How to add your own music to Reels and set the mood

Music influences the perception of the same video: a calm track pays more attention to details, and a pronounced rhythm can support more frequent scene changes. But a successful track by itself does not turn a set of shots into a story. You need to associate it with actions, speech, and the result you want to show.

You can upload your audio track to AICutter, select the initial second and volume. The track is available during the preparation of a new AI montage and in the editor of an existing clip. Below is the setup and verification sequence, which helps to avoid typical sound problems.

First decide what the viewer should hear

In a conversational video, the voice usually remains the main thing. Music creates a background and should not make it difficult to understand the words. If there are important explanations in the video, don't speed up the phrases just for the sake of the musical rhythm. First, save the meaning and pauses, and then choose the sound design.

In a visual video without useful speech, music can become the main sound. For example, when you show handiwork, interior design, or details of an object. The occasional TV, indoor conversations, and the noise of a nearby recording can be turned off so they don't argue with the track.

If the sound of an action is important — a click, a movement of an instrument, or a liquid transfusion — check it separately. Sometimes it's enough to keep the original sound quieter instead of removing it entirely.

How to select a track fragment

First listen to the track and find the part that suits your plot. The beginning of a song may contain a long introduction, and an interesting rhythm appears later. It is not necessary to start the video from the zero second of the music file.

Think about where the main point of the video is. For a process, it can be transferring a drawing or showing a finished result; for a story, it's an important thought. Select the music segment that supports this moment and specify the starting second in the settings.

• For a detailed process, try a track with a steady pace and few abrupt changes.
• For a short selection of details, select a fragment that quickly sets the desired atmosphere.
• For speech, compare the instrumental track and the version without music: sometimes silence preserves attention better.
• Check if the selected part of the music matches the ending of the video, and not just the first frame.

How to upload your music to AICutter

When creating a project, add the audio file in the music settings before launching the AI editing. You can also upload the track in the "Background Music" section of the finished clip editor. The maximum size of your track — 30 MB. The file must actually contain a readable audio track.

After downloading, listen to the selected fragment. Specify which second to start the music and adjust the volume. Its own track replaces the built-in music of the clip. If you changed the track before the new editing, check the selected settings again so that the AI gets the current musical direction.

For the first project, it is useful to go through complete guide to making Reels with AI: it contains the source footage, format, assignment, and final export.

How to describe the musical mood of AI

Describe the mood and the scenes that need more time. For example: “Make a calm process video. Show the tool in motion and details of the result. Avoid rapid cuts, keep the steps in order and mute background speech.”

For a more active selection: "Put together a short video of action and close-ups. Use the chosen track, emphasize the change of important actions, and leave the final detail long enough for it to be considered."

The service analyzes the technical features of the track, including energy changes and approximate rhythmic accents. This helps to take into account the music when video editing, but it is not a guarantee that each joint will accurately hit the share, understanding the lyrics of the song, or automatically determining the genre. If the musical accent is important, check it out in the finished preview.

How to adjust the volume of music and voice

Start with the voice: it should be understandable without strain. Then add music gradually. Listen not only to the loud intro, but also to the quiet phrases in the middle of the recording. The level of speech may vary from source to source.

In the clip settings, you can change the volume of the source sound and the music volume separately. For a visual video with random background speech, the original sound can be turned off. To explain, keep your voice down and turn down the music.

Don't just focus on the number in the slider. Two songs with the same setting may sound different, because the files themselves are recorded at different volumes. Compare the result with headphones and through the speaker of the phone.

When should I change the tempo and transitions?

The music can guide your cut points, but clear action matters more than cutting on every beat. Avoid making clips so short that viewers lose track of what is happening.

Acceleration is best applied to actions without an important speech, and a short slowdown is a moment that is really worth considering. In the editor, speeding up and slowing down a scene mutes its original sound and captions, so be sure to check these settings after changing the speed.

You do not need a transition at every cut. Straight cuts can keep a process clear, while one distinctive transition before the ending can highlight the result. Check that the effect does not hide an important action.

Check the music in the exported video

First, watch the entire clip with the design in the editor. Then export MP4 and check the downloaded file with sound to the end. Listen to the beginning, scene change locations, and track completion. Make sure that the music does not overlap the speech and does not appear unexpectedly earlier or later than the desired fragment.

If editing is suitable for you, but not the sound, try changing the initial second or volume without starting the AI again. Manual configuration and re-export of the finished version do not consume an additional package unit. A new automatic editing creates a new version and is counted separately.

Where to prepare a new music track

If there is no finished track, in AITale you can create a song with vocals or an instrumental composition using Suno. Describe the genre, atmosphere and idea, select the appropriate option and download it. Then add the file to AICutter as your music. This is a manual transfer: project balances and accounts are not combined.

For your video, use the materials that you have the right to publish, and check the conditions of the selected site. Uploading a file to the editor by itself does not grant the rights to the music.

A successful sound design is obtained from several solutions: a suitable fragment of the track, understandable speech or its conscious absence, a convenient pace of scenes and a final check on the phone.