Animating the Volume: Keyframe Audio DaVinci Resolve

Ever had your audio mess with the vibe of your video? Maybe the background music overpowers the dialogue at key points, or those random loud noises totally throw things off. Well, no worries! DaVinci Resolve’s is here to slice and dice your troubles away. With its volume animation features, you can finely adjust your audio to hit just the right notes at the right times. All you have to do is learn how to keyframe audio in DaVinci Resolve.

Volume animation allows you to keyframe audio levels, providing precise control to ensure that your background music and sound effects complement rather than overwhelm your visuals.

Adding Audio Keyframes for Volume Animation in DaVinci Resolve

Animating volume through keyframes allows precise control over the audio levels at specific points in your clip. This method is perfect for subtle adjustments like fading sound in or out, or for creating dynamic shifts to match on-screen action.

Import Your Audio

To get started with editing, bring your music into DaVinci Resolve. Import the audio file and place it directly below your video track on the timeline to keep everything in sync.

Preview the Music

Once your audio is in place, it’s a good idea to listen through it. Play the track to identify areas where you want to make volume adjustments, which will help determine where your keyframes should go.

Now, to make things easier, let’s zoom in on the audio track, by scrolling with the alt (or Command key) pressed down. Trust us, you want to have as detailed of a view as possible. This way, when you add keyframes, you’ll have a clearer view and better control.

Adding Keyframes (Two Methods)

Whether you prefer the meticulous control of manual adjustments or the quick convenience of automated wizardry, here’s how you can master both methods to perfect your project’s audio dynamics.

Manual Method

1. Place the timeline playhead at the point where you want to make your first volume adjustment.
2. Click on the audio track to highlight it.
3. In the top-right corner of your screen, open the Inspector panel. This will open another panel with the audio and audio keyframe options.  Next to the volume slider, you’ll see a small diamond icon. Click this to add a keyframe at the current playhead position.
4. Move the playhead forward to another point where you want to adjust the volume and repeat the process (later or earlier in the clip) to add more keyframes.

Shortcut Method — How to Keyframe Audio in DaVinci Resolve

If you want to speed things up, the DaVinci Resolve audio keyframe shortcut will help you quickly put them right on the timeline. 

1. Just hold down the Alt key and click on the very middle of the audio waveform. That drops a keyframe exactly where you clicked.

2. The only thing you’ll have to do now is set the volume that’ll stay constant up to the keyframe you’ve set

Adjusting Keyframes

After placing your keyframes, you can modify the sound levels. How?

To change the volume, simply move the keyframe upwards to increase the sound or downwards to decrease the volume at that particular point. To modify the timing of the volume change, you can adjust the keyframe’s position along the timeline.

This flexibility allows you to control how the audio behaves throughout your video. You can make the volume dip during quiet moments or increase during more intense scenes.

Preview the Change

Now that you’ve set your keyframes and adjusted them, preview your timeline to see how the audio sounds. You’ll notice the volume dipping and rising at the points you defined, creating smooth audio transitions that perfectly match your video.

Dynamic Audio Cuts with the Blade Tool

When you need to make quick, precise edits to your audio tracks, the Blade tool comes in handy. You can quickly adjust volumes or isolate parts of your track to work on them separately. It’s perfect when you want to make certain sounds pop or smoothly transition between clips.

You can find this tool in the toolbar or simply press B on your keyboard to activate it. Then, click on the audio track at the points where you want to segment the audio. Each click with the Blade tool creates a cut, splitting the audio into manageable segments that can be adjusted independently.

Play through your edited segments to make sure the cuts and volume transitions are smooth. Adjust as necessary to perfect the audio flow.

If you’re a stickler for getting things just right, the Inspector panel is your best pal. Select your clip, hit up the ‘Audio’ tab, and dial in those volumes with scientific precision. This is primo for when you need your sound to be just perfect, blending seamlessly with the scene’s vibe.