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Balance the left and right audio in a video

Preview the stereo position, move it left or right, then export.

How it works

ImportChoose source
EditSet the change
PreviewReview result
ExportCreate file

InputMP4, WebM, MOV and M4V videoOutputMP4 or WebM video

MP4 · WebM · MOV · M4VChoose a videoMove the sound left or right.

Stereo sound has a position as well as a level, and recordings frequently end up leaning to one side — a microphone plugged into one input, a camera whose channels were not matched, an interview where one speaker sits far to the left. This tool shows where the sound actually sits, lets you move it, and previews the corrected image before export.

Measure before you move anything

Balance problems are surprisingly hard to judge by ear, because headphones, laptop speakers and rooms all have their own bias, and listeners compensate without noticing. Seeing the relative energy in each channel settles it: a track that reads consistently hotter on one side is genuinely off centre, whatever your monitoring suggests. Measuring also distinguishes a mild lean, which is a balance problem, from sound that is almost entirely in one ear, which is a different fault with a different fix.

Centre speech, spread music

For anything where the voice is the content — interviews, narration, lectures, tutorials — dead centre is the right answer. A voice sitting slightly to one side is subtly uncomfortable to listen to on headphones and, worse, becomes an obvious defect for anyone listening on a single earbud or a mono speaker. Music and ambience are different: width is desirable there, and flattening a stereo recording to the centre removes the sense of space that made it worth recording in stereo. Correct the balance of dialogue, and leave a musical stereo image alone unless it is genuinely lopsided.

Questions, answered

How do I tell if my audio is off centre?

Compare the measured level in each channel rather than trusting your ears — headphones, speakers and rooms all bias judgement. A consistent difference between the sides means the sound is genuinely off centre.

Should dialogue always be centred?

Yes, in almost every case. Off-centre speech is uncomfortable on headphones and becomes an obvious problem for anyone listening with one earbud or on a mono speaker.

Will centring the audio make it mono?

No. Balancing adjusts the relative levels of the two channels; the stereo image and any width in the recording are preserved. Converting to mono is a separate operation.

My audio is entirely in one ear — is this the right tool?

Not quite. Sound in only one channel is a different fault, and the one-sided audio tool is built for it — it can duplicate the working channel to both sides.

Can I correct the balance for only part of the video?

The adjustment applies to the whole clip. If the problem changes partway through, split the video, correct each part, and merge them back.

Balance the left and right audio in a video

Measure before you move anything

Centre speech, spread music

Questions, answered

Useful next steps