How to Add Two Sounds to a TikTok Video

Want to layer a trending song with your own voice narration on TikTok? It's a fantastic way to elevate your content by combining a popular audio track with your unique commentary or a branded message. This guide will walk you through exactly how to add two sounds to a single TikTok video. We'll cover the simple in-app voiceover tool and a more advanced video editor method for a polished, professional finish.

Why Bother Using Two Sounds on TikTok?

Before jumping into the how-to, let's look at why this technique is so powerful for creators and brands. Layering audio isn't just a technical trick, it’s a creative strategy that can dramatically increase engagement and help you build a more recognizable style.

• Better Storytelling: You can use a gentle, trending sound as a background "score" while you narrate a story, tutorial, or behind-the-scenes look. This creates a much richer emotional experience than just a voice or a song alone.
• Comedic Timing: Adding a perfectly timed sound effect over a song or existing audio is a classic comedy formula. It can turn a simple video into something hilarious and highly shareable.
• Brand Consistency: Maybe you have a specific audio jingle or sound effect associated with your brand. Layering this over popular sounds allows you to tap into trends while still reinforcing your brand identity.
• Educational Content: For tutorials or "how-to" videos, having popular background music keeps the energy up and holds viewer attention, while your voiceover provides the valuable information. It feels less like a dry lesson and more like engaging entertainment.

In short, it adds depth, personality, and professionalism to your videos, helping you stop the scroll and keep viewers hooked.

Method 1: The Fast and Easy In-App Voiceover Tool

TikTok’s built-in voiceover feature is the simplest way to add a second audio track. This method works best when your first sound is music from TikTok's library and your second sound is your own voice or any other audio you can capture live with your phone's microphone. It's perfect for quick narrations, reactions, and tutorials.

Step-by-Step Guide to Using the Voiceover Feature:

1. Record or Upload Your Video

Start by either recording a new video directly in the TikTok app or uploading one from your camera roll. Proceed as you normally would, getting your video clip into the TikTok editor.

2. Select Your First Sound

At the top of the screen, tap on the "Add sound" button. Browse through TikTok’s extensive commercial library to find the song, audio clip, or trending sound you want as your background track. Select it to add it to your video.

3. Access the Editing Tools

Once you've selected your primary sound, you’ll be on the main editing screen. On the right-hand side, you'll see a vertical menu of icons (Text, Stickers, Effects, etc.). Tap the downward arrow at the bottom of this menu to reveal more options.

4. Open the Voiceover Tool

From the expanded menu, look for a microphone icon labeled "Voiceover." Tap it. This will open the voiceover recording interface. You'll see your video timeline at the bottom and a large red record button.

5. Record Your Second Sound

Drag the white timeline marker to the point in the video where you want your voiceover to begin. Pro-tip: Before you hit record, make sure the "Keep original sound" box at the bottom is checked. This is what allows both sounds to play at once.

When you're ready, press and hold the red record button to record your voice. You can record in one long take or in short segments by starting and stopping. As a bonus tip, you don't have to record just your voice. You could also play music or a sound effect from another device (like a laptop or another phone) and your microphone will pick it up and layer it into the video.

6. Mix Your Audio Levels

This is the most important step for getting a clean result. Simply adding the voiceover will likely create a mess where both sounds are competing for attention. After you finish recording your voiceover and tap "Save," you need to mix the volumes.

Go back to the editing menu on the right. Tap on the "Sound" icon (it looks like a musical note). Here, you will see two volume sliders:

• Original Sound: This controls the volume of the first sound you added from the TikTok library.
• Added Sound: This controls the volume of the voiceover you just recorded.

Play around with these sliders until you get the perfect mix. Typically, you'll want to lower the "Original Sound" significantly (e.g., to 10-20%) so it acts as background music, and keep the "Added Sound" higher (e.g., 80-100%) so your voice is clear and easy to understand. Tap "Done," add your captions and hashtags, and you're ready to post!

