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**** Last updated on 19th May 2020 ****
When it comes to great video content, the right audio is just as important as good visuals. No need to believe me, just watch 🙂
A little less edgy and cool with a different sound design, isn’t it?
But it’s one thing to know great audio is important and another to make it happen.
So, how do you add professional music tracks to video online if you don’t have anything recorded or can’t afford copyright? How can you add audio to video even if you haven’t got the equipment to capture clear sound effects or ambient sound?
That’s where Clipchamp comes in! Its video editor has a fantastic library of sound effects, music, loops, and ambient sounds that is free to access and explore.
Making the most of the Clipchamp stock library
The media library of the Clipchamp online editor features more than 40,000 professional stock audio and video assets, all royalty-free.
Those audio assets are incredibly diverse. You’ll find hip-hop beats, full tracks of background music, and sound effects ranging from huge explosions to gentle birdsong.
Benefits for free users
As a free user you can add any audio stock assets marked as “free” to your project and export them with your video free of charge without watermarks.
You can also download premium audio tracks to try them out, or use them as placeholders and inspiration until you’re able to create your own original music or sound effects. You’ll be able to export a “proof-of-concept” version of the video with watermarks.
If you decide you really need those premium clips, upgrading starts at $9/month. That’s a smart investment when you consider that licensing one song for one video can start at $100 with indie artists and skyrockets quickly to $3 000+ with record labels!
Benefits for premium users
As a premium user you gain unlimited access to the entire stock audio library – which means you can add as many background music files or audio effects to your videos as you like and download the finished product without watermarks.
Depending on the plan you choose, you’ll also get access to higher resolution exports and stock video footage.
How to add background music to videos online with Clipchamp
Accessing and using this stock audio library is easy! Here’s how to add music to video online and more with Clipchamp:
Step 1: Get signed up and start a video project
It’s free and there are no big forms to fill out. You can sign up with an existing Google or Facebook account, or simply use your email and choose a password:
Then simply click the Create a video button and choose an aspect ratio to get started:
Step 2: Open the stock audio library
Once you’ve set up a project and added your video, great audio is just a few clicks away. All you need to do is click the Stock button in the left hand menu. Once the library opens, choose AUDIO:
Step 3: Explore the audio collections
As you’ll see if you scroll down, there are three broad audio categories for you to choose from: music, loop, and SFX. Under each of those categories you’ll find a variety of collections to explore. For example, the Free Forever collection shows free stock music or the premium collection of stock music. We also have our Best Collection of Premium Stock Music.
Within those collections, just hover your cursor over any clip to hear it:
You can also use the search bar to look for specific sound effects or certain styles and moods of music.
Step 4: Add sound effects or music to your video
To add a stock audio file to your project, click the cross in the upper left of the clip, then close the stock library. The file will now appear in your project’s media library.
Drag the audio file down to the timeline and it will be added to your video:
You can also add more than one audio file to create a richer soundscape. For example, you could include atmospheric noise and sound effects, and also add background music.
To layer different sounds, simply drop them into different audio tracks in the timeline:
Step 5: Edit your audio effects
The Clipchamp editor makes it easy to edit audio clips and get everything in your video sounding exactly how you want it to.
You can trim an audio file to fit the length of the video:
Or, if it’s a short loop, copy and paste it multiple times to effectively stretch it out:
And if you want to adjust the volume of an audio clip, or add a fade in or fade out effect, you can click on the clip in the timeline and use the editing menu that appears in the top left (the menu will show Audio and Fade In/Out tabs):
Once you’re happy with how your video is looking and sounding, just hit the Export button to save the file to your computer!
Here’s the final video from the examples above, complete with effective stock music:
PRO TIP: Need inspiration? Try browsing Clipchamp’s template library to find great music, content and style ideas for your video projects, or to get started with a template.
