Film sound is often finished last and squeezed hardest. The picture changes after the mix has started, the turnover is out of date, and a loudness target appears in the delivery spec a week before the deadline. cinemaOS keeps the mix in the same project as the picture, so you hear every change to the cut as it happens and you can check loudness before anything leaves the room.
The jobs you actually do
- Organise dialogue, music, effects and ambience into stems.
- Balance dialogue against everything else, scene by scene.
- Record a voice or a guide track.
- Place sounds in space and check how they fold down.
- Meet a loudness target for a festival, broadcaster or platform.
- Keep up with picture changes during the mix.
- Hand off or deliver the finished sound.
How cinemaOS handles each
Buses and stems
Open Sound mode and the SOUND console lays the mix out on dialogue, music, effects and ambience buses. Dialogue, music, effects and ambience are kept apart from the start, which is what stems need. The The SOUND console tutorial reads the buses and meters and adjusts the mix.
Balance and loudness
Loudness meters sit in the console, so you can watch the program level while you balance dialogue against music and effects. Our guide to loudness standards for delivery explains LUFS, true peak and BS.1770 in plain terms.
Recording
Prepare a Record Voice take from the console for a guide track, a voice-over or a temp line, without leaving the project.
Space and placement
Spatial Theatrics is a 3D theater for the mix. Tracks become objects you place in the room, scene loudness is measured as you go, and you can listen on stereo and headphones. Read how to mix spatial audio on headphones and our explainer on spatial audio for indie film.
Picture changes
Because sound lives in the same project as the edit, a picture change shows up in the mix at once. There is no new turnover to request. The Sequencer's trim tools work on picture and sound together, and edit by text helps you find dialogue lines quickly.
Finding lines and subtitles
Transcription runs on the Mac, which also helps when you need to find every take of a line. Subtitles and translations are generated offline and exported as SRT for the delivery package.
Handing off
If a mix is finished in another studio, export the cut as XML or EDL for the picture, and use the delivery tools in Finisher for the files. Our guide to audio mixing software for indie film compares cinemaOS with dedicated audio tools.
Where to start
- Download cinemaOS and start the 60-day free trial. No card is needed and nothing is charged automatically.
- Import a scene with dialogue, music and effects, or ask the editor for an XML or EDL of the cut.
- Balance it in the SOUND console and watch the loudness meters against your target.
- Open Spatial Theatrics, place two or three sounds as objects and listen on headphones.
- Ask the editor for a picture change and see how the mix follows it.
The last step is the one that usually decides it. When sound lives in the same project as the cut, a late change is a normal day rather than a new turnover.
Honest limits
- cinemaOS is not a full digital audio workstation. For complex sound design with large plug-in chains, a dedicated DAW is still the better tool.
- Spatial Theatrics checks mixes on stereo and headphones. If you need a certified immersive room workflow, use a dedicated facility.
- Dubbed voices have no lip sync.
- It runs on Apple silicon Macs only. Windows is planned for November 2027.
- It is version 0.2, build 9. Mix a real scene during the trial before you take paid work into it.
FAQ
Can I mix a whole short film in cinemaOS?
Yes. The SOUND console covers dialogue, music, effects and ambience buses with loudness meters, and Spatial Theatrics adds 3D placement with stereo and headphone checks.
Does cinemaOS measure loudness?
Yes. Loudness meters are part of the SOUND console, and Spatial Theatrics measures scene loudness while you place sound.
Can I work with an editor who uses another app?
Yes. Bring their cut in as XML or EDL with Import a cut, mix it in cinemaOS and hand the cut back the same way.