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How to add sound effects in Premiere Pro.

A whoosh or a click makes a transition or a move felt. Adding a sound effect in Premiere Pro is easy; what makes the difference is landing it on the right frame without drowning the speech.

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1. Importing and placing a sound file2. Smooth in and out3. Ready-made sounds from the panel: with SylbaUsing sound effects well

1. Importing and placing a sound file

  1. Bring the file into the projectFile › Import (Cmd/Ctrl+I), or drag the file into the Project panel.
  2. Put it on an empty audio trackDrag the sound to an empty track below speech and music; keeping tracks separate by type makes mixing easier.
  3. Align it to the right framePut the peak of the waveform on the frame where the move or cut happens. Whooshes should start slightly before the move.
  4. Set the levelPull the volume line on the clip down, or right-click the clip and open Audio Gain (G). The effect should sit under the speech.

2. Smooth in and out

If the sound cuts off abruptly, put an audio transition on the clip end: select the end and press Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+D. A short fade-out removes clicks and hard stops.

3. Ready-made sounds from the panel: with Sylba

Sylba's SFX section has more than 2000 editing sounds in 12 categories: whooshes, risers, clicks, pop-ups, hits, glitches and more. Click a sound once to hear it in the panel and double-click to add it to the timeline; no hunting for files and importing.

Using sound effects well

A sound on every move is distracting; choose transitions, text entrances and moments of emphasis. Do not repeat the same sound back to back; rotate between a few similar ones. Do the final listen on a phone speaker rather than headphones; that is how most viewers hear it.

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Sound effectsPRO

2000+ royalty-free editing sound effects inside the panel: whooshes, risers, pop-ups, hits, glitches. Listen, pick, add to the timeline.

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