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When dialogue leaves almost no silence, you have two workable routes. You can integrate description into the main narration, which only works where there are pauses long enough to hold it or where the narration is informational. Or you can produce a separately described version or track, so the program audio does not have to carry description over important dialogue. The choice shapes every later step, so make it before the edit is locked.
Decide the delivery approach while the video is still being planned
W3C’s guidance on audio description (Description of Visual Information, updated 17 September 2024) describes two approaches: narration integrated into the main audio, and separate described versions or tracks. Integrated description is easier when it is written into the script before filming, because the writer can plan pauses and shot lengths around it. A locked edit leaves you with whatever pauses it happens to contain.
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No single format is universally best. The four considerations below are the ones W3C’s guidance supports for comparing the two approaches.
| Consideration | Integrated narration in the main soundtrack | Separate described version or track |
|---|---|---|
| Can the main narration carry the visual information naturally? | Yes, for informational content where the narration is meant to explain what is shown (see the decision steps below) | Not required; the description does not need to be woven into the program narration |
| How much dialogue or essential sound occupies the timeline | Limited by the pauses that exist; few pauses means little room for added narration | Description is carried on its own audio, so it does not compete with dialogue for pauses |
| Is the production early enough to script description in? | Easiest when description is scripted before filming | Not stated as dependent on the filming stage in the W3C guidance reviewed |
| Does the delivery platform support the chosen track or version? | Not stated; integrated narration needs no separate track | Depends on the platform; platform-specific compatibility is not covered in the W3C guidance reviewed, so confirm it with your distributor |
Find the gaps in the existing cut
Watch the finished cut with its sound on, and do not rely on the script alone. W3C’s workflow begins by looking for opportunities in pauses. For each candidate gap, log the following:
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- The in-point and out-point of the silence or low-level sound.
- The visual event that needs explaining, such as an action, a change of location, or a new character.
- Any meaningful on-screen text, such as a title, a label, or a chart value, that is not spoken aloud.
- Whether the gap is long enough for your draft line, read at a natural pace.
- Whether anything else important, such as a sound effect or music cue, is playing during the gap.
Mark the places where description is needed, then mark where it can fit without obscuring dialogue or other important sound. Those two lists rarely match, and the difference is the gap problem you have to solve.
Write concise, timed description
Describe the visual information necessary to understand the content, not everything on screen. W3C’s description guidance says that meaningful on-screen text should be read when it is not otherwise spoken.
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Timing is the rule that matters most. Description should coincide with the visual information it explains or come just before it. W3C states it directly: “Don’t put the description after the visual content.” A line that arrives after the event leaves the viewer with the moment already passed.
A timed, caption-like working document can help you line up words with timecodes. W3C’s guidance does not establish a required authoring format, so use whatever your team can check reliably.
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Record the narration
W3C’s guidance on audio and video content recommends a high-quality microphone and recording software, and recording in a room isolated from outside sound when that is feasible. It describes a general microphone category, not a tested or preferred model, so choose equipment by how the recordings sound in your own room.
W3C’s project workflow documentation also mentions a text-to-speech alternative to human recording. Whichever voice you use, the timing and mixing steps below apply the same way.
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Mix and integrate the description
For a single described audio file
- Place each description at the point you logged in the gap review, aligned to the visual event or just before it.
- During each description, lower the program audio and raise the narration so it is clearly audible. W3C calls this process “ducking.”
- When the narration ends, restore the program audio to its normal level.
- Listen through the whole mix at normal playback volume, and confirm the dialogue returns cleanly after each cut.
A note on background-sound levels
W3C’s WCAG guidance on background sound recommends that background sound be at least 20 decibels lower than foreground speech, in the case of a person speaking over background music. That figure belongs to that specific scenario and to WCAG’s AAA guidance. It is not a universal mixing target for every audio description track, so treat it as a reference point while you judge your own mix.
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Use the situation in front of you to choose a route. These branches follow the guidance on integrated and separate description.
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- There are usable pauses. Script short descriptions into the pauses, timed to the visuals.
- The content is informational and the narration is being written or revised. Build the visual takeaways and meaningful on-screen text into the main narration. W3C’s Technique G226, “Providing audio descriptions by incorporating narration in the soundtrack,” states that this technique is “most appropriate in instructional, marketing, and other videos where the narration is intended to be informational.”
- Dialogue leaves little room. Produce a separate described version or track rather than forcing narration over important dialogue. The guidance establishes this tradeoff but does not prescribe a single distribution format.
- The project has not been filmed yet. Add the description to the script and plan its timing during production, which is the point where integration is easiest.
What the guidance requires and what it leaves to you
W3C’s WCAG techniques, including G226 and the technique for an audio alternative to video-only content (G166), are examples of ways to meet success criteria. They are not mandatory methods, and W3C’s sources do not set a single end-to-end production standard, a required software package, or a universal track format. Tie any compliance statement to the specific success criterion and delivery context it concerns.
Review the final experience
W3C’s guidance does not prescribe a review protocol, so treat the checks below as a practical starting point rather than a standard. Before delivery, confirm that:
- Each important visual detail is described at the right moment, and nothing arrives after the visual event it explains.
- The narration is intelligible over the final mix, not just in the recording booth.
- Dialogue and essential sound return at the right level after every description.
- The delivered file or alternate version plays correctly on the platform you are publishing to.
If a check fails, return to the gap log. Most failures trace back to a description placed before the gap was identified or a line too long for the pause it occupies.
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