What is an Audio Mixer? A Beginner's Guide to Mixing Audio

Written by Admin | Published on November 7, 2026

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If you are new to video editing, terms like "audio mixing," "sound balancing," and "waveforms" can sound intimidating. But audio mixing is actually one of the most intuitive parts of video production once you understand the basics.

In simple terms, audio mixing is the process of combining multiple audio tracks into a single track. This could mean blending music with dialogue, adding sound effects, or adjusting the volume of different elements so they sound balanced.

Why is Audio Mixing Important?

Have you ever watched a video where the background music is so loud you can't hear what the person is saying? Or a video where the audio is so quiet you have to turn your volume up to 100%? That is a result of poor audio mixing.

Good audio mixing ensures that every element in your video—whether it's a voice, a sound effect, or a song—can be heard clearly without competing with each other. In fact, viewers will often forgive poor video quality, but they will almost always click away if the audio is bad.

The Two Main Audio Modes in Video Editing

When you are editing a video and adding new audio, you generally have two main options. Our AI Video Scene Mixer Pro offers both, along with a third option to keep the original audio:

1. Replacing Audio

Replace means you are completely removing the original audio from your video and putting a new track in its place. This is most commonly used when creating music videos or montages, where the original sound of the video (like wind noise or background chatter) isn't needed.

2. Mixing Audio (Background Music)

Mixing means you are keeping the original audio (like a person speaking) and adding your new audio (like background music) on top of it. This is used for vlogs, interviews, tutorials, and presentations. The key to successful mixing is volume control—you want the music to be audible but not distracting.

The Golden Rule of Audio Mixing: Balance

The most important thing to remember in audio mixing is balance. When using our tool's "Mix" feature, you will see a volume slider. Here is a general rule of thumb for setting the volume:

• Dialogue: Should be the loudest element, typically around 80-100% volume.
• Background Music: Should sit comfortably under the dialogue, typically around 15-30% volume.
• Sound Effects: Should be adjusted depending on the scene, but generally should not overpower the dialogue.

Audio Formats: What Should You Use?

While video formats like MP4 and MOV are standard for video, audio has its own set of formats. The most common are:

• MP3: The most common format. It's compressed, so it takes up less space, but it can lose some quality.
• WAV: An uncompressed, high-quality format. It's much larger in file size but is preferred by professionals.
• M4A/AAC: High-quality formats often used by Apple devices and streaming platforms.

Our tool supports all of these formats (MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, FLAC), so you can upload your audio without worrying about converting it first.