Sound Editing for Film: Sync Audio vs Sync Sound

Synchronous sound is key when building your edit.

In this short tutorial we’ll explain the main function of synchronous sound along with a few examples to get you started. Then, we’ll highlight the difference between synchronous sound and sync audio – you don’t want to get them mixed up!

(Sidenote: This tutorial will teach you how to build a sync map in Premiere Pro)

The first type of sound an editor will use in a cut is synchronous sound. Synchronous sound is sound you hear in a film that is matched, or synchronized to the visuals on the screen.

We’re talking about things like a phone being hung up

A typewriter clicking and dinging

Or a glass shattering.

Anything that you see and HEAR, simultaneously, is emitting synchronous sound.

Now, don’t confuse synchronous sound with the idea of sync audio, which refers to the exact audio recorded at the time of filming. The synchronous sound we’re talking about MIGHT have been recorded on set, but it could also be foley or library sound effects.

Ok, so how, as an editor, should you approach synchronous sound?

Should every potential on-screen sound source be equally weighted or even heard? Can you think of any examples where you might have noticed too many sounds in a film…or too little?