room tone

Location's baseline sound

Room tone is the ambient sound of a space when nothing specific is happening—the subtle hum of ventilation, distant traffic, electrical buzz.

In film and audio production, room tone is recorded on location to provide consistent background sound for editing: We need thirty seconds of room tone before we wrap.

Every room has its own acoustic signature.

technical

baseline

Standard for comparison

ambient soundEnvironmental background audio
dead airUnintended broadcast quiet
acousticsStudy of sound transmission

microphone · audio · capture · level · decibels · frequency · recording · post-production · continuity · sound editing

atmosphere

ambience

Pervading mood of place

silenceTotal lack of sound
quietLacking in sound
stillnessComplete lack of motion

hush · presence · character · space · resonance · reverberation · echo · liveness · deadness · background

production

film

Movie or coating

videoRecorded moving imagery
studioCreative professional's workspace
setArrange in position

location · scene · take · editing · soundtrack · sound mixer · boom operator · field recording

Opposites

sound presence/absence

room tonedead silence

Total absence of sound

total silence

signal type

room tonedialogue

Spoken exchange between parties

music · sound effects

acoustic character

room tonedead room

Acoustically absorbent enclosure

Family

room, tone, rooms, roomed, rooming, roomy, roomier, roomiest, roommate

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Rated G