How to Add Audio to Video
Pairing your video with the right audio track can make all the difference in its appeal to viewers. Whether you are working on a video ad, product teasers, educational videos, personal projects, and more, if you add audio to video, it will increase the impact and make your videos much more engaging.
Audio goes a long way in making your video more memorable. In fact, it has already been proven that the right music can provoke emotional responses from viewers, making them more engaged with whatever it is you are showing.
In this post, we will explain how to add audio to video and what to consider when doing so.
First, You Need a Video Audio Editor
Whether you are creating videos for professional, personal, or commercial reasons, having a video audio editor will be a critical part of the video creation process. Before you can consider your video finished, you’ll need to properly merge audio and video into a single file that can be distributed through various channels. This requires a video audio editor to help streamline the creation process.
Adding audio sounds to your video will help elevate your video marketing efforts and social engagement rates. Additionally, with the help of video editors, you can create videos without sound, mute unwanted background noises from your footage, and add your choice of audio once it is edited.
Some online video editors make it easy to add audio by providing a library of royalty-free tracks you can easily add to your video. As described below, adding audio to your videos gives the video more context, increases the production value, helps you project the mood you’re trying to pass across, and appeals to viewers’ emotions.
How to Add Sound to a Video Easily
We have detailed above the importance of adding audio to your videos. But not everybody knows how to add audio and merge it into their video content post-production.
If you’re looking for how to add sound to video, then you’ve found the solution. The great news: It’s quite a simple process that does not require editing knowledge. With a powerful online video editor like Promo, you easily upload your video and the desired audio file, and the automated software will take care of the rest.
Promo.com’s Online Audio Editor
It’s not hard to find video audio editing tools. Finding the right one for your needs, however, can take a bit of research. You’ll want to have a tool on hand that can merge audio and video in a way that meets your requirements without demanding too much technical knowledge. It’s a good idea to start with a relatively simple, easy-to-use editor and move up from there as your technical requirements increase. Here are two reasons why Promo is the perfect audio editor for you.
Upload Your Own Audio
When you want to merge audio and video, one must-have is an editor that allows you to bring your own audio files to the party. While you might not be producing original music for the videos, you will probably want to record some dialogue tracks from time to time that you can quickly upload and add to the pre-recorded video file. Don’t settle for any tool that doesn’t include this essential feature.
Access a Pre-Approved Music Library
On the other end of the spectrum, you don’t want to use a tool that doesn’t have a library of music available for you to choose from. When you need the right type of music for a specific video project, it’s frustrating to hunt all around the web for a royalty-free track that you can use. That’s not an issue when you use a tool that includes a music library as a built-in feature. For example, if you use the tool offered by Promo.com that we will discuss below, a built-in library of royalty-free music is one of the many great features it includes!
How to Add Audio to Video Using Promo.com
Promo’s video tools were created to serve both professional video makers and first-time video creators. So if you’ve never done this before, you’ll probably be amazed at how simple it is.
Step one: Upload your video to Promo.com or create one from scratch. If you choose to upload your own video, you can merge it with footage and photos from Promo’s visual library, add animated text, brand your video with your logo and details, change the video aspect ratio to fit your preferred platform, and more.
Step two: Once your video is in the editor, choose the music option on the right-hand menu. From there, you can either upload your own audio tracks by entering the uploads library or browse Promo’s royalty-free music library, which features over 1.5K tracks. The music is organized by genre, theme, and even instrument for your convenience.
Step three: Hover over the music tracks in our library; if you hear something you like – click on use track. It will immediately be applied to your video project. Next, hit the blue play button to preview your audio to video outcome. Like the result? Great! You can move on to the final step. Want to try out a different track? It’s super easy. Just go back to the music library and repeat the process.
Step four: Once your project is ready, you can decide how you’d like to export it. You can either download it to your computer or share it directly to your socials from Promo’s Publish Page. You can also create multiple versions of your video in different aspect ratios easily.
Why is Audio So Important in a Video?
Now that you know how to easily add audio to your video, let’s talk about why it’s so important. Video is a powerful medium, but it is missing something without audio to support it.
Anyone viewing your video will expect audio to be present, so they’ll be confused and maybe even disappointed if it is not included. Fortunately, as you now know, you can add an audio track to a video without much trouble, so there is no reason to publish a silent video ever again. Four of the many benefits delivered by audio include –
- Adding context to the video
- Improving production value
- Setting the mood
- Generation an emotional response
Simply put, if you want to produce the best possible videos on your chosen subject, you are going to need to use audio to your advantage.
Adds Context
As you plan your videos, think carefully about how the audio and video will work together to tell the whole story. This will have a substantial impact on what you decide to shoot for your video and how the audio will be captured and produced. It’s not a matter of doing one and then doing the other independently – they should be thought of as two key, equal components of the same project.
As an example, many popular videos on YouTube feature people performing repairs on their mobile devices. Often, these videos include a demonstration of the repair along with a voice-over. Without mixing audio for video and adding that voice-over, the demonstration alone would not be enough to help viewers do their own repairs.
Or take a YouTube intro for example, it’s so short, that choosing the right music for your intro will be a determining factor in how much attention it gets and how recognizable your channel will me.
Production Value Increases
Adding good audio simply elevates the quality of a video. When trying to reach the highest overall production value for your video, you’ll want to nail each essential component like the setting, lighting, and image quality. Along with that, you’ll want to include sound that is clear, crisp, and applies to the context of the video correctly. Even a beautiful video is going to be lacking in production value if it is accompanied by silence.
