Help

Everything you need to get Audio Composer running in Premiere Pro and After Effects, and answers for when something doesn't work. Still stuck? Contact us.

Getting started

System requirements

• Windows.
• Adobe Premiere Pro 25.6 or later, or Adobe After Effects 24.0 or later.
• An internet connection to activate your license, and now and then to confirm it.

Install

Run AudioComposerSetup.exe from your purchase email (it's also on the download page). It installs for your Windows user only, so it doesn't need administrator rights. It sets up two things: the Audio Composer extension in Premiere Pro, After Effects or both (you choose; both are ticked), and a small background engine that starts when you sign in to Windows. The engine does the scanning, waveforms, playback and rendering on your computer.

Open the extension

In Premiere Pro, choose Window > UXP Plugins > Audio Composer. In After Effects, choose Window > Extensions > Audio Composer. Your library, favorites and settings are the same in both.

Start your Pro trial, or activate Pro

There's no license key and no password: everything works with your email address. Enter it in the bar at the top of the extension and click Start 7-day Pro trial, or Activate purchase if you bought Audio Composer Pro. We email you a 6-digit code (it works for 15 minutes); type it in and you're set. You can also do it later from the account menu (the round person icon at the top right of the extension) > License..., which also shows your email, your trial or Pro, and the computers Pro is active on. The same menu has Settings... for your AI connections, default loudness and track, and your library folders, and Connect AI apps... for AI apps like Claude Desktop.

Without Pro or a running trial, Audio Composer is the free version: the first 100 sounds of your library, to browse, search by name, preview, and add or drag into your edit as they are. Your whole library, Fit, Deep Scan, pitch, reverse and loudness, AI and Generate need Pro or a running trial.

Your library

• Add folders: click Add folder... in the folder tree and pick any folder of music or sound effects. Add as many as you like. If you use Animation Composer, the extension offers to import its folders and favorites.
• Browse: open folders in the tree; the grid shows the sounds in the folder you select, or All sounds.
• Preview: click a sound to play it. Scrub the big waveform at the bottom, loop it and set the volume. Each sound shows its length, and music shows its tempo and key.
• Thumbnail size: drag the Size slider under the folder tree.
• Favorites: click the star on a sound. The star next to the search box shows favorites only.
• Color labels: open a folder's ••• menu and pick a color. Clear all labels removes them.
• Focus folder: a folder's ••• menu > Focus Folder shows just that folder as the whole tree. Exit Focus brings everything back.
• Rename, reorder and remove: rename a folder from its ••• menu, drag folders to reorder them, and use Remove from Library to hide one. These only change how the extension shows your library. Your files and folders on disk are never renamed, moved or deleted.

Collections

Collections are folders that exist only in Audio Composer, like bins in Premiere. Use them to keep sounds together for a client, a project or a kind of edit. Your files never move: a collection only remembers where each sound is.

• Make one: click New collection under Collections in the tree. A collection's ••• menu > New Collection Inside... nests one in another.
• Fill it: drag sounds (one or a whole selection, from the grid or the tree) onto a collection in the tree, or use a sound's ••• menu > Add to Collection.... A sound can be in as many collections as you like. Dragging a sound out of the extension still drops it on the timeline as usual.
• Browse it: click a collection to see its sounds, its sub-collections' sounds included. Search, the type filter, favorites, preview, Add and Fit all work as in a folder; search looks inside the collection.
• Group library folders: drag a folder you added (like a whole SFX pack) onto a collection to keep it there, for example in an "SFX libraries" collection. It moves out of My Library into the collection (the folder itself stays where it is on disk). Drag it onto My Library, or use its ••• menu > Move Back to My Library, to put it back.
• Organize: drag collections to reorder them or to put one inside another. Rename, color labels and Focus work as for folders.
• Take sounds out: a sound's ••• menu > Remove from takes it out of the collection (the file stays on disk). Delete Collection removes only the collection; library folders in it go back to My Library.
• Missing sounds: if a file is moved or deleted outside Audio Composer, it shows dimmed as missing. The collection's ••• menu > Remove Missing clears them out.

