Room tone is the recorded audio when no dialog is spoken. It is not the same as pure silence. It is the “empty” audio at the start or end of a track or the spaces between narration.
Producers need to have a sample of clean room tone for when conditions are less than ideal, which is often. Maybe there is an air show, your neighbors are hosting a quinceanera, or you’re stuck working on the 4th of July during the fireworks…who knows?
Tip: Have a separate audio file saved with at least two minutes of clean room tone. That way, if you ever need it, you’ll have it.
The quality of your room tone is somewhat limited by your recording conditions. To reduce any unwanted noise, try to remove as many sources of noise as possible before starting production: remove fans, turn off the heat or AC, and don’t record during rush hour.
For more information on preparing your recording space, you can read about How to Set up a Recording Space.
Audio can be tweaked in mastering, meaning limiters, filters, compression, or equalizers are applied. More on that later. Unfortunately there is no one quick fix, you will have to find what works best for you.
To make room tone, simply turn on your microphone and exit the recording space. You don't want to stay in the recording area because the microphone will pick up every tiny movement you make.
Let the recording run for a few minutes so you have a lot of material to choose from.
Cut out any noises from when you left and returned to the space, as well as any notable irregularities.
Switch the waveform views and repeat Step 3. If you were using a linear view, switch to dB view, or to the spectrogram.
Save your new track as “Clean Room Tone” and enjoy.
Add the clean room tone to your track when and where you need “silence,” perhaps between the chapter number and title, or between paragraphs, or wherever. You can also use it to punch out particularly loud breaths.
If your room tone is too loud, consider adding a filter during mastering.
Room tone is not supposed to be utter silence. In actuality, having total silence in your track can make it sound inhuman, computerized, and downright weird. So it’s a good idea to know how to adjust your room tone if you have to, just don’t get carried away.
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I've had the travel bug for as long as I can remember. My hope is that I can help others find their own adventure.
The word ‘listen’ contains the same letters as the word ‘silent.’
― Alfred Brendel