Threshold: how quiet counts as silent
The threshold is the volume level below which audio is treated as silence. Set it too high and you risk cutting quiet speech; set it too low and faint background noise stops gaps from being detected.
Start just below your normal speaking level. If quiet words are being cut, lower the threshold; if obvious pauses are being kept, raise it slightly.
Minimum silence length: how long a gap must be
This is the shortest silence that will be removed. A short value (around 0.3 seconds) is aggressive and great for fast, energetic clips. A longer value (0.6–0.8 seconds) removes only real pauses and keeps the natural rhythm of speech.
Use shorter values for short-form video and longer values for podcasts, narration, and interviews.
Padding: breathing room around each cut
Padding leaves a small amount of audio before and after each cut so words are not clipped and the edit does not sound abrupt. Around 50–150 milliseconds works for most spoken content.
Too little padding sounds choppy; too much padding leaves the gaps you were trying to remove. Adjust until cuts are invisible to the ear.
A starting point by content type
Podcasts and interviews: longer minimum length, conservative threshold, generous padding. Short-form video: shorter minimum length, a touch less padding for energy. Voiceover and audiobooks: longer minimum length with careful threshold so breaths sound natural.
Whatever you start with, always preview a section before exporting and nudge one setting at a time.