How quickly the gate closes once the hold time expires. Fast release means abrupt cutoff, and slow release means gentle fade-out.
Start with the default -60dB threshold and adjust upward until background noise disappears, but be careful not to cut off the natural decay of your main audio.
The High-Low Pass effect sets a limit above or below which frequencies can pass. High Pass allows frequencies above the specified limit and blocks frequencies below it. Conversely, Low Pass allows frequencies below the limit and blocks frequencies above. Use High-Low Pass to do the following:
Enhance or attenuate (reduce) a sound. For example, using High Pass can reduce traffic noise, which often is concentrated at low frequencies, while minimally affecting a voice recording. Using Low Pass can remove high-frequency sounds, such as static and buzzing.
Change the focus from one sound to another over time. For example, in audio that contains both music and voice, you can fade out the music while gradually bringing in the voice.
Protect equipment from potentially damaging frequencies.
Direct certain frequencies to specific equipment. For example, use Low Pass to isolate sounds intended for a subwoofer.
To check the frequencies that you filter out, switch to the opposite Filter Options value and preview audio.
Cutoff Frequency
All frequencies below (High Pass) or above (Low Pass) are removed. If the unwanted sound changes over time, animate this property.
To identify the frequencies of unwanted sound, use the Audio Spectrum effect.
Dry Out, Wet Out
The amounts of the original (dry) sound and delayed (wet) sound in the final output. Common values for removing frequencies are 0% for Dry Out and 100% for Wet Out.
The Modulator effect adds both vibrato and tremolo to audio by modulating (varying) the frequency and amplitude.
Modulation Type
The type of waveform to use. Sine produces smoother modulation. Triangle produces more abrupt modulation.
Modulation Rate
The rate in Hz of the modulation.
Modulation Depth
The amount of frequency modulation.
Amplitude Modulation
The amount of amplitude modulation.
The Parametric EQ effect emphasizes or attenuates specific frequency ranges. Parametric EQ is useful for enhancing music, such as boosting low frequencies to bring up the bass.
If you have audio with an unwanted sound (such as a beep from a forklift in the background), you can isolate and cut the frequency range of the beep to attenuate the sound.
Using this effect, you can enhance up to three different bands of audio. As you adjust controls, a frequency-response graph indicates the combined equalization curve you create; band 1 is red, band 2 is green, and band 3 is blue. You may find it easier to specify controls if you determine in advance the frequency-response curve you want.
To identify the frequencies of unwanted sound, use the Audio Spectrum effect.
Band Enabled
Activates an equalization band and its controls.
Frequency
The center of the frequency band to modify.
Bandwidth
The width of the frequency band to modify.
Boost/Cut
The amount by which to boost (increase) or cut (decrease) the amplitude of the frequencies inside the specified band. Positive values boost; negative values cut.
The Reverb effect simulates a spacious or acoustically live interior by simulating random reflections of a sound off a surface.
Reverb Time
The average time, in milliseconds, between the original audio and the reverberated audio.
Diffusion
Specifies how much the effect scatters the original audio. More diffusion can make the audio sound farther from the microphone.
Decay
Specifies the amount of time it takes for the effect to subside. A higher value simulates a larger space.
Brightness
Specifies the amount of detail preserved from the original audio. High brightness simulates a room with live (highly reflective) acoustics.
Dry Out, Wet Out
The amounts of the original (dry) sound and delayed (wet) sound in the final output. Values of 50% are commonly used.
The Stereo Mixer effect mixes the left and right channels of audio and pans the entire signal from one channel to the other.
Invert Phase
Inverts the phase of both channels of the stereo signal. Use this control to prevent two sounds at the same frequency from canceling each other out.
The Tone effect synthesizes simple audio tones to create sounds, such as the low rumble of a submarine, a telephone ringing in the background, sirens, or a laser blast. You can have up to five tones for each instance of the Tone effect to create a chord. When you apply this effect to a layer with audio, the dry (original, unprocessed) audio is ignored, and only the tone plays.
You can also apply the Tone effect to a layer that has no audio, such as a solid layer, to synthesize audio.
Waveform Options
Specifies the type of waveform to use.
- Sine waves produce the purest tones. Square waves produce the most distorted tones.
- Triangle waves have elements of both sine waves and square waves, but are closer to sine waves.
- Saw waves have elements of both sine waves and square waves, but are closer to square waves.
- Square waves have harmonics at odd-number multiples of their fundamental frequency. These harmonics, along with the main tone, give the wave its characteristic square shape.
- White Noise waves are the opposite of sine waves. It includes all frequencies at equal strength, creating a constant hissing or static-like sound.
Frequency
Frequency in Hz. To turn off a tone, set its frequency to 0.0.
Level
Changes the amplitude of all tones in this instance of the effect. To avoid clipping and popping, use a Level value that is no greater than 100 divided by the number of frequencies you use. For example, if you use all five frequencies, specify 20%.
- The Tone effect doesn’t generate audio on a placeholder layer; for the effect to generate audio, replace the placeholder with a footage item.
- To avoid clicks at the end of a tone, set a keyframe for the desired Level value at the frame immediately before the end of the tone, and then set a keyframe for a Level value of 0.0 at the end of the tone. This technique works well for any audio that you end abruptly.
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