Identify the video and narration editions
External narration is useful when reviewing a new voice track for a video you produced. Before loading it, record the exact video edit and the corresponding audio revision. Matching titles are insufficient if one file includes an introduction or a section the other lacks.
Keep the original media unchanged and choose a short authorised sample. Write three cue points: an early visual action, a middle action and a final action that should align with the narration. This makes the review about an identifiable edit rather than a vague impression that the audio is generally close.
Choose deliberate loading or constrained discovery
An explicit launch attachment uses --audio-file with the intended path; audio-add loads one during playback. If automatic discovery is appropriate, use the table to choose its scope. Start with an explicitly selected narration file when several revisions sit in one directory. If you later use automatic discovery, choose the narrowest documented match that fits the naming convention and understand what else it can load.
Inspect the resulting track list and choose the intended audio. Loading an external track and hearing it are separate events; the original embedded track or another external revision may remain selected. Record the track title or identity visible on the installation instead of assuming that the newest file always receives a particular numeric position.
| audio-file-auto value | Matching scope |
|---|---|
| no | No automatic external-audio discovery |
| exact | Same media basename with an audio extension |
| fuzzy | Audio names containing the media basename |
| all | Audio in current and configured audio search directories |
Assess alignment before changing timing
Play the three recorded cue points on the local setup. If each is displaced by the same amount, a fixed timing relationship may deserve review. If the mismatch changes or jumps after an edit, compare the source revisions before applying a single delay. A delay cannot restore a missing or extra scene in one edition.
Change only one relevant input at a time and keep the previous narration available. When updating an audio file already loaded, use the documented reload or remove/add workflow supported by the release rather than assuming a changed file on disk has refreshed inside the player. Check track selection again afterward.
Record the decision for handover
A useful review note names the video revision, audio revision, selected track, cue points and any timing adjustment used during the session. Make clear whether the result is merely a player audition or an accepted production edit. A receiver should not mistake a local playback offset for an exported corrected soundtrack.
If you automate discovery or rescan external files, test how the selected track behaves in that workflow. mpv documents rescan modes with different selection consequences. Preserve the chosen narration identity through the review, and recheck it after changing filenames or directories. No playback or synchronization measurements were performed for this guide; it supplies a reproducible review method.
Questions answered
Does a sidecar loading successfully prove it is the right edit?
No. Check the narration revision and several cue points against the exact video.
Is loading an external track the same as selecting it?
No. Inspect the track list and confirm which audio is actually selected.
Sources & further reading
Official references for the subjects discussed. Service terms and device software can change.