Want to sync two audio tracks by crossfading them in Adobe Premiere Pro? Perhaps you’ve added background music to your video and want it to gently crossfade into the next clip.
As a video editor, you want your audio tracks to flow as smoothly as possible, without any unexpected cuts or transitions. You should always pay extra attention to the audio tracks as badly processed, out-of-sync audio can completely ruin your viewer’s experience.
Let’s see how to crossfade audio in Adobe Premiere Pro and make your multiple audio tracks indistinguishable.
Using the Crossfade Audio Effects
To crossfade audio in Adobe Premiere Pro, first, select the two audio tracks using the Selection tool. Then, hit Ctrl + Shift + D on Windows and Cmd + Shift + D on macOS to apply the default crossfade effect.
This keyboard shortcut applies the Constant Power effect to the beginning and end (including cuts) of the selected audio tracks. If you don’t want the extra effects at the beginning and end, highlight them and hit Delete.
To apply the effect only at a specific position (between cuts, for instance), manually select the effect from the Effects > Crossfade tab and drag and drop it at the desired place.
To increase or decrease the effect duration, click and drag any of the two ends of the effect box. You can achieve a lot more using the crossfade effect if you know how to work with effects in Adobe Premiere Pro.
Apart from Constant Power, Adobe Premiere Pro has other built-in effects to crossfade audio tracks. On expanding the Crossfade section under Effects, you’ll find there are three in total: Constant Gain, Constant Power, and Exponential Fade.
Constant Gain vs. Constant Power vs. Exponential Gain
Constant Power is the default effect that gets applied when you press Ctrl + Shift + D, or Cmd + Shift + D on macOS.
Constant Gain, on the other hand, is the simplest crossfade effect out of the three as it creates a fading audio effect by adding two keyframes in each audio track and increasing/decreasing the audio levels at a consistent rate.
All three effects achieve the same goal, i.e. crossfade audio; the difference lies in how they fade in/out the audio levels.
The Constant Power and Exponential Gain effects feel much smoother and less abrupt than Constant Gain. This is because the volume drop is gradual in those effects, unlike in Constant Gain, where the audio level increases/decreases at a steady pace. You can choose the other two effects from the Effects panel for a better crossfade effect.
It’s better to try all three effects and see for yourself which one fits the best in your case.
You can change the default audio effect by expanding the Effects > Crossfade dropdown, right-clicking an audio effect, and selecting Set Selected as Default Transition.
Pressing Ctrl + Shift + D (or Cmd + Shift + D) will then apply the new default effect to the clips.
Overlapping Tracks and Crossfading Audio Manually
If you want fine-tuned control over the effect, crossfade the audio clips manually using either keyframes or the Pen tool.
For professionals, this method is better as it allows you to adjust the volume level at each timestamp, offering you granular control over the audio tracks.
Using the Pen Tool
The Pen tool is your friend when you want to play around with the audio levels or opacity of a video. To create a crossfade effect using the Pen tool, you need to overlap the two audio tracks and add a fade-out effect to the first audio while fading in the second one.
To do so, first, overlap the two audio files by shifting them to different audio tracks. The duration of the overlap depends on the desired effect duration. Double-click the audio tracks to expand them; you must be able to see the volume bar inside the tracks.
Once done, select the Pen tool from the tools panel (or press P). Note down the timestamp when the second audio begins playing and create a new point at that timestamp in the first audio by clicking on the volume bar. Create a second point at the end of the first audio then drag it down.
Similarly, create two points in the second audio file, but in this case, mute the first point by dragging it down.
Crossfading Audio in Premiere Pro Using Keyframes
Creating a crossfade effect using keyframes is somewhat similar to creating one using the Pen tool, but it’s a lengthier process. To begin, first, overlap the two audio files and adjust the duration of the crossfade.
Then, select the first audio file and expand the Volume option under the Effect Controls tab. Make sure the marker is set at the timestamp from where you want the crossfade to begin, then click on the Stopwatch button next to Level to create a new keyframe.
Once created, move the marker to the end of the audio and change the value of Level to -999 dB. The keyframe will be created automatically when you change the value.
Similarly, select the second audio track and expand the Volume option. Place the marker at the beginning of the audio and click the Stopwatch button adjacent to the Level option to create a new keyframe. Then, change its value to -999 dB.
Finally, move the marker at the timestamp where the effect will end, then create a new keyframe by clicking the Stopwatch button again.
Play the video and you’ll have a manually created crossfade audio effect. Now you can peacefully edit the rest of the video and export it when you’re done.
Why Crossfade Audio Tracks in a Video?
Crossfading two or more audio tracks is important if you want your viewer to have a pleasant viewing experience. Carefully editing your audio prevents any abrupt cuts or transitions in the video, which shift a viewer’s focus from the video to the audio.
If you’re recording a podcast, it’s better to process your audio using Adobe Audition instead of directly inside Premiere Pro. Adobe Audition is a digital audio workstation that helps you edit your audio tracks and make them sound more professional.