Working with audio in scenes

This section is the practical operator's view of how audio flows from inputs, through layers, into scenes, and out to targets — including the level recommendations that keep your output clean.

Activating audio preview

Enable audio preview by ticking the speaker icon in the Scene view function area above the preview pane:

Composer can mix and process 4 × stereo channels in parallel.

Layer audio

Each layer with audio carries its own speaker icon in the layer list:

Selecting an audio-bearing layer surfaces a dedicated VU meter at the bottom of the layer panel with the layer-level controls:

Scene audio

Each scene has its own VU meter showing the combined audio levels from every layer in that scene, plus a basic processing chain:

Audio chain flow

Audio is mapped, processed, and routed through these stages in order:

1. Input — per-input chain (trim, gate, low-cut, EQ, compressor, limiter).
2. Mixer strip — pan, gain, mute, solo, sends.
3. Layer audio — per-layer volume / pan / mapping inside the scene.
4. Scene audio — combined-layer audio → scene chain → master volume.
5. Targets — every target attached to the scene receives the same scene mix.

For per-stage details and the full chain diagram, see Audio processing workflow below; for the per-strip Inspector, see Channel strip inspector.

Audio summing — and why it can clip

All layer audio sources in a scene are added (summed) into a single stereo mix. This is the most common source of unintended clipping: combining two unrelated sources at 100 % peak each results in a 200 % summed peak — well past digital clipping into hard distortion.

Recommendations

• Keep each audio layer at a maximum of −6 dB (≈ 50 %).
• Watch the scene-level stereo meter; the scene total should not exceed 0 dB (100 %).
• Use Gain, Limiter, or Compressor operators to bring loud layers down rather than letting them sum hot.
• Apply a Limiter on the scene's output as a safety net — see the Limiter operator and the LIMITER tab on the Channel Strip Inspector.
• Watch the target-side scene audio meter for 100 %+ warnings during a show.

Understanding dBFS (decibels relative to full scale)

Composer's audio levels are measured in dBFS — 0 dBFS is the digital ceiling (no signal can be louder), and every value below 0 is a negative number representing how much headroom is left. Levels are also displayed as a percentage of full scale.

Why are dB values negative?

0 dBFS is the absolute maximum — exceeding it produces digital clipping. Negative dB values indicate signal levels below the maximum. A −6 dBFS peak means the signal is 6 dB quieter than the digital ceiling and has 6 dB of headroom remaining.

Example

If two layers each peak at −6 dBFS (≈ 50 %) and their summed result peaks at 0 dBFS (100 %), there's no headroom left for any other layer or for any subsequent processing. Pull each contributing layer down by another 3 dB and the same combination peaks at −3 dBFS, leaving safe margin.

RDP / remote-desktop note

If you're operating Composer over RDP, ensure RDP audio forwarding is configured for the client and that the project is running at a 48 kHz sample rate. Mismatches force resampling and can cause clicks or short dropouts on the forwarded audio.

Tip

Use the Audio tab in Settings to adjust how long the signal-overload indicator stays active, and Project Options to change the maximum peak level displayed in all audio meters.