Fairlight · Folder Tracks · Resolve 21
Folder Tracks in DaVinci Resolve 21
Folder Tracks let you combine several Fairlight audio tracks into a collapsible composite view without changing the original tracks. This guide uses the live Resolve 21 interface to show creation, open and collapsed states, folder-level Solo/Mute, composite editing and nesting.
1. Before the folder
A normal Fairlight timeline can become tall very quickly
The starting capture shows three independent audio tracks and a bus. Folder Tracks solve timeline organization, not signal routing: the tracks remain tracks, while the folder changes how they are presented and managed in the Fairlight timeline.
Original tracks stay intact
Combining tracks into a folder does not merge or replace the underlying audio tracks.
The goal is context
Collapse groups you do not need to see while keeping the whole session available when required.
2. Create
Select two or more tracks and use Add Tracks to New Folder
Select the tracks
Select two or more audio tracks that belong to the same working group: dialogue, Foley, SFX, music stems or another logical set.
Open the track context menu
Right-click one of the selected track headers.
Add Tracks to New Folder
Resolve creates a new folder track and places the selected tracks underneath it.
3. Open folder
Open state keeps every enclosed track available
The disclosure control in the folder header switches between the detailed view and the compact composite view. In the open state the enclosed tracks are shown indented beneath the folder track.
4. Collapsed composite view
Collapse several tracks into one timeline-height slot
When the folder is collapsed, Resolve represents the positions of the enclosed clips in a minimized composite view rather than drawing their full waveforms. Track colors remain visible, while the closed folder does not show level meters.
Composite editing
Resolve supports editing from the folder's composite view, which is useful when many related elements need to move as a working set.
Solo / Mute
Folder-level Solo and Mute let you audition or silence the entire enclosed group at once.
Rename the folder
The folder track name can be edited like a working label, so use meaningful names instead of leaving Folder 1, Folder 2 and so on.
Open to restore meters
Closed Folder Tracks do not show level meters; open the folder when you need the detailed track view and meters again.
5. Nesting
Folders can be nested up to three levels
Nested folders are useful when a broad department needs smaller working groups. Keep the hierarchy shallow enough that it still communicates the session structure at a glance.
Dialogue
Group boom, lavaliers, room tone and alternate dialogue tracks so the timeline can be collapsed when you work on music or effects.
SFX / Foley
A dense action scene can contain many effects tracks. Put them in a folder to keep the picture context visible while you work elsewhere.
Music stems
Group drums, bass, instruments and alternate stems while preserving the individual tracks for detailed mixing.
Large deliveries
Use folders as navigation structure, then keep routing decisions in the mixer and FlexBus rather than confusing visual organization with signal flow.
6. Folder vs bus
Folder Tracks organize the timeline; buses organize signal flow
Visual organization
Collect related tracks, collapse them into a composite view, use folder-level Solo/Mute and restore the original detailed view whenever needed.
Audio routing and processing
Buses define where audio is sent and how groups of signals are mixed or processed. A clean session often uses folders for navigation and buses for audio architecture at the same time.
7. Remove a folder
Deleting the folder restores the original track view
If the folder structure is no longer useful, right-click the folder track and delete the folder track. Resolve restores the original track positions rather than treating the folder as a destructive merge of their contents.
Do not confuse delete targets
Delete the folder track when your goal is to remove the organizational wrapper, not the underlying audio material.
Name by function
Dialogue, Foley, SFX, Music and VO communicate more than Folder 1, Folder 2 and Folder 3.
Collapse intentionally
Keep a folder open while you need its meters or detailed waveforms, then collapse it when the task moves elsewhere.
Folder Tracks are documented as a new Fairlight feature in DaVinci Resolve 21. Blackmagic confirms the composite view, open/closed states, folder-level Solo and Mute, composite editing, deletion that restores the original track view and a maximum of three nesting levels. The interface screenshots on this page are live Resolve 21 captures supplied for this encyclopedia.
Continue with channel architecture
Channel Mapping and track formats
The next topic separates visual timeline organization from channel architecture: Clip Attributes, source channels, mono/stereo/multichannel track formats and channel mapping.
Open Channel Mapping →