How to Layer Sounds on TikTok

Layering sounds on TikTok is one of the easiest ways to make your videos stand out, but getting it right can feel a little confusing. This guide breaks down exactly how to add multiple sounds to your videos, both with TikTok’s built-in tools and more advanced methods. We’ll cover step-by-step instructions and share some pro tips to help you master the art of the perfect TikTok sound mix.

Why Should You Layer Sounds on TikTok?

A single trending sound can get you views, but layering sounds unlocks a whole new level of creativity and strategic advantage. It’s what separates simple trend-followers from genuine content creators.

By blending audio, you can:

• Combine a Trend with a Voiceover: This is the most popular use case. You can jump on a trending audio track to get discovered through the algorithm while adding your own voiceover to tell a story, give a tutorial, or share a personal take. Your video gets the best of both worlds: relevance and personality.
• Create a Unique Mood: Think of it like a movie soundtrack. You can layer calming ambient music behind a soft-spoken voiceover, or add dramatic, suspenseful music under a storytelling clip to build tension. The right audio mix completely changes the feel of your video.
• Add Comedic Sound Effects: Have you ever seen a video where someone is doing a mundane task, but there’s a funny sound effect that pops in at the perfect moment? That’s layering. Adding something like a record scratch, a "boing," or a "bruh" sound effect over another audio is a classic way to land a joke.
• Stand Out from the Crowd: When thousands of creators are using the same audio, your video can easily get lost in the noise. By adding your unique audio twist - whether it's your voice, a sound effect, or another song - you create a custom soundscape that makes your content memorable.

How to Layer Two Sounds Directly in the TikTok App

TikTok’s built-in editing features are more powerful than most people realize. The most direct method for layering involves combining your "Original Sound" (which can be a voiceover or just the audio from your video clip) with a commercial sound from TikTok’s library. Here’s how to do it step-by-step.

Step 1: Record or Upload Your Video

Start by creating your content as you normally would. You can either record a new video directly in the TikTok app or upload one from your camera roll.

For this to work best, the video you are recording or uploading should contain the first sound you want to use. This will be your "Original Sound." This could be:

• Your voice talking to the camera.
• The natural ambient sound of your environment.
• Music you’ve already added to the video file using an external editor.

Once your video is ready in the TikTok editor, tap "Next."

Step 2: Add the Second Sound from TikTok’s Library

Now you're on the main editing screen where you can add text, stickers, and effects. This is also where you'll add your second layer of audio.

1. On the left-hand toolbar, tap the "Add sound" icon at the top (it looks like a music note).
2. This will open TikTok’s audio library. You can browse recommended tracks, search for a specific song or sound effect, or choose one from your favorites.
3. Find the sound you want and tap the red checkmark to add it to your video. Now, both your Original Sound and the new track are playing at the same time, which probably sounds like a jumbled mess. Don't worry, the next step fixes this.

Step 3: Adjust the Volume of Each Track

This is the most important part of layering sounds. You need to balance the levels so both audios are audible without clashing with each other.

1. On the right-hand editing toolbar, tap the downward arrow to reveal more options if you don't see it immediately.
2. Find and tap the "Volume" icon. It looks like a speaker.
3. This will open a simple audio mixer with two sliders: "Original sound" and "Added sound."
4. Now, adjust the sliders to achieve your desired mix.
   • For a voiceover with background music, you’ll want to slide the "Original sound" up to around 150-200% and slide the "Added sound" down to 5-15%. This keeps your voice front and center while the music sits nicely in the background without being distracting.
   • For a trend-focused video, you might do the opposite. Keep the "Added sound" at 100% and lower your "Original sound" to act as a subtle effect or background texture.

Play around with these levels until it sounds just right. Tap back to the main editor, add your captions and hashtags, and post your video. Congratulations, you’ve officially layered sounds!

Advanced Method: Using a Third-Party App for More Control

The native TikTok method is fast and accessible, but it has one limitation: you can only realistically layer two sounds (your original audio and one added sound). If you want to create a more complex audio mix with three or more layers - say, a voiceover, background music, and sound effects - you'll need to use an external video editing app.

Apps like CapCut (which is owned by the same parent company as TikTok), InShot, and even more advanced software like Davinci Resolve for mobile offer robust multi-track audio editing capabilities. The general workflow is the same across all of them.

Step-by-Step Guide for External Editing:

1. Import Your Media: Open your chosen editing app and start a new project. Import your main video clip.
2. Add Your Audio Tracks: Import all the audio files you want to use. This could be a voiceover you recorded separately, a music track you downloaded, and various sound effects.
3. Arrange on the Timeline: Drag each audio file onto a separate audio track in the timeline editor. This visual layout allows you to see exactly when each sound begins and ends.
4. Fine-Tune Everything: This is where the magic happens. You have complete control to:
   • Adjust individual clip volume: Make the voiceover loud, the music quiet, and the sound effect pop.
   • Trim and split audio: Cut out mistakes or silence from your voiceover, and make sure sound effects land at the perfect moment.
   • Add fades: Have your background music gently fade in at the beginning and fade out at the end for a more professional finish.
   • Move clips around: Freely slide audio clips left or right on the timeline to sync them perfectly with the visuals.
5. Export and Upload: Once your audio mix is perfect, export the final video from the editing app. The video file will have all your audio layers baked into a single track. Then, simply upload this video to TikTok. It will now be categorized under its own unique "Original Sound."

This method gives you limitless creative freedom and is the standard for creators who pride themselves on high-quality production value.

Best Practices for Mixing TikTok Sounds

Knowing how to layer sounds is one thing, knowing how to do it well is another. Here are a few tips to keep in mind for creating a clean, effective audio mix.

• Establish a Hierarchy: Not all sounds are created equal. Decide which audio element is the most important for the viewer to hear clearly. In a tutorial, it’s the voiceover. In a dance video, it's the music. Make that "hero" element the loudest, and let everything else serve a supporting role at a much lower volume.
• Context is Everything: The sounds you choose should enhance the video, not distract from it. If you’re telling a funny story, find some lighthearted, bouncy background music. If you’re showing off a stunning landscape, find an epic, cinematic track. The sounds should match the visual context and intended emotion.
• Monitor with Headphones: Your phone’s speakers can be deceiving. Always listen back to your final audio mix with headphones on. This will help you catch subtle issues, like a background track being slightly too loud or a sound effect being distorted, that you might miss otherwise.
• Leave Room for Dialogue: If your video includes a voiceover, choose background music that is instrumental or has minimal vocals. Two vocal tracks playing at once - your voice and a singer - is a recipe for a muddy, confusing mix.
• Don't Be Afraid of Silence: Sometimes, the most powerful effect is cutting the sound entirely for a moment before a big reveal or punchline. Creative use of silence is an advanced technique that can make your layered sounds even more impactful when they come back in.

Final Thoughts

Layering sounds on TikTok is an incredibly powerful tool for adding personality, context, and production value to your videos. By mastering the volume controls in the native app or using an external editor for more complex arrangements, you can create totally custom audio experiences that stop scrollers in their tracks.

We know that as your content strategy grows, managing all those video ideas, drafts, and multi-platform schedules can become a huge headache. At Postbase, we built our platform for today’s creators - focusing on short-form video for platforms like TikTok and Reels. Our visual calendar helps you plan and schedule your content across all your accounts, so you can spend less time organizing and more time getting creative with things like sound design.