Music and sound

Every recipe on this site produces a silent video. That's on purpose — the cut has to work on its own first. But once it does, a music bed is the single cheapest upgrade left: same video, one track underneath, and it suddenly feels finished.

Where to get a track

Use a royalty-free library, not a song you like:

• Pixabay Music — free, no attribution required
• Uppbeat — free tier with attribution, curated for creators
• YouTube Audio Library — free, inside YouTube Studio

One rule, no exceptions: before you publish, check that the track's license allows commercial use. A product video is commercial use even if the product is free.

What kind of track works

• Instrumental. Vocals fight your words on screen — and your words win the video, so the vocals just lose.
• Steady energy. A track that builds and drops fights your cut. Pick one that holds a level.
• Match the mood to the video. A launch wants drive. A changelog wants calm. A showcase reel wants pulse. If you can imagine the video over the track, it fits.

Thirty seconds of the right track beats three minutes of a great one.

Handing it to your agent

Drop the audio file into the project folder, then paste:

There's an audio file in the project folder: <FILE NAME>. Add it as background
music under the whole video. Keep it quiet enough that it never competes with
the screen, and fade it out over the outro so the video ends clean.

That's the whole job. Your agent handles the volume, the timing and the fade.

Directing the sound

Sound takes the same plain sentences as the cut — see Directing your agent:

• "Start the music on beat 2, not from the first frame."
• "Duck the music under the demo, bring it back after."
• "The music is too loud over the value beat."
• "End the fade exactly with the logo."
• "Try a harder cut — stop the music dead on the last beat instead of fading."

Watch with sound on, say what's off, watch again. Two rounds is normal.

When to skip sound

Most feeds autoplay muted. The version of your video most people see is the silent one — which is why every recipe builds the silent version first. Sound is polish on top, not a crutch: if a beat only works with music under it, fix the beat. Then add the track for everyone who taps unmute.