Search and filters

Type in the search box to search your whole library, across every folder. Every word you type has to match the sound's name or folder. Search is forgiving: small typos in longer words still match, and common sound effect words find their synonyms, so "whoosh" also finds "swoosh" and "hit" also finds "impact".

The All, SFX, Music and VO buttons filter by type. Audio Composer sorts sounds for you, from words in file and folder names (like "VO" or "narration"), and by listening: music has a steady beat, and voiceover sounds like speech. Sorting happens in the background the first time it sees a sound, so new folders take a moment.

If a sound lands in the wrong place, fix it: right-click it (or use its ••• menu) > Mark as SFX, Music or VO. This works on several selected sounds at once. To fix a whole folder, use the folder's ••• menu > Treat folder as. Auto goes back to automatic sorting. A sound's own mark wins over its folder's.

Deep Scan

It analyzes every sound. Run Deep Scan once and Audio Composer listens to your whole library on your own computer. It sorts sound effects, music and voiceover for real, tags what each sound is, and lets you search by describing it: "dark tense riser", "happy ukulele", "metal door in a big room".

• Finds what file names don't say: whooshes, impacts, rain, crowds, footsteps and more.
• Music gets genre, mood and instruments.
• Voiceover gets a transcript, so you can search for what was said.
• Runs on your PC: no account, no upload, no extra cost. Pause and resume anytime.

Start it

Open the account menu (the person icon at the top right) > Settings... > Deep Scan > Set up..., or click Try Deep Scan when the extension suggests it. The window shows what it needs on your PC: a one-time download of the AI models (about 360 MB with a graphics card, about 300 MB without), which graphics card it uses, and about how long your library takes. Click Start Deep Scan. It downloads the models, then scans in the background while you work; a small Deep Scan pill in the grid header shows how far along it is.

What changes

• Search by sound: describe what you want. Sounds whose names match come first; sounds found only by how they sound are marked By sound.
• Tags: up to three tags under each sound (hidden at the smallest size). Click one to see every sound with that tag, or type tag:riser. The preview bar lists all of a sound's tags.
• Transcripts: voiceover is transcribed, so its words are searchable. Put a line in quotes ("limited time offer") to find the take where it's said.
• Sound types: short music stingers and logos are sorted as Music, spoken intros as VO, and sound effects that only looked like music or speech go back to SFX. Short spoken bits (a robot "error", a shouted "go!") stay sound effects. Your own Mark as always wins.
• Find Similar Sounds: a sound's ••• menu lists the sounds that sound most like it.

Settings

Settings... > Deep Scan shows progress, with Pause and Resume. Use graphics card can be turned off if Premiere needs all of it. Keep new sounds scanned scans sounds you add later automatically. Sounds on cloud drives (Google Drive, OneDrive) are skipped unless you tick Include cloud drives, because reading them downloads them. Remove Deep Scan deletes the models and everything it learned.

Deep Scan needs a processor from about 2013 or newer (with AVX2). A graphics card makes it faster, but it works without one. Model credits are in About > Model credits.

Using sounds in Premiere

• Drag and drop: drag a sound from the grid onto a track in your sequence. To drag several at once, select them with Ctrl+click or Shift+click first.
• Add: click Add (or double-click a sound) to place it at the playhead.
• Track: with Track set to Auto, Add uses the first audio track that's free at the playhead. Pick A1 to A6 to always use that track.
• Loudness: set Loudness to -14 LUFS (YouTube), -16 LUFS (podcast) or -23 LUFS (broadcast), and every sound you add or drag is brought to that level, without letting peaks clip.
• Pitch and reverse: shift the pitch up to 12 semitones either way, or tick Reverse. You hear the change in the preview, and the sound you add or drag gets it too.
• Fit to in/out: set in and out points on your sequence, select a music track and click Fit to in/out. Audio Composer edits the music on bar lines, keeps its intro and real ending, and makes it exactly the length you marked. With Bar markers ticked, it also adds a marker on every bar and at each edit point.

Changed sounds (pitched, reversed, loudness matched or fitted) are saved as new files in Documents\Audio Composer\Renders. Your original files never change. Settings... remembers your default loudness, track and bar markers.

