When you open an asset library looking for background music, the sheer number of tracks can make it hard to choose. Selecting a song only by genre or mood often leads to problems: it may fit the visuals but make the narration difficult to understand, run too short, or create awkward transitions.
Background music that works well in video editing is not necessarily your favorite song. It is a track that is easy to edit and supports the role of the visuals without getting in the way. Here are the points to check when looking for music, arranged in the order you are likely to encounter them during editing.
Define the video’s purpose in one phrase first
Before searching for music, describe in one phrase how you want viewers to feel after watching the video. It might be “a calm explanation that is easy to understand,” “a fast-paced product presentation,” “a vlog that captures the feeling of everyday life,” or “an announcement that builds anticipation.”
This phrase makes it easier to avoid being distracted by search tags. For an explainer video, for example, searching for words related to the music’s role, such as “calm,” “unobtrusive,” or “focus,” is more likely to uncover a track that works well with speech than broad descriptors such as “bright” or “stylish.”
If the video has narration or dialogue, prioritize a sparse arrangement
In a video centered on spoken content, a strong melody or vocals can compete with the words. Even after you lower the music, speech can still feel difficult to understand if the midrange where voices are clearest is crowded with piano, guitar, synthesizers, or vocals.
When in doubt, choose candidates with fewer instruments, fewer intricate changes, and less overpowering low end. A track with drums may still sit well beneath speech if the kick and bass are not too prominent.
Consider tempo in relation to the visual transitions
Fast music works well with short cuts and quick captions, while slower music suits calm explanations and spacious visuals. However, the BPM does not need to correspond exactly to the number of cuts.
What matters is whether the beat makes the video’s rhythm feel rushed or, conversely, drawn out. After placing a track temporarily, play it with the picture at three points—the opening, a topic transition, and the ending—to see whether the video moves comfortably.
Test how easily the track can be looped or cut
A video’s duration changes during editing. For that reason, a track that can be cut cleanly or looped easily may be more useful than one that needs to play from beginning to end.
When you find a candidate, review its intro, climax, and ending. A track may be difficult to handle in some videos if it opens with a distinctive phrase, changes dramatically midway through, or stops abruptly. If the asset library provides loop and short versions, compare those as well.
When the scene changes, adjust the volume before changing the track
Changing the background music at every scene transition can make the video feel unsettled. First try using the same track and changing its volume: lower it slightly when the narration begins and bring it back up during a highlight.
Automation is useful here. Gradually adjusting the volume around the beginning and end of speech avoids sudden changes and sounds more natural. Reserve an actual music change for a meaningful transition, such as the start of a new chapter or a major change in time or location.
Leave room for sound effects
If the background music is too busy, sound effects will be buried. If you plan to add effects to captions or on-screen instructions, choosing more restrained music will make it easier to achieve a balanced mix.
To learn more about separating the roles of music and effects, see “Background Music or Sound Effects? The Basics of Adding Audio to Video.”
What to check after choosing a track
Once you have selected a track, listen through a smartphone speaker as well as earbuds. Music that sounds balanced in your editing environment can have too much bass or bury the voice on another playback system.
It is also important to save the terms as soon as you decide to use an asset. For considerations specific to YouTube, see “What to Know When Using Background Music and Sound Effects on YouTube.” For a practical review of commercial use and attribution, see “Terms to Check Before Using Background Music and Sound Effects.”
A reliable first track when you are unsure
If you are unsure what to choose for your first video, try a loop-friendly instrumental track with a sparse arrangement and a moderate tempo. Keep it quietly under the entire video, then lower it further during spoken sections. Once this basic structure works, you can expand your choices to meet more specific goals, such as making the video brighter or building excitement in one section.
