TL;DR: Professional sound mixing and post-production audio for corporate video costs £400–£8,000 in the UK, depending on whether you need stereo, 5.1 surround or broadcast-spec delivery, and whether ADR, sound design or Foley are required. Audio quality is the number-one variable audiences use to judge production credibility — this guide ensures your budget covers it properly.
Why Professional Audio Post-Production Is Non-Negotiable
A 2022 study by the Audio Engineering Society found that viewers rated video quality 42% lower when poor audio accompanied high-quality visuals — but only 22% lower when poor visuals accompanied high-quality audio. Sound carries more perceptual weight than most clients realise at the production planning stage. In the UK, Ofcom broadcast delivery standards mandate integrated loudness levels of -23 LUFS (EBU R128) for broadcast content; online platforms including YouTube and Spotify normalise to -14 LUFS. Delivering outside these specifications causes automatic level adjustment that can distort your creative intent.
The UK post-production audio market is substantial: the British Film Institute's 2023 Screen Business report valued post-production audio services at over £120 million annually across film, television and commercial production.
Audio Post-Production Workflow
- Audio editorial: The audio editor takes the picture-locked cut and cleans the dialogue tracks — removing room tone inconsistencies, handling pops, clicks and breath noise. This is distinct from mixing; it is preparation work.
- ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement): If production dialogue is unusable — due to location noise, camera handling, aircraft or traffic — the talent re-records lines in a studio to picture. ADR studio hire runs £400–£1,200/half day in London; voice talent fees are additional.
- Sound design: Original or licensed sound effects are sourced, edited and layered to enhance atmosphere, punctuate edits and support product or brand moments. A corporate product launch video typically benefits from 2–6 hours of sound design at £350–£700/day.
- Music clearance or score delivery: Licensed library music tracks are conformed to picture. Bespoke music scores composed for corporate work cost £800–£4,000 for a 3-minute brief. Sync licences for commercial music use vary enormously — budget separately and confirm with a music supervisor if the track has broadcast potential.
- The mix: All elements — dialogue, music, SFX, tone — are balanced in the final mix session. The mixer applies EQ, compression, noise reduction and reverb to create a coherent soundscape that serves the visuals.
- Loudness normalisation and QC: The finished mix is measured against the target loudness specification and adjusted. A True Peak limiter prevents clipping on digital delivery. A QC report confirming LUFS, True Peak and phase compliance is standard on broadcast deliverables.
Delivery Formats: Stereo, 5.1 and Broadcast Spec
- Stereo (2.0): Standard for online video, social media, internal corporate use, conference projection and most digital distribution. Delivered as a 2-channel WAV at 48kHz/24-bit. Target loudness: -14 LUFS (streaming), -16 LUFS (podcast/YouTube), -23 LUFS (broadcast).
- 5.1 Surround Sound: Six-channel mix (left, centre, right, left surround, right surround, LFE) used for cinema, large-screen conference presentation and prestige broadcast. Production costs are 40–70% higher than stereo due to extended mix time and monitoring requirements.
- Broadcast spec (Dolby E / IMF / AS-11): For delivery to UK terrestrial or satellite broadcasters, your audio must meet Ofcom and DTG technical standards. This includes specific loudness targets, dialnorm values and wrapping standards. Not all mixing studios have broadcast delivery experience — verify before commissioning.
- M&E (Music and Effects) track: A version of the mix without dialogue, used for international dubbing. Essential if your video will be localised into other languages. M&E delivery adds 15–25% to standard mix cost.
UK Audio Post-Production Pricing
| Service | Description | UK Price (ex-VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| Dialogue edit + stereo mix | Clean-up + balance for 3-min corporate video | £400–£900 |
| Full audio post (sound design incl.) | Edit + SFX + music conform + stereo mix, up to 5 min | £900–£2,500 |
| 5.1 surround mix | Full surround, up to 5 min | £1,500–£4,000 |
| ADR session (studio hire) | Half-day London studio, engineer included | £400–£1,200 |
| Sound design | Bespoke SFX build, 3-min video | £500–£1,800 |
| Broadcast QC + delivery | AS-11/IMF wrap, loudness QC report | £200–£600 |
| M&E track | Dialogue-free version for international use | +15–25% of mix cost |
| Re-recording mixer (day rate) | Senior mixer, London-based | £450–£950/day |
| Long-form mix (30–60 min) | Corporate documentary, training film | £2,000–£8,000 |
ADR: When and Why You Need It
ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement, also called dubbing) is required when:
- Production location noise renders dialogue unintelligible despite noise reduction processing.
- The script has been revised after the shoot and additional lines are needed.
- The talent's accent, pace or delivery needs to be adjusted for the target audience.
- Legal content (pharmaceutical, financial) requires a controlled, precise delivery.