Using sounds in After Effects

The extension works the same way in After Effects. What changes is where sounds go: the active composition (the one in the Timeline, or the one selected in the Project panel) instead of a sequence.

• Add and drag: click Add (or double-click a sound) to place it at the current time, or drag it onto the Composition panel or the Timeline. Each sound gets a layer of its own.
• Layer: new layers go on top, above the selected layer, or at the bottom, as set in Layer.
• Fit to work area: set the work area, select a music track and click Fit to work area. With Bar markers ticked, the new layer gets a marker on every bar, in red where the music was edited.
• Import into Project: in a sound's ••• menu. Imports go into an Audio Composer folder in the Project panel and are reused when you add the same sound again.
• FLAC and OGG: After Effects can't import them, so Audio Composer places a WAV copy instead, kept in Documents\Audio Composer\Renders\Converted.

Every change is one undo step. Ask AI works here too; with both apps open, it works in the one you used last.

AI

Ask in plain words, and AI finds sounds, fits music to your edit and places it on the timeline. It reads your timeline (cuts, clips and markers) but doesn't watch the video, so tell it what the scene is about. There are three ways to use it.

Chat subscriptions such as Claude or ChatGPT only work inside their own apps, so chatting in the extension itself needs an API key or the free local AI.

Connect AI apps works with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (Copilot), Windsurf, Gemini CLI, LM Studio and OpenAI Codex, and shows a command and a URL for any other app that supports MCP.

Things to ask

• "Fill in sound effects for me."
• "Pick a track that goes with my video."
• "Make the music fit my edit."
• "Find a few whooshes for my transitions and put them on A3."
• "Put the best risers in a Trailer collection."

Generate with ElevenLabs

Can't find the right sound? Click Generate at the bottom of the extension, describe a sound effect or a piece of music, and ElevenLabs creates it. Sound effects can be a set length, loop, and come in up to four variations; music can be instrumental. Results go to Documents\Audio Composer\Generated, which shows up in your library, ready to preview and drag. Generate uses your own ElevenLabs API key (connect it in Settings... or Connect AI apps... in the account menu) and your ElevenLabs credits.

Licensing

The 7-day Pro trial

• Everything, free, for 7 days. The trial is the whole of Audio Composer Pro. No card, just your email. The extension shows how many days are left, with a Get Pro button.
• One trial per person and per computer. A trial runs on one computer. Starting it again on the same computer (after reinstalling, say) picks up the same trial with the same end date; a computer that already had a trial can't start another one. Temporary email addresses can't start a trial.
• It checks in now and then. During the trial, Audio Composer confirms it online when it starts and every 12 hours, and works offline for up to a day at a time. If your computer's clock is set back, the trial needs an online check before it works again.
• Buying during or after the trial: get Pro with the same email and the trial turns into Pro by itself within 12 hours; click I already bought it to do it right away (or to activate with a different purchase email).
• When the trial ends, the extension says so, and the Pro features need Pro. Your library, your collections and everything you made during the trial stay yours.

Audio Composer Pro

• One purchase per person, no subscription. Free updates, forever. Use it on your own computers: up to 3 computers at a time.
• Activate with your purchase email. Each computer gets its own 6-digit code by email. Your account is your email address: there's no password and no license key to keep.
• New computer? On the old one, open the account menu > License... > Deactivate this computer, then activate the new one with your purchase email. If all your computers are in use, a deactivated computer keeps its place for up to 7 days (it could still work offline that long); the extension shows when it frees up. Deactivating and removing computers is limited to 5 in 30 days.
• Old computer gone or broken? Activate the new one anyway. If all your computers are in use, the extension lists them: click Remove next to the old one (your emailed code proves it's you), then Activate this computer. From a computer that's already activated, License... lists your computers with the same Remove buttons. You can remove up to 5 computers this way in 30 days; for more, email us.
• Offline: Audio Composer confirms your license online every few days. If it can't, it keeps working offline for up to 7 days since the last successful check, then asks you to connect again. If your PC's clock is wrong, it asks for an online check instead; set the time automatically in Windows.
• Refunds: if Audio Composer isn't working for you, email us and we'll help you fix it or sort out a refund. A refund (or a payment dispute) ends the license on all your computers.

