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How to use Elastic Wave retiming and track layers in DaVinci Resolve Fairlight

DaVinci Resolve Fairlight Elastic Wave retiming stretches audio without changing pitch for syncing ADR and voiceover, while track layers enable non-destructive comping of multiple takes. This guide covers both tools.

How does Elastic Wave retiming work in DaVinci Resolve Fairlight?

Elastic Wave retiming stretches a clip's duration without changing pitch. Right-click a clip and choose "Elastic Wave" to show retiming controls. Drag the right edge of a clip to stretch the entire waveform. Command-click (Ctrl-click on Windows) to add keyframes and adjust individual sections independently. Command-dragging a keyframe keeps its position in place while stretching the waveform next to it.

Elastic Wave is essential for syncing ADR takes to picture, matching voiceover duration to video, or adjusting sound effects to fill a specific time window. The processing preserves the original pitch while changing the timing, so voice and music sound natural at different durations.

For more DaVinci Resolve tips, read our guide on DaVinci Resolve AI Tools for Colorists and Editors.

Improve your audio workflow with How to adjust clip level, pan, and pitch in DaVinci Resolve Fairlight.

How do you time-stretch sections of audio independently in Fairlight?

For complex retiming where different sections need different amounts of stretch, add multiple keyframes along the clip. Command-click on the Elastic Wave bar to add a keyframe at the playhead position. Drag the clip edge or a keyframe to stretch the section between keyframes. Each section can have a different stretch ratio.

This is particularly useful for ADR where some phrases need to be slowed down slightly while others need to be sped up. Add keyframes at phrase boundaries, stretch or compress each section independently, and the transitions between sections are processed smoothly without clicks or artifacts.

How do track layers work for comping takes in Fairlight?

Enable "Show Audio Track Layers" from the View menu. Layers appear as stacked regions on a single track. Each recorded take or placed clip appears in its own layer. Drag the best sections from different layers to the top layer to build a composite. When dragging, a translucent ghost of the waveform appears, making it easy to align words and phrases.

Track layers are non-destructive — the original takes remain in their layers. You can swap sections, try different combinations, and revert to original takes at any time. Use layers to comp the best words from multiple dialogue takes, try different sound effect options, or compare music edits.

For editors who pre-select footage in Cutsio, the clips arriving at Fairlight have already been chosen as selects. Track layers are used for performance comping within those selects rather than sorting through raw takes.