How to cut dead air from a talking video
Updated 2026-11-04. By Oluwasegun Michael, who built Oyacut.
Dead air is the silence and stumbling between the parts of a take you want to keep: long pauses, false starts and repeated lines. To remove it, find each pause, cut it out, and keep the last clean version of any line you repeated. Oyacut does this automatically: upload the raw clip and it cuts pauses, false starts and retakes for you.
How do I cut dead air by hand?
Play the clip and mark every pause longer than a breath, every false start and every line you repeated. Delete the pauses, keep the last clean take of each repeated line, and watch the result once more because cuts can clip the first or last word of a sentence. In our opinion, a tighter edit keeps people watching, but a natural pause before a big point can help, so keep those.
Can this be done automatically?
Yes. Oyacut cuts pauses, false starts and retakes from the raw clip you upload. If you want to adjust one thing, there is an optional editor where you can trim, split and reorder clips and cut words.
What if I want a change after the first cut?
Ask by chat, for example cut the intro, or tap a suggestion. Changes to a video you have already made are free.