Troubleshooting

The extension isn't in the Window menu

In Premiere Pro, look under Window > UXP Plugins, not Extensions. In After Effects it's Window > Extensions. If it's not there, check the version (Premiere Pro 25.6 or After Effects 24.0 or later) and that the app was ticked in the installer, then quit the app, run the installer again and start it.

"Engine not reachable" or the extension can't connect

The engine starts when you sign in to Windows and runs in the background without a window. To start it now, open File Explorer, go to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Audio Composer and double-click audio-composer-engine.exe (or sign out of Windows and back in). The extension connects on its own within a few seconds. If that folder is missing, run the installer again.

A drag doesn't land on the timeline

Make sure a sequence is open and drop onto an audio track. Pitched, reversed or loudness matched sounds are prepared first, so give it a moment. If dragging still doesn't work, select the sound and use Add or double-click it to place it at the playhead. Dragging needs an active license.

Windows SmartScreen warns about the installer

If Windows shows "Windows protected your PC" when you run the installer, click More info, check that it's AudioComposerSetup.exe from your purchase email, then click Run anyway.

A firewall prompt appears

The engine only talks to Premiere on your own computer (127.0.0.1) and doesn't accept connections from your network. If Windows Firewall asks about it, you can cancel; Audio Composer works either way.

Activation errors

• No code arrives: wait a minute and check your spam folder. For Activate purchase, make sure you typed the email address you used at checkout: for privacy, the extension says the same thing whether or not that address bought Audio Composer Pro. Codes are limited to a few an hour per address.
• The code isn't right or has expired: codes work for 15 minutes and only the newest one counts. Click Change email, then send a new one.
• Too many computers: Audio Composer is already active on all the computers your purchase covers. The extension lists them; remove one you no longer use, then activate this one.
• "This computer already had a free trial" or "Your free trial is running on another computer": each person and each computer gets one trial. Get Pro to keep going, or email us if something looks wrong.
• "Your Pro trial needs a quick online check" or "your computer's clock was set back": connect to the internet and check the date and time in Windows (Settings > Time & language > Set time automatically). Audio Composer checks again on its own.
• Couldn't reach the license server: check your internet connection and try again. Once activated, Audio Composer Pro works offline for up to 7 days at a time. After a while offline, the first thing you do online checks in by itself; the License window also has Check again.

Where are my generated sounds?

In Documents\Audio Composer\Generated, in Sound Effects and Music folders. Changed and fitted sounds are in Documents\Audio Composer\Renders. Settings... has a Show in Explorer button for both.

Reporting an issue

In the extension, open the account menu > Contact support..., describe what happened and click Send. With Include versions and the engine log ticked, it sends your Audio Composer, Windows and Premiere Pro or After Effects versions, your license state and the last lines of the engine's log along, so we can help faster. We reply by email.

FAQ

Is there a Mac version?

Not yet. Audio Composer is Windows first, and a Mac version is planned.

Does it upload my library?

No. Your sound files, waveforms and folders stay on your computer, and so does everything Deep Scan learns: it runs on your PC and only downloads its models. If you use AI, the AI app you choose sees what it needs to answer, such as sound names. When you generate, your prompt goes to ElevenLabs.

Is it a subscription?

No monthly subscription. Audio Composer Pro is a one-time purchase with free updates, and you can try all of it free for 7 days first. The local AI model is free. Ask AI with Claude and ElevenLabs use your own keys, so you pay those providers directly, only for what you use.

Which AI apps work?

Ask AI in the extension works with an API key from Claude, OpenAI, Gemini or any OpenAI-compatible service, or with a free model on your PC (or one you run in Ollama or LM Studio). Connect AI apps (in the account menu) sets up Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (Copilot), Windsurf, Gemini CLI, LM Studio and OpenAI Codex, and any other app that supports MCP can connect with the command or URL it shows.

Contact

Use Contact support... in the extension's account menu (it can send your versions along) or the contact form. Tell us what happened, what you expected and the steps to get there.