Turn sound effects and music on or off

Sound effects are the sounds of each shot, like steps, rain, or a door. Music comes from your song in a music video, from the universe's background track, from the music your idea or script asks for, or from background music you add in the editor. This guide shows how to turn sound effects on or off, how to add music, and what you can change in the editor.

Sound effects when you create a video

The create page has no sound effects switch. The animation preset you pick under Animation decides:

• Mini and No animation: the video has no sound effects. You can add them to shots later in the editor.
• Fast, Pro, and Ultra: the video has sound effects.

Select Compare tiers to see what each preset includes. If a settings review opens before you generate, it lists Sound Effects when the video will have them.

Turn sound effects off or on for the whole video

1. Open the video in the editor: in My Videos, select Edit.
2. At the top, select Project settings (Project on a phone).
3. Select Sound effects. The row shows Off, None, or the current level.
4. Switch Play sound effects off to mute every shot. Switch it on to play them again.
5. Move Level to make all sound effects louder or quieter.

This keeps the sound effects saved, so you can turn them on again at any time. None means the video has no sound effects yet. See "Add sound effects" below.

Change the sound of one shot

Each shot with sound effects has a sound button on its video. Select it to turn that shot's sound effects off or on.

To make new sound or remove it:

1. Select the shot's image. The shot viewer opens.
2. Select the sound button under the shot (Sound effects when the shot has none yet). You can listen to the Current sound.
3. On the Creator Max, Studio and Studio Max plans you can describe the sound you want, for example "Soft rain, distant thunder".
4. Choose Regenerate or Remove sound in the menu.
5. Select Update sound or Remove sound. Both are free.

The video image stays the same. Only the sound changes.

Add sound effects to many shots

1. In the card list, select the circle on each card you want. A bar opens.
2. Select Generate sound effects. If the shots already have sound, the button says Regenerate sound effects, and new sound replaces the old sound.
3. Check the count in the Sound effects box, then select the button again. Sound effects are free.

Only shots that already have a video get sound effects. In the same bar, Audio has Play sound effects and Level for the selected cards only.

Music

• Music videos: your song is the music. The video is built around it. To use a different song, make a new music video. See Make a song and a music video.
• Other videos: there is no music choice on the create page. Ask for music in your idea or script, for example "soft piano music for the whole video" or "the music swells when she reaches the top". The video then gets instrumental music made for it: for the whole video, or only for the scenes that ask for it. It plays under the voice and the sound effects, as a song on the Music lane. A universe's background music comes first: when the universe includes music, the video plays that track. Sung songs are not made this way yet; for a sung song, make a music video. You can add or change the music in the editor later.
• Your own universe: on its Your universe page, open Settings, then Narration and audio. Under Music, switch on Include Background Music. Pick a Background Track, or select Upload Track to use your own file. Videos made from that universe get this music, except music videos. People who use the universe cannot change it. You can change it in the editor, as shown below.

Add background music in the editor

You can add one song or several, for the whole video or only for some cards. A song plays until the next song starts, or until the point where you stop it. When you move a card, its song moves with it.

1. Open the video in the editor, and select Timeline at the top.
2. Each card's timeline has a Music lane under its other lanes. It shows only the music that plays in that card. Select Add music from this card.
3. Pick a track. Select the play button on a row to listen to it first.
   • Your songs: the songs you made on the Songs page.
   • Uploads: music files you uploaded before.
   • Library: the LongStories tracks.
   • Or select Upload a track to use a music file from your computer.
4. Play the card preview to hear the music with the video.

To choose where a song plays in a card, drag the ends of the song on the Music lane. To move the whole song, drag the song itself. A song cannot move past the songs before and after it.

A card can have more than one song. Select + on the lane to start another song in the card. It starts at the first moment with no music, or after the song that starts in the card. Then drag it to where you want it.

In Whole video, the Music lane goes under all your cards, so you can drag the ends of a song across cards there. Its add button starts a song in the selected card.

To see all your cards and songs, open Project settings, then Music. The Background music window shows every card as a picture, with the songs under them. The cards a song plays on are marked in its colour. Drag the ends of a song to choose the cards it plays on, or drag the song to move it. Select Add song to add another song.

To change a song, select it on a Music lane or in the window:

• Volume: makes the song louder or quieter.
• Part of song: move the two handles to play only part of the track, for example 0:45 to 1:15. The play button plays only that part.
• Fade in and Fade out: the song gets louder at its start and quieter at its end.
• Repeat the part until the song ends: when the part is shorter than the song's place in the video, it plays again. When this is off, the music stops at the end of the part.
• Change track puts another track in its place. The bin removes the song.

Adding music is free. Music videos do not get background music: the song is the music. A video made from a universe with background music shows that track as one song from the first card. You can change it like any other song.

My finished video has no sound effects

1. Check the preset. Mini and No animation make no sound effects.
2. In the editor, open Project settings, then Sound effects.
   • If it shows Off, switch on Play sound effects.
   • If it shows None, add sound effects to your shots as shown above.
3. Some shots can end up with no sound even on other presets. Add sound to those shots in the shot viewer.

Put the changes in your video

Your saved video changes only when you render it again. Select Render video. See Download and export your video.

For voices and captions, see Use voices, audio, and captions. For more shot edits, see Fix one shot.