How to Make Quiet Video Audio Louder (and Clearer)

November 8, 2026 · 2 min read

Boost low volume in a video, even out loud and quiet parts, remove background noise and separate the audio from the picture — free in your browser.

A great shot with sound you can barely hear is a common problem with phone and camera footage. Here is how to fix it in Reelsmith, from the quickest fix to a polished result.

Quick fix: raise the volume

1. Click the clip on the timeline.
2. In Effect Controls ▸ Audio, raise Volume. 100 % is the original level; you can go up to 300 %.
3. Play it back and watch the meters on the right of the timeline. Keep the peaks below 0 dB — if the top of the meter turns red, the sound is close to distorting.

Prefer exact numbers? Select the clip and press G for Audio Gain… to add or remove decibels.

Better: normalize the loudness

Different clips are often recorded at different levels. Select them and choose Clip ▸ Normalize Loudness…, then pick a target. Every clip is brought to the same perceived loudness, so viewers don't have to keep reaching for the volume.

Even out loud and quiet parts

If some words are loud and others quiet, drag Effects ▸ Audio Effects ▸ Compressor onto the clip. It turns down the loudest moments so you can raise the overall level without distortion. Use Make-up gain to bring it back up.

Clean up the sound

Also in Effects ▸ Audio Effects:

• High-Pass removes rumble from traffic, wind and handling noise (80 Hz is a good start for voices).
• DeHum removes the 50 or 60 Hz buzz from electrical equipment.
• Noise Gate silences the hiss between words.
• Parametric EQ — lift the highs a little for clearer speech, or cut the lows to reduce boominess.

Work on the audio separately

Video and audio from the same file are linked, so they move together. To edit the sound on its own — for example to boost it, move it, or delete it — select the clip and press ⌘L (Ctrl+L on Windows), or right-click ▸ Unlink. You don't need to unlink just to change the volume, though: selecting the clip is enough.

Music under speech

Put background music on its own track, select it and apply Effects ▸ Smart Audio ▸ Auto Duck Music Under Voice. The music dips automatically whenever someone speaks.

More detail: Working with audio, Audio effects and Detaching audio from video.