Don’t feel alone if you’ve found your way to this article because your Adobe After Effects audio is not playing. Audio issues in After Effects are surprisingly common. Luckily, the fixes are quick and straightforward — but there are a number of them. Below, Motion Array will walk you through the most common fixes, and, hopefully, you’ll soon be up and running again. So, if you’re unsure why your audio isn’t playing, try this handy checklist.
Summary
Part 1: 4 troubleshooting steps to put to the test
When audio is not playing in After Effects, you’ll need to put on your troubleshooting hat. Try out each of these steps, in turn, to help narrow down the cause of the problem. While it can be a little frustrating, remember that audio issues can have a wide range of causes, and you need to work out exactly what is going wrong, so this troubleshooting is important.
1. Check the audio is on
Inside After Effects, there are two ways to turn the Sound off and on. The first is at the start of the Timeline, where you can individually turn off both Audio and Visual Elements for that Timeline. The second is in the Audio Preview window. So, increase the panel size and check the Audio icon is set to On.
2. Check if other apps are still providing sound
Our next step also sounds obvious, but sometimes the simplest things get missed. If other apps still have sound, you will know the problem is within After Effects and not your computer. Checking if your speakers need plugging in can save a lot of embarrassment.
If your computer has no audio at all, you will need to check the system settings (here’s the instructions for Mac). Ensure that your audio is on and the volume is high enough. Also make sure the output device (your speakers or headphones) is powered and working. If everything passes this check, you at least know your computer’s audio is working fine.
3. Check the computer’s audio output
If your After Effects sound is not playing, and everything seems OK in the program and with your computer settings, the audio output could be wrong. Sometimes, your computer’s audio output may change without you realizing it. It typically happens during updates. The computer doesn’t know where to send the sound, so you hear nothing even though the speakers or other output device is working and plugged in. Here’s how to check your audio output.
For a PC
- Navigate to Edit > Preferences > Audio Hardware.
- Ensure that the correct output device is selected.
For a Mac
- Select System Preferences under the Apple Menu.
- Select the Sound icon to open the Audio Settings
- In the Output tab, choose the hardware you wish to use from the list.
4. Check After Effects audio output
If your computer’s audio output is correct, the After Effects internal Audio Output setting could be incorrect. You can also check if your After Effects sound is using the wrong output, for example, coming through your speakers rather than your headphones as you want it to.
- Open the After Effects Preferences panel by going to After Effects > Preferences.
- Select the Audio Output Mapping tab. Check whether the Left and Right settings match the hardware you wish to use.
- Next, go to the Audio Hardware tab.
- The Device Class should be set to MME (not ASIO), and the Default Output setting should match your hardware choice. Hit OK to close the preferences.
These basic troubleshooting steps for the audio not playing in After Effects may be all you need to get back to work. However, there’s one more common issue that can affect sound in After Effects. This comes when you can hear the audio in the program, but your projects render without it. You’ll take a look at this below.
Now that you’ve fixed your After Effects sound not playing, you can get creative with audio in your projects. You can easily learn how to create awesome audio effects in After Effects yourself, too. It’s a nice challenge, and will add extra flexibility to your skills.
Part 2: Rendering audio in After Effects
You may already be familiar with rendering effects in After Effects, but did you know that audio also needs rendering? Rendering is the process your computer does to prepare your composition for playback. Each layer on your Timeline is an element After Effects needs to prepare this way. If After Effects sound is not playing on your rendered video but sounds fine in the program, this is likely the issue.
The simpler this information is for your device to interpret, the better the playback quality will be. It also helps to make sure that the audio you use for your video is high-quality. This starts with strong source audio, whether you’re using the camera feed or a separate audio track. Here are some audio recording tips from an experienced podcaster that could help. Then, you need to make sure this quality is not lost to effects or other edits you make.
When you’re happy with your project, it’s time to render. Here’s how to check your audio is rendering correctly in After Effects:
- Ensure that the In and Out Points on your Timeline cover all the audio you wish to Render.
- Go to Composition > Add to Render Queue.
- In the Render Queue, select Output Module and choose either WAV or MP3.
- You can also change the Audio Bitrate by selecting Format Options > Audio Bitrate and Codec Quality. Once you have checked that your audio settings are correct, click OK.
- Next, click on Output To. Select a location and suitable name for your file and hit Save.
- Finally, click on Render and wait for your file to export.
If you need more help adding and rendering audio in After Effects, Motion Array has some other tips and tricks to share.
It can be frustrating and stressful when your audio is not playing in After Effects. Fortunately, the fixes are simple and won’t take much time. This handy checklist will help you to troubleshoot your After Effects audio glitches like a pro. Hopefully, you can get back to creating your masterpiece as soon as possible.
If you’re looking for an audio challenge, why not try playing with Spectrum Waveforms? They’re an amazing way to add audio wave effects to your project. For more inspiration, you can also check out Motion Array’s other Adobe After Effects tutorials.
