Hello everyone!
I've repeatedly come across filmmakers and editors who can do visual wonders but have no idea how to edit sound. It's very sad how sound gets neglected in many independent films! Film is an audio/visual experience, so sound is around 50% of your audience's experience at any given time! (Also, I would like to point out that music plays a significant role in the sound! 😀 Steven Spielberg himself says that music is 50% of his films!)
Anyway, I realize that many of you filmmakers and editors often edit your own sound (or just leave it how it is). So, here are some general and basic sound-editing tips for those of you that are editing your own sound but aren't actually sound editors!

* Whenever shooting, always record about a minute of "room tone" at every location. This is great for filling in any gaps in sound, and if you have to dub lines later, you can add the room tone into the background (probably at a lower level) to make it more believable. Eventually, you'll have a nice personal library of room tones to use on new projects.
* When editing a scene, never remove the audio track! Like I said before, digital silence is not so noticeable on your standard home/personal setup, but it sticks out horribly in any kind of professional setup, like a studio, theater, and most newer home televisions. Sound can be removed sometimes during montages and slow motion shots, but only if there's music happening (anything to avoid digital silence!).
* When recording on set and when dubbing, listen carefully for details. Pay specific attention to syllables like "b" and "p" that are hard and make a popping sound into the microphone. Also, "s"s tend to be emphasized more than is realistic. And lastly, various things people do when talking tend to clutter the dialogue, such as smacking lips, this odd clucking sound (I can't describe it without doing it), breathing in or out sharply (like wincing when in pain), etc. Try to get them to not do that on set unless absolutely necessary, or if you know for sure that your microphone can handle it.
* Nothing says "Home video!" like room tones changing constantly with every shot change in a scene. (For instance, whisper, hold, and alternate the syllables "kooo" and "kah" to get an idea of what I'm talking about.) This can mostly be remedied without dubbing by (after making sure all the shots are at about the same volume), extending one of the two tones' audio and doing a crossfade. Or, you can dub the whole scene and then add room tone.
* Make sure there's a good overall balance in the sound, both on a small level (every shot of a scene) and a large level (consistency for the entire project). If two characters are talking softly, and one closes a door, make sure that door doesn't sound like a grenade going off like in most low-budget films.
* Falling under the previous tip, make sure you have a good mix between dialogue, SFX/foley, and music. All are very important. You want to make sure the dialogue is clear and audible, and of course understandable. Have other people (just whoever's around) listen to it and make sure they understand what the characters are saying. It's often tempting to simply mix down the music to as low a level as possible in favor of the sound track, especially if you have really cool-sounding SFX, but remember what Spielberg said! 🙂
* Lastly, don't just use linear crossfades. Experiment with other crossfades (slow curve/exponential, fast curve/inverse exponential, etc.) or even draw your own. The rule is: whatever sounds good!

I hope you all find this useful!
God bless,
Alex

Alex Beard, composer
www.composeralex.com
www.myspace.com/composeralex