A great example of upping production values with audio is seen when watching the popular “trick shot” genre of YouTube videos. These feature performers in various sports performing extremely difficult moves, such as long basketball shots, golf shots, etc. The video alone is enough to show off the trick, but when they combine video and audio files with adding music and some commentary, the production values go to a much higher level.
Sets the Mood
Sound is excellent at bringing the right mood to a given scene. If you want your video to be taken seriously, you can make the audio quiet and understated – something that sounds like it means business. On the other hand, a lighthearted, funny video meant solely to entertain can use background music or sound effects that lighten the tone.
If you have ever watched nature videos on YouTube or another platform, you already know how this concept works. Beautiful footage of gorgeous locations around the globe is shown, along with peaceful music or natural sounds. When they add an audio track to video, the producers of these videos elevate them and create the right mood for an immersive viewing experience. The earth would be just as beautiful without the background sounds, but the videos would fall flat.
Generates an Emotional Response
This last point goes along with the previous point on setting the mood. When you create a video, you are often trying to draw a specific emotional response out of your audience – and the suitable audio file will go a long way toward making that happen. Whether you want your audience to feel exciting, anxious, reflective, or anything in between, audio can help you reach that goal.
The most accessible place to look for examples of using audio to elicit an emotional response in video is the countless “reaction” videos all over the web. These include anything from a soldier returning home from active duty to a baby announcement surprise and countless others. Without the audio, these videos would not be nearly as effective at pulling emotion out of the audience. With the right video audio editor, it’s simple to bring together the two components into a powerful finished product that will bring smiles and more than a few tears.
Best Audio File Formats to Use
On the technical side of things, it’s important to pick the proper form of audio file to add to your video. There are plenty of options available, and the right one will depend on your goals for the project and any practical limitations that you have in place. Before you start to merge video and audio into a single file, take some time to pick out the appropriate audio file format.
As a starting point, the popular MP3 file format will work for most projects. This is a prevalent audio file type, so many source files that you draw from will be saved as MP3s. The big advantage of an MP3 file is the modest amount of storage space that it requires. You’ll get solid audio quality without taking up a lot of space, which makes these an excellent choice for use in your video audio editor.
With that said, some projects may require the best possible sound quality you can muster. In that case, an uncompressed file is key. Without compression, audio files are much more significant – but they also deliver significantly higher levels of quality and detail. Two popular uncompressed file formats for audio are AIFF and WAV. If you have access to audio in these formats and file size limitations don’t constrain your project, you will love the way your finished video sounds with this type of audio included.
Different Types of Audio Tracks
If you have already recorded a video and you now need to add some audio to that recording, you may be at a loss for what types of audio are available. In this section, we are going to present four categories of audio for you to consider.
Music
This is the default place to start when you want to merge audio and video. Background music brings a video to life, even if the footage you are presenting stands independently. Virtually any type of music can be used, although music with prominent lyrics might take away or distract from the visual component of the project. As you are choosing your video’s music and mixing audio and video, always think about how that audio will change the viewing experience and make sure those changes are for the better.
Dialogue
Some videos would not be complete without dialogue. As an example, any type of instructional video is typically going to have a dialogue included with the video – either recorded live as part of shooting the video or done as a separate track that is added during production. Also, you can always change audio in the video by editing out portions you don’t like and adding dialogue over the top.
Sound Effects
A well-timed sound effect can change the entire feeling of a video. Sound effects are often used in the same way an exclamation point would be used in writing – to highlight a specific moment and grab the viewer’s attention. As you add an audio track to the video, you might want to think about one or two places where you can insert sound effects. This will make certain key moments in the video don’t pass by without getting the attention they deserve.
On the topic of sound effects, it’s worth noting that you need to be careful about going too far and taking away from the quality of your project. A video that is dotted with sound effects from start to finish might be more annoying than anything else. Use them as appropriate for your video but show restraint in how frequently they are included.
Ambient Noise/Background Noise
This is the best choice when you want to let your video mostly speak for itself. Instead of leaving the video completely silent, go with ambient noise or background tracks to bring the video to life. As you combine video and audio files in the production process, try a few different background noise options. Play with them until you find one that seems like it was made perfectly for your video.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How to put audio over a video?
A: Learning how to put audio over a video doesn’t need to be intimidating or even time-consuming. First, you’ll want to record your video and save that file in an appropriate format, such as MP4. Then, to add audio to video online, pick a tool that allows you to merge video and audio files. Pick out the right audio file, add it to the video using your tool, and you’ll be ready to go!
Q: How to add your own audio to a YouTube video?
A: When adding audio to a YouTube video, you have a couple of choices. First, you could create your own audio and use that file. This is an excellent option because you will know that you have the rights to the audio. Alternatively, you could turn to royalty-free music from a library such as the files available at Promo.com. Using our audio editor online makes this whole job simple. Don’t spend any more time figuring out how to add sound to a video. Use our tool and get started today!
Q: How can I add audio to Instagram video and not get flagged by admin?
A: When you add audio to Instagram videos, be sure that you have legal permission to use it. If you chose licensed tracks, there is a chance that those videos will be flagged and removed. To avoid this frustrating outcome, use the royalty-free music and sounds available through Promo.com. This way, you’ll know you are on the right side of the law. Plus, you won’t have to worry about your hard work going to waste. Change audio in video with confidence when you use Promo.com tools.
Conclusion
Could you make a great video that didn’t include any audio? Sure – but those videos are the exception, not the rule. Most memorable, shareable videos will consist of an audio component. You can easily add that audio element by working with the tools offered at Promo.com. Our audio editor makes it quick and easy to find and add the perfect audio tracks for your video. Thank you for reading, and get started on your next project today!
