How to Fade Out Audio in DaVinci Resolve

The essential answer

To fade out audio in DaVinci Resolve, drag the fade handle at the upper-right corner of the clip on the timeline until the level falls to silence. That is a fade-out: one clip (or a track you automate) going quiet. It is not a crossfade, which blends the end of one clip into the start of another. Clip handles work on the Edit page and the Fairlight page in both the free and paid versions of the app. Use handles for a single clip; use Fairlight volume automation when several tracks must die away together.

Fade a clip with handles

You need a project open with the audio already on the timeline. No special microphone, camera, or permission setup is required for this edit.

• Go to the Edit page and find the audio clip, or the audio attached to a video clip.
• Move the pointer to the upper-right corner of that clip until a small fade handle appears.
• Drag the handle left. A longer drag makes a longer fade.
• Play from a few seconds before the fade. The level should fall smoothly and be silent at the end of the handle.

If a fade is already there, drag the same handle to change its length. A small control in the middle of the fade changes the curve, so the drop can be gentler at the start or the end. Video has separate opacity handles; fading audio does not fade the picture.

Fade with volume keyframes

Use keyframes when the fade must start or end on a specific frame, or when the clip is too short to grab a handle easily.

• Select the clip on the Edit page and show the volume overlay (the horizontal line across the waveform) if it is hidden.
• Alt-click on Windows or Option-click on Mac the volume line where the fade should start, then again near the end of the clip.
• Drag the later keyframe down until the line sits at the bottom of the clip (silence).
• Play that region. Volume should follow the line and end at silence, with no sudden jump.

Fade a track or the whole mix in Fairlight

A clip handle only changes that clip. If other tracks still play, switch to the Fairlight page and automate volume on the track, a bus, or the main output so the mix reaches silence at the frame you want. Play the full mix, not just one soloed clip, to confirm every remaining sound has gone with it.

How you know it worked

The fade should be visible on the clip, and playback should fall to silence without a click or thump. There is no single correct duration and no input-level target for this task: a fade-out is a timeline volume change, not a microphone gain setting. Dialogue often needs only a few frames to hide a cut; music and room tone often need a longer fall. If Inspector labels or shortcut keys differ in your version, trust the audible result over a control name.

Limits and what to do next

This edit does not change live call audio, camera or microphone permissions, or tracks you did not fade. If sound remains after the fade, another clip, track, or nested timeline is still playing; mute other tracks to find it, then fade or disable that source. If the ending clicks, lengthen the fade slightly or ease the curve. To blend into the next clip instead of going to silence, add an audio crossfade between the two clips.