ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement)
Definition
The process of re-recording dialogue in a controlled studio environment to replace unusable production sound. The actor performs in sync with the original picture. Despite the name, ADR is performed manually, "Automated" refers to the original Automated Dialogue Looping (ADL) process, in which picture and guide track were looped automatically for the actor to sync against.
In Simple Terms
When dialogue from a film scene sounds bad, noisy location, wind, traffic, the actor re-records their lines in a quiet studio while watching the scene. That new audio replaces the original.
In Practice
Location dialogue recorded near a busy road is replaced via ADR, with the actor re-performing their lines in a treated studio while watching the scene on a screen.
Common Confusion
ADR fixes bad audio, not bad performance. A mediocre on-set delivery rarely improves in the ADR booth, actors lose the physicality and adrenaline of the original take. Most experienced supervising sound editors only call ADR when the production sound is genuinely unusable, not as a cosmetic upgrade.
Sources & Verification
- Yewdall, D. L.. Practical Art of Motion Picture Sound (4th ed.)Focal Press, 2012
- Holman, T.. Sound for Film and Television (3rd ed.)Focal Press, 2010
- Cinema Audio Society. Best practices in production and post soundhttps://cinemaaudiosociety.org
Last verified: 2026-05-05