Glossary → Audio engineering
Audio engineering
Room tone
Room tone is the 'silence' of a recording space — its constant ambient character — deliberately recorded so editors can patch gaps invisibly.
Cutting to digital zero sounds like a dropout; cutting to matching room tone sounds like a natural pause. Field recordists capture 30 seconds of tone as standard practice.
Related terms
Noise floorThe noise floor is the constant background level present in a recording when nobody is speaking — room tone, e…
CrossfadeA crossfade overlaps the end of one audio region with the start of the next, fading one out while the other fa…
Frequently asked
What is Room tone?
Room tone is the 'silence' of a recording space — its constant ambient character — deliberately recorded so editors can patch gaps invisibly.
Why does Room tone matter?
Cutting to digital zero sounds like a dropout; cutting to matching room tone sounds like a natural pause. Field recordists capture 30 seconds of tone as standard practice.
What terms are related to Room tone?
Closely related concepts: Noise floor, Crossfade — each has its own entry in this glossary.