Method 2: Using a Third-Party Editor for Ultimate Control (Like CapCut)

For a truly professional mix with maximum control over timing, quality, and effects, you’ll want to use an external video editing app. CapCut is TikTok’s official sister app and is an excellent (and free) choice, but other apps like InShot or VN Video Editor work well too.

This method is ideal when you want to:

• Carefully layer two different songs.
• Add saved audio files or sound effects, not just your live voice.
• Have precise control over where each sound starts and stops.
• Apply effects like fade-ins or fade-outs to your audio.
• Use a high-quality microphone for your voiceover instead of the built-in phone mic.

Step-by-Step Guide to a Professional Audio Mix:

1. Prep Your Assets

Before you even open the editing app, gather your files. You'll need:

• Your video clip(s).
• Your first audio file (e.g., a royalty-free song you downloaded).
• Your second audio file (e.g., a pre-recorded voiceover or a downloaded sound effect).

Having everything ready will make the editing process much smoother.

2. Create a New Project in Your Editing App

Open CapCut (or your preferred editor) and start a new project. Select and import your primary video clip. It will appear on the main editing timeline.

3. Add Your First Audio Track

Tap on the "Audio" option in the main menu, then "Sounds." From here, you can import an audio file you have saved on your phone. Find your first sound file and add it to the project. A new audio track will appear on the timeline below your video.

4. Add Your Second Audio Track

Repeat the process. Tap "Audio" > "Sounds" again and import your second audio file. A second audio track will now appear on the timeline, usually below the first one. Now you have your video, your first sound, and your second sound all sitting on separate layers in the timeline.

5. Trim, Align, and Edit Your Audio

This is where the magic happens. On CapCut's timeline, you can:

• Drag the audio clips left or right to change when they start and stop. This allows for perfect syncing with the visuals.
• Tap on a clip and drag the ends to trim it, making it shorter or longer.
• Use the "Split" tool to cut an audio clip into pieces, allowing you to remove sections you don't need.

Line everything up exactly how you want it. For example, have a song start at the beginning, then dip in volume for 10 seconds while your voiceover plays, and then come back up.

6. Mix the Volume for Each Track

Tap on the first audio clip in the timeline. You'll see options appear at the bottom, including "Volume." Tap it and use the slider to set its level. Now, tap on the second audio clip and do the same. This gives you independent control over each sound, which is far more precise than TikTok's simple two-slider system.

This is also where you can add fades. Select a clip, find the "Fade" option, and set fade-in and fade-out durations for a smoother, more professional transition.

7. Export Your Final Video

Once you are happy with the visual edits and your final audio mix, export the video from CapCut. It will save as a single video file to your phone's camera roll with all of your audio perfectly combined into one track.

The Final, All-Important Tip for Algorithm Success

After exporting your masterpiece from CapCut, open TikTok and upload the video. Your video already has a perfect, custom-mixed sound. However, to leverage TikTok's algorithm, you should still attach a trending TikTok sound to it.

When you're on the upload screen in TikTok, tap "Add sound" and select a popular, relevant, trending sound. After selecting it, go to the "Sound" menu on the editing page. You will now see two volume sliders: "Original Sound" (which is your custom audio baked into the uploaded video) and "Added Sound" (the trending sound you just added).

Slide the "Added Sound" volume all the way down to 0% or 1%.

This way, no one will hear the trending sound, but your video will still be officially associated with it. TikTok's algorithm will categorize your video as part of that trend, boosting its visibility and helping you reach a much wider audience while retaining your perfectly crafted audio mix.

Final Thoughts

Mastering the ability to add and mix two sounds on TikTok gives you a massive advantage in creating more dynamic, engaging, and professional videos. Whether you're quickly adding commentary with the in-app voiceover tool or crafting a flawless audio blend in a program like CapCut, this skill unlocks a new level of creative freedom for your content.

Creating high-quality TikToks with custom audio takes focused effort, and we know that once you've perfected your video, the last thing you want to do is navigate clunky workflows to get it published. We built Postbase from the ground up for today’s short-form video world. It lets you upload and schedule your video content across TikTok, Reels, and Shorts from one visual calendar, so you can spend less time managing posts and more time creating standout content that grows your brand.