# Audio Description Ducking

Mix an audio-description narration into program audio while ducking the program when narration is present.

> Canonical page: https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/audio-audio-description-ducking

- **Category:** Media

- **Keywords:** audio description, ducking, accessibility, sidechain, narration mix

## Overview

The supplied narration track drives a sidechain compressor on the supplied program track, then both tracks are mixed. Ducking only follows that narration track; the tool does not detect or generate descriptions. Output duration follows the program audio.

## Inputs

- **Program Audio** (file): Select the program audio
- **Description Narration** (file): Select the audio-description narration
- **Ducking Depth (dB)** (number)
- **Output Format** (select)

## When to use

- When creating accessible video content that requires a secondary audio description track for visually impaired audiences.
- When you need to automate sidechain compression between a pre-recorded voiceover and a background music or program track.
- When preparing broadcast-ready audio mixes that comply with accessibility standards without manually keyframing volume levels.

## How it works

- Upload your main program audio file and the separate audio-description narration file.
- Set the desired ducking depth in decibels to control how much the program audio volume drops during narration.
- Choose your preferred output format, such as MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A, or OGG.
- Process the files to apply sidechain compression and download the mixed audio track.

## Use cases

- Mixing descriptive narration into feature films or documentaries for visually impaired viewers.
- Combining voiceover instructions with background music for e-learning modules.
- Creating accessible audio tracks for museum guides or public broadcast programs.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does this tool automatically generate the audio description text or voiceover?

No, this tool does not generate or synthesize speech. You must upload a pre-recorded narration track and a program audio track.

### What does the ducking depth setting do?

It determines how many decibels (dB) the program audio is lowered when the narration track is active. A lower value like -18 dB ducks the program more than -6 dB.

### What determines the length of the output audio file?

The output duration matches the duration of the uploaded program audio file.

### Can I export the final mixed audio in lossless formats?

Yes, you can select WAV or FLAC as the output format, in addition to compressed formats like MP3, M4A, and OGG.

### How does the tool detect when to lower the program volume?

It uses sidechain compression driven directly by the signal level of the uploaded description narration track.

## Related tools

- [Sidechain Pump Generator](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/audio-sidechain-pump-generator): Apply EDM-style tempo-synced pumping ducking to any audio without a kick-drum sidechain file — volume-envelope automation in the style of LFO Tool / Kickstart.
- [FLAC to ALAC Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/flac-to-alac): Convert FLAC audio files to ALAC (Apple Lossless) in an M4A container while preserving lossless quality and metadata when available
- [Audio Add Silence](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/audio-add-silence): Add a specified duration of silence to the start or end of an audio file
- [Album Art Extractor](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/audio-album-art-extractor): Extract the album art from an audio file
- [Audio Bit Depth Reducer](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/audio-bit-depth-reducer): Reduce the bit depth of an audio file (e.g., 24-bit to 16-bit)
- [Audio Change Bitrate](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/audio-change-bitrate): Re-encode audio to a new bitrate while keeping the same format
- [Audio Channel Mixer](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/audio-channel-mix): Mix left and right channels into mono with specific ratios
- [Audio Codec Swap](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/audio-codec-swap): Change the codec of an audio file within a chosen output format

## Samples

- [Copyright-Free FLAC Audio Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/flac-samples): Lossless FLAC audio samples for testing and development, mirrored from MP3 set with nature sounds and meditation music
- [Copyright-Free MP3 Audio Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/mp3-samples): Collection of royalty-free audio samples for testing and development purposes including nature sounds, meditation music, and ambient audio
- [Copyright-Free WAV Audio Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/wav-samples): Uncompressed PCM WAV audio samples for testing and development, mirrored from MP3 set with nature sounds and meditation music
- [Copyright-Free Raw PCM Audio Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/pcm-samples): Raw PCM s16le audio samples featuring nature ambience and relaxing music for waveform, playback, and conversion workflows