How does Auto-Cut deal with pacing/pause lengths?
Even though Narrafix takes care of most of the time-consuming tasks in audiobook post-production, the fine nuances of pacing and rhythm in narration are highly individual — and intentionally, Narrafix treats them with care.
How pauses are handled today
At the current stage, Auto-Cut shortens overly long pauses (typically those longer than around two seconds) down to a natural duration of about the same length.
This reflects how most narrators naturally structure their delivery: brief pauses between sentences, and slightly longer pauses between paragraphs or thought units.
Shorter pauses are left untouched (below roughly two seconds) - Narrafix doesn’t artificially extend or reduce them. This ensures that your individual speaking rhythm and performance flow remain intact.
ℹ️ Upcoming improvements
We’re actively working on improving paragraph recognition within Narrafix. Once this is live, the system will be able to identify paragraph boundaries and adapt pacing even more intelligently - creating smoother transitions that reflect natural narrative structure. The paragraph-based update is expected to go live by the end of 10/2025.
But always keep in mind: Pacing will always remain a creative matter: even among human editors, pause length is one of the most discussed aspects in audiobook editing. Narrafix aims to make this process faster and more consistent - not to override artistic intent. So to archieve a high-quality product, pause lengths are one of the things to be checked back in the "Refine & Review"-phase that you can easily do in Narrafix Studio after Auto-Cut and Auto-Proofing.
Summary
- Long pauses (>2 s) are shortened to a natural duration.
- Short pauses remain unchanged.
- Paragraph awareness and improved pacing logic are coming soon.
- Narrafix preserves the narrator’s personal rhythm rather than enforcing a fixed pacing pattern.
💡 Tip: For best results, record naturally in the pacing you intend the finished product to have and avoid inserting very long silent sections between sentences or takes. Narrafix will take care of cleaning up, while keeping your performance flow authentic.