Auto-leveling

Auto-leveling nudges every clip’s loudness to a consistent target (around –16 dB) so your composition sounds balanced without you touching a volume slider. It’s on by default.

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Enable or disable auto-leveling

You can toggle auto-leveling for all projects from App settings, or for a single project from Project settings.

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All projects (App settings)

To toggle auto-leveling for all future projects:

1. Open App Settings, keyboard shortcut Command/Control + , (comma)
2. Select the General tab in the left pane.
3. Under App settings, toggle Automatic volume levels.

Clicking this link will also take you to your App Settings in Descript for Web

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Single project (Project settings)

To apply auto-leveling to all clips in one specific project:

1. Open the project in the editor.
2. Click the File menu in the top-left corner.
3. Select Project settings.
4. Toggle Perform automatic leveling on clips.

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Individual clips

To apply auto-leveling to a single clip in your composition:

1. Select the clip in the timeline or script panel.
2. In the Properties panel on the right, open the Audio section.
3. Toggle Auto-level to turn it on or off for just that clip.

You can also apply auto-leveling to a clip within a sequence via the Sequence Editor.

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Troubleshooting: Why a clip may not level

If a clip doesn’t get louder where expected, check for brief peaks (like a sneeze or sudden noise). Large spikes can throw off leveling for that section. To fix it:

• Use the Blade tool to split the clip before and after the spike.
• Re-run auto-leveling on the quieter portion.