# Adding silence to an audio file

You can add a period of silence to any audio file that is part of a Captivate movie. This feature is particularly useful if you have imported an audio file and need to synchronize the audio with objects and slides. By adding silent periods, you can make the existing audio file work in a Captivate project without having to edit the audio extensively.

#### To add a silent period to an audio file:

1. Open a Captivate project that contains audio files.

2. Select a slide that contains an audio file.

3. From the Audio menu, select Edit audio.

The Edit Audio dialog box appears.

4. You can add silence to the beginning of the audio file, to the end, or to a specific location within the audio file. If you want to add silence within the file, click the exact location directly on the waveform.

Tip: The Playhead and Selected information boxes near the bottom of the dialog box can help you choose a precise location in the audio file. For example, if you want to add a silent period four seconds into the audio file, click the waveform until the Playhead information box displays a number close to four seconds (that is, 00:04.00 s).

5. Click Insert Silence.

The Insert Silence dialog box appears.

6. The silent periods you add to the audio file are measured in seconds. In the Insert box, type in a number to specify the length of the silent period.

7. In the text box to the right, click the down arrow and select the position in the audio file to which you want to add the silence. The choices are Current selection (chosen in step 4 above), Start of audio, or End of audio.

8. Click OK.

The silent period is added to the audio file, and you can see the silent period in the waveform.

9. To test the audio file with the silent period added, click Play in the bottom left corner.