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When dialogue fills the soundtrack, you can still add audio description, but the choice of delivery method has to come before the script. Integrated narration works when the main soundtrack has room for short descriptions. When it does not, a separately described version or track is the usual fallback. The pipeline below shows how to decide between the two, then how scripting, recording, timing, mixing, and review fit together.
Decide the delivery approach before you script
Audio description makes the visual information needed to understand a video available to people who are blind or cannot see it adequately. That includes actions, changes in the scene, and meaningful on-screen text that the dialogue does not already convey. W3C’s guidance on Description of Visual Information (updated 17 September 2024) describes two broad approaches: narration integrated into the main audio, and a separate described version or track.
The choice shapes everything downstream, so make it while the video is still being planned. W3C notes that integrated description is easier when it is written into the script before filming. If the cut is already locked and the dialogue is dense, the integrated route may not be feasible, and you should plan for a separate version from the start.
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In this approach, description is recorded into the main program audio at points where the existing soundtrack is quiet. It is the simplest deliverable for a viewer because there is only one audio track. It depends on available pauses, which is the central limitation.
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Separate described version or track
Here the description lives in its own audio file or a version of the program that carries narration. This suits material where important dialogue or essential sound occupies nearly the whole timeline. The trade-off is distribution: the alternate track or version has to be delivered in a form your platform can play. The sources reviewed for this guide did not establish platform-specific compatibility, so confirm that with your delivery platform’s documentation before committing.
Check the timeline for usable gaps
Watch the cut with its sound on, and log every moment where meaningful visual information appears without being spoken. Note the start and end time of each quiet interval, and note whether it is long enough for a full sentence to be read at a natural pace. W3C’s workflow begins with watching for opportunities in pauses, and its WCAG technique guidance warns that limited pauses restrict how much extra narration can be added.
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| Timeline situation | Practical response | Source basis |
|---|---|---|
| Short pauses between lines of dialogue | Script brief descriptions into the pauses, timed to the visuals | W3C workflow documentation; WCAG Technique G226 |
| Informational or instructional video, with narration still being written or revised | Fold visual takeaways and meaningful on-screen text into the main narration | WCAG Technique G226 |
| Dialogue or essential sound leaves little or no room | Produce a separately described version or track rather than talking over important speech | W3C Description of Visual Information; WCAG Technique G226 |
| Video not yet filmed | Write description into the script and plan timing during production | W3C Making Audio and Video Media Accessible (updated 17 September 2024) |
The WCAG Technique G226 describes integrated narration in the soundtrack, and states: “This technique is most appropriate in instructional, marketing, and other videos where the narration is intended to be informational.” That is the clearest signal in the guidance for when integrating description is a sound choice. Outside informational formats, a separate track is often the more defensible option when the timeline is crowded.
The pipeline, step by step
The workflow below follows a human-recorded process. W3C’s project workflow documentation also mentions text-to-speech as an alternative to human recording; this guide does not cover that path.
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- Set the delivery approach. Decide between integrated narration and a separate described version, using the timeline check above. Record the decision in the production brief so editors know which pauses are reserved.
- Review the cut and mark gaps. Play the program with sound and log each visual action, scene change, and piece of on-screen text that the soundtrack does not already explain. Mark the quiet intervals where each description can fit without covering dialogue or other important sound.
- Write concise, timed lines. Keep each line to the visual information needed to understand the content. Read on-screen text that is not otherwise spoken. Time each line to start with the visual event or just before it. A timed, caption-like script helps the writer and editor see word count against available time, though the sources do not require a specific authoring format.
- Record the narration. Use a high-quality microphone and recording software in a room isolated from outside noise where that is practical. W3C’s guidance on audio and video content recommends this setup, and it does not identify a specific model or product.
- Integrate or mix the description. Place each line at its planned point. While description plays, lower the program audio and raise the narration so it is clearly audible. Restore the program level when the narration ends. W3C calls this process ducking.
- Review the final experience. Check that each important visual detail is described at the right moment, that the narration stays intelligible over the program, and that no description arrives after the visual event it explains.
Scripting and timing rules that prevent late description
The most common timing error is describing an action after it has already happened. W3C’s description guidance is direct on this point: “Don’t put the description after the visual content.” Write each line against the frame where the visual change begins, not the frame where you finished noticing it.
Keep lines short enough to be spoken before the next event. If a line cannot finish inside the gap, shorten it or move the detail to an earlier pause. Do not speed up the narrator to fit a gap, because intelligibility is part of the check in step six.
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Mixing: what the 20 dB figure does and does not cover
Ducking is the core mixing move. Its purpose is to keep the narration clear without silencing the program entirely, and it is applied only while description plays. Some accessibility guidance gives numeric levels, and one often-cited figure needs careful reading. WCAG’s AAA guidance on audio-only content recommends that background sound be at least 20 decibels lower than foreground speech, in the context of a person speaking over background music. That is not a universal target for audio-description mixes, so set your ducking depth by listening tests on your delivery system rather than by that number.
What to do when the material resists both options
Some programs are dense enough that neither integrated narration nor a single described track works cleanly. In that case, split the work: keep integrated narration for the informational segments and use a separate track for the crowded ones, provided your platform supports it. Document each segment’s approach in the production brief so the final files are consistent and the edit does not change the chosen method halfway through.
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W3C’s Technique G166 covers an audio alternative for video-only content. WCAG techniques are examples rather than mandatory methods, so the approach you choose should be justified against the specific success criterion and delivery context you are targeting.
The guidance reviewed here establishes a workflow and a set of timing and mixing principles. It does not prescribe a single mandatory production standard, a required software package, or a universal track format. The pipeline above is a way to make those principles operational, not a compliance certificate.
For a broader view of accessible video production, see the related guides on this site.
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