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Add audio, music, and sound effects

Use audio tracks to add music, narration, and short sound effects to a video project.

When to use it​

Add background music across a whole movie, narration for one scene, or an effect at a specific moment. Audio has its own tracks in the timeline and does not appear as a visual element on the stage.

Before you begin​

Open a Video project. Sign in if you want to upload audio. Select a scene for scene-local sound, or Scenes → Global overlays for audio across the movie.

How to add audio​

Navigation: Editor → Audio.

  1. Put the playhead at the start of the desired audio.
  2. Use Add audio by URL, Your uploads, or Music to choose a source. See Add and manage media.
  3. Use Play preview to listen to a music track, then click the result to add it.
  4. For a short cue, choose Sound effects, enter a search term, preview the effect, and click its add control.
  5. Select the resulting audio clip in an A track on the timeline.

Zvid Audio tool with Add audio by URL expanded and Music and Sound effects choices below.

How to place and trim audio​

  1. Select the audio clip to open its properties.
  2. Under Timeline placement, set Starts at (enter).
  3. Set Ends at for a fixed playback window, or enable Match project length. When editing a scene, this option reads Match scene length.
  4. Under Source trim, set Audio begin and Audio end to select the part of the source file to use.
  5. Under Mix, set Volume, Speed (atempo), and Track.
  6. Use timeline playback to listen with the other audio and footage.

Match project length and Match scene length let background music follow that timeline without extending it. A shorter audio segment loops to fill its playback window. The timeline's waveform and loop markers help you see this behavior.

How to mute or remove sound​

  1. To mute one audio track, set its Volume to 0%.
  2. To mute audio embedded in footage, select that video and set Timing → Source trim → Volume to 0%.
  3. To remove an audio element, select it and choose Delete from its element actions, or press Delete.

The timeline Mute (M) control only mutes the editor preview; it does not set the output volume. Deleting a timeline element removes that use of the source, not the uploaded file.

What happens next​

The audio settings are stored with the project. Check full-movie playback after changing scene lengths or transitions, then render to verify the final mix.