A half-day ADR session in a London facility costs £400–£800 for studio hire plus engineer. Talent fees are additional and vary by union status — EQUITY voice talent day rates start at approximately £185 (PACT/Equity 2024 agreement) with usage buyouts negotiated separately for broadcast or online distribution.
Pre-Mix Checklist
- Deliver picture lock — never send a video to audio post before the edit is approved. Audio against a changing picture wastes budget.
- Supply the OMF or AAF audio export from your NLE (Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, Avid) at 48kHz/24-bit.
- Include a spotting list: a timecoded document identifying every dialogue line, SFX cue and music start point.
- Confirm the delivery loudness target: -14 LUFS for YouTube/streaming, -23 LUFS for broadcast, -16 LUFS for podcasts.
- Advise whether an M&E track is required — this is much cheaper to deliver simultaneously than to return to mixing for later.
- Supply any approved music tracks as uncompressed WAV files, not MP3s; compression artefacts become audible during mixing.
Hiring a UK Audio Post-Production Studio
- Check whether the studio has an acoustically treated mix room with calibrated monitors — home studio setups, however talented the mixer, produce unreliable results on client speakers and broadcast systems.
- Verify broadcast delivery experience for Ofcom-regulated content. Look for credits including BBC, ITV, Channel 4 or Sky.
- Ask for a reference mix — request 60 seconds of mixed audio using your project's dialogue as a test before committing to the full project.
- Confirm that the studio uses iZotope RX for dialogue repair — the industry standard for noise reduction in UK post-production, with AI-powered de-noise, de-reverb and de-click tools.
- Clarify revision rounds: two rounds of mix revisions are standard. Additional rounds cost £150–£400 per session hour.
FAQs: Sound Mix and Audio Post-Production
- What loudness level should a corporate video be delivered at?
- For YouTube and most streaming platforms, deliver at -14 LUFS integrated loudness with a True Peak of -1 dBTP. For broadcast (BBC, ITV, Channel 4), the standard is -23 LUFS to EBU R128. LinkedIn video normalises to -14 LUFS. Mismatched loudness causes your video to sound either too quiet or heavily compressed by the platform's normalisation algorithm — both degrade viewer experience.
- What is the difference between sound design and a music score?
- Sound design refers to the creation and placement of non-music audio elements: ambient room tone, product interaction sounds, interface clicks, environmental Foley (footsteps, cloth, door movements), and transitional sound effects. A music score is the composed or licensed music bed. Corporate video typically benefits from both — a well-designed soundscape makes music more impactful and a film more credible.
- Is ADR always necessary for noisy location footage?
- Not always. iZotope RX and similar AI-powered dialogue repair tools can rescue dialogue in moderately noisy environments — traffic, HVAC hum, crowd murmur — without ADR. Severe cases (aircraft, power tools, overlapping voices) typically require ADR. A skilled dialogue editor will advise which shots require ADR before a session is booked, saving you unnecessary cost.
- How long does a professional mix take?
- A 3-minute corporate video with clean production audio takes 4–6 hours for a professional mix including dialogue edit, music conform and two revision rounds. Add 2–4 hours for sound design. A 30-minute documentary or training film typically requires 2–5 days of audio post. Rush delivery (same-day or next-day) is available at most London facilities at a 40–80% premium.
- Do I need 5.1 surround for a corporate video?
- Only if the video will be screened in a cinema, large auditorium or conference centre with a calibrated 5.1 system. For web, internal distribution, social media and most conference presentations from a laptop or portable system, stereo is sufficient and more cost-effective. Commissioning 5.1 without a guaranteed 5.1 playback environment is unnecessary expenditure.
- What is an M&E track and do I need one?
- A Music and Effects (M&E) track is a version of the mixed audio without any dialogue — it contains all music, sound effects and ambient sound but leaves the dialogue channels silent so they can be replaced with dubbed dialogue in another language. If your video will be distributed in multiple languages, commission the M&E simultaneously with the original mix — it adds 15–25% to cost but prevents a full re-mix later.
- Can I use AI audio tools instead of a professional mixer?
- AI tools (Adobe Podcast, Descript, Cleanfeed) can perform basic noise reduction and level balancing for internal-use or low-stakes social content. For broadcast delivery, client-facing brand content or prestige event films, they are not a substitute. Professional mixing applies multiband dynamics, stereo image control, spatial placement and creative EQ that current AI tools do not replicate. The loudness compliance requirements alone — particularly for broadcast — require human QC.
- What file format should I deliver audio in for post-production?
- Deliver an OMF (Open Media Framework) or AAF (Advanced Authoring Format) export from your NLE at 48kHz/24-bit. Include all audio tracks, not just the mix — the audio editor needs access to individual dialogue, music and SFX channels. If OMF/AAF is not possible, deliver a Broadcast WAV (BWF) at 48kHz/24-bit with timecode embedding. Never deliver MP3 or AAC to an audio post studio — lossy compression cannot be reversed and introduces artefacts that become audible in a professional monitoring environment.