Audio Laybacks

An audio layback is the process of recording a finished soundtrack back onto the master video or film element in perfect synchronization. After the audio has been edited and mixed separately, the layback marries it to the picture so that the two are locked together on the delivery master.

The step demands precise timecode alignment so that sound and image stay in sync across the entire program. Laybacks are a routine part of finishing and archiving, ensuring that the completed audio is correctly attached to the visual material it belongs to.^[1]