Audio tracks

Audio tracks, also known as Multi-language audio, are a YouTube feature designed to allow creators to upload several different audios to the same video, for several applications such as dubbing and audio description. 
Audio tracks were announced at the Game Accessibility Conference in Seattle, United States, and rolled out in beta in September 2020. Before this, the only way to have audio description on YouTube was to upload a separate video. The firstvideo to use this feature was Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Story Trailer | Ubisoft [NA], uploaded by Ubisoft North America on September 29, 2020.
As of July 2024, it is yet to expand to all creators.
== Function ==
This feature allow creators to upload different audios to the same video, eliminating the need for separate videos, and streamlining the viewer experience. Audio tracks must be uploaded by the creator of a video as a supported audio-only file, and have "roughly the same length" as the video itself.
The audio track may have indicators next to the video language to assist users, such as "original" for the audio in its original form, or "descriptive" for audio descriptions. Like subtitles, this feature can be toggled using the gear icon on the bottom right of the video player, then clicking on the option, where you can choose the different tracks.
=== Dubbing ===
Dubbing is the process of translating a film's audio to another language. Audio tracks can be used to provide several dubbed audios to the video, expanding the potential audience for the video. It can be used in conjunction with subtitles to provide a better experience.
MrBeast consistently uses audio tracks to provide dubbed videos in 10+ languages. It was first used in his channel on April 10, 2021, at the time only including a Spanish language dub. Additionally, he announced the creation of a dubbing company to help other YouTubers access the feature.
On February 23rd, 2023, an employee-led channel called Creator Insider interviewed MrBeast, in which they talked about Audio Tracks and their strategies. In the video, YouTube announced that they would expand the feature, and MrBeast announced the aforementioned dubbing company.
As of July 2024, it is not known which languages will be supported for dubbed audio tracks.
==== AI dubbing ====
On March 9th, 2022, Google released Aloud, an AI-dubbing feature, under early access. It allows content creators to free the dubbing workload by automatically doing so with Artificial Intelligence. 
Currently, videos can be dubbed in Spanish (U.S. and Spain), Portuguese (Brazil and Portugal), Hindi and Indonesian using this feature.
=== Audio description ===
Audio tracks can be used to provide audio description (AD). AD is an audio consisting of a narrator, which conveys each of the characters' actions, emotions, what's on the screen, etc. in order for blind users to understand the content. Descriptive audio cannot be used in conjunction with subtitles. They are forcibly disabled when AD is turned on.
One example of the use of this feature is on Emily Graslie’s Art Lab series, which features an audio description track. Art Lab is produced in partnership with the , which provides accessible and educational videos for disabled people.
Additionally, YouTube Originals may include a pre-roll video that serves as a reminder that the YouTube Original has descriptive audio, with instructions to turn it on. One example is shown in the video Can We Forage All Our Calories From The Wild? | Shut It Off ASAP, uploaded by AsapSCIENCE.
==References==
Category:History of YouTube