Mute Segment
Description
Mute segments are for segments that visually contain important information but have audio underneath that belongs in one of the categories. If a segment can be skipped, it should be skipped instead. If a "skip" segment is too short to make a smooth skip, it can submitted as "mute" if it seems better.
Existing "skip" segments cannot be converted to "mute" segments unless resubmitted as a new segment
The threshold for converting skip segments to mute is about 1.5 seconds, but can vary depending on the context.
Keeping Context
- While skip segments should include segues, mute segments sometimes do not include segues
- For segments, try to mute as much audio as possible while still preserving context, reducing confusion as to why there is suddenly no audio
- Don't mute the audio leading up to the segment, e.g. at 9:15, bryonato's explanation of the the encounter being "mainly just holding W" and the segue into "but we have time for our first round of donations" is not muted
Examples
| Description | Video Link |
|---|---|
| Positive Examples | |
| There are visual disclaimers which cannot be skipped but audio for a sponsor read | 1 Man, 27 Impressions |
| The content creator is shouting out the creator of the source material they based off of at 16:57 but it is over a timelapse, which should not be skipped | Ep 19: I Moved! (My Base) |
| The product name mentioned at 0:52 is muted since it's irrelevant to the content and cannot show any bias, where a skip would dramatically interrupt the flow | Slow Mo with a High-Speed Robot - The Slow Mo Guys |
| GDQ donation segments still have gameplay but can be muted for the duration of the donation reads | Control by Bryonato in 1:08:47 - AGDQ2020 |
| Negative Examples | |
| While there is spoken audio at 8:08, it is an interaction reminder and the entire section can be skipped | 8 Minute Guide to Sucrose | Genshin Impact |
| While the audio is irrelevant, it doesn't fit any category and should not be muted | Crazy spinning cat |
Tips for submitting
- Mute segments do not need a 2 frame buffer at the start
- When chaining a skip after a mute segment, add a 2 frame buffer to the start of the skip segment
- Preview as skip to see if there is a clean cut between the start of the mute and the end of the mute, avoiding unmutes in the middle of dialogue or a sound effect
- Make sure that other audio in the middle of the segment is not muted
- If the section has a part that should be skipped and a 2nd part that should only be muted — make two consecutive segments.
- It is preferred to chain them on exactly the same millisecond but some overlap is okay.
- Instead of chaining multiple skips and mutes in sequence, replace the smaller mute segments with a larger mute that covers all the segments