# ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement)

Source: https://storiara.com/glossary/adr
Last updated: 2026-09-14
Author: Nick Harty, Storiara

> ADR, or automated dialogue replacement, is the process of re-recording dialogue in a sound studio after the shoot. The actor watches the scene on a screen, hears beeps that count them in, and repeats the line in sync with their own lip movements. It replaces lines ruined by noise, fixes performance, or adds new lines.

## What goes on the ADR list

Lines end up on the ADR list for three main reasons. The production track is unusable (a generator, a plane, wind on the lav, a squeaky dolly). The performance needs a change, such as a softer read or clearer diction. Or the story changed in the edit and a character needs a new line, often played over the back of their head or a wide shot where lips aren't readable.

The supervising sound editor and the director build the list at the ADR [spotting session](https://storiara.com/glossary/spotting-session). Before writing a cue, the dialogue editor checks every alternate take for a clean version, because swapping in a word from Take 4 sounds more natural than any studio recording.

## An ADR cue sheet line

Each cue gets a number, a timecode, the exact line, and a reason:

| Cue | Character | TC in | TC out | Line | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAY-014 | Maya | 01:12:10:04 | 01:12:12:20 | "You knew the whole time." | Espresso machine under line |
| MAY-015 | Maya | 01:12:30:11 | 01:12:31:09 | "Don't." | Performance, softer |
| JOE-022 | Joe | 01:13:18:00 | 01:13:21:15 | "I'll be in the truck." | New line, back to camera |

The studio loads the cue list, the actor gets three beeps and a silent fourth where the line starts, and the ADR mixer records several takes of each cue. The director or dialogue editor circles the best take per cue, the same way takes are circled on set.

## Where productions go wrong

The expensive mistake happens on set. When the [production sound mixer](https://storiara.com/roles/production-sound-mixer) flags a take as noisy on the [sound report](https://storiara.com/glossary/sound-report) and the director moves on anyway, that line becomes a paid ADR cue months later, sometimes with an actor who is now shooting another film in another country. Asking for a wild line (the actor repeats the dialogue off camera right after the take, with the same mic) takes thirty seconds and often saves the cue.

Room tone matters too. The dialogue editor needs clean [room tone](https://storiara.com/glossary/room-tone) from each location to bed the new line into the scene. Without it, ADR lines sound like they were recorded in a closet, because they were.

## How ADR connects to other post work

ADR is cut by the dialogue editor, then mixed with production dialogue so the two match in reverb and perspective. The new lines go on the dialogue stem, which means [M&E tracks](https://storiara.com/glossary/m-and-e-tracks) are unaffected, but any production effects lost by replacing the whole line need [Foley](https://storiara.com/glossary/foley). For budgeting, ADR stage time, the ADR mixer, and cast recall fees usually sit in the post sound accounts, and a [post-production supervisor](https://storiara.com/roles/post-production-supervisor) books sessions around cast availability from the [cast deal memo](https://storiara.com/templates/cast-deal-memo).

## Frequently asked questions

### Why is it called looping?

Before digital workstations, the scene was cut into a physical loop of film that ran over and over while the actor matched the line. The name stuck even though the process is now digital.

### How long does an ADR session take?

It depends on the number of cues and the actor. Supervising sound editors often plan sessions around a count of cues per hour, but a crying scene or a line shouted over a car engine takes much longer than a clean conversational pickup.

### Can ADR be recorded remotely?

Yes. Remote sessions stream picture and timecode to a studio near the actor while the director and ADR mixer listen from another city. Match the microphone to the one used for the rest of the scene where you can.

### Do union actors get paid for ADR?

Yes. An actor called back for post-production dialogue on a SAG-AFTRA picture is paid under the agreement that covers the film, so ADR sessions belong in the budget and in the actor's deal.