How to Overlay Sound on TikTok

Adding the perfect sound to your TikTok isn't just a final touch, it's core to how the platform works. The right audio overlay can turn a simple video into a viral trend, make your content more discoverable, and grab a viewer's attention in the first three seconds. This guide will walk you through exactly how to overlay sounds on TikTok, from using popular trending audio to mixing in your own voiceovers and original sounds.

Why Your Sound Choice on TikTok Is a Big Deal

On TikTok, sound is far more than background music - it's a discovery tool and a universal language. The algorithm heavily favors videos that use trending audio, pushing them into the feeds of people who have previously engaged with that sound. When a user finds a sound they like, they can tap on it to see a feed of every public video that has used it. For creators, this means that choosing a popular sound is one of the fastest ways to get your content seen by a new, relevant audience.

Sounds create context, tell jokes, and set the emotional tone of a video instantly. A popular audio clip provides a ready-made format or punchline, inviting others to put their unique spin on it. By failing to strategically choose your sound, you're missing out on one of the platform's most powerful organic growth engines.

How to Overlay Trending Sounds from the TikTok Library

This is the most common way creators add sound, tapping into the library of trending and commercial songs as an easy way to join a conversation. Following these steps allows you to overlay that popular song on top of your original video audio.

Step-by-Step Guide to Adding a Sound

Here's the simple process for finding and adding a sound to your video masterpiece:

1. Record or Upload Your Video: Open the TikTok app and hit the '+' button to start creating. You can either record your clips directly in the app or upload pre-recorded footage from your camera roll. Assemble your clips in the editor until you're happy with the visual sequence.
2. Tap 'Add Sound': At the top of the editing screen, you'll see a music note icon that says "Add sound." Tap it to open TikTok's extensive audio library.
3. Explore the Sound Library: This is where you find your audio. You can search for a specific song or artist using the search bar at the top, or browse through curated playlists like "TikTok Viral," "New Releases," or categories based on genre. The "Recommended" tab will show you sounds that the algorithm thinks will work well with your specific video.
4. Select and Trim Your Audio: Once you've found a sound you like, tap it to preview it. If it's the right one, hit the red checkmark to add it to your video. You'll be taken back to the editing screen where you'll see the sound's title at the top. To choose a specific part of the song, tap the music note icon again next to the sound's name and use the 'Trim' tool (it looks like a little pair of scissors). You can then drag the waveform to select the exact 15-second, 60-second, or other snippet you need.

Mixing Your Original Video Sound and Added Sound

"Overlaying" sound truly comes into play when you balance the audio from your original video with the music or sound you just added. This is essential for talking videos, vlogs, and tutorials where your voice needs to be heard over the background music.

• After adding a sound, look for the menu on the right side of the editing screen.
• Tap on "Volume."
• You will now see two sliders: "Original sound" (the audio captured while you recorded) and "Added sound" (the music you chose from the library).
• To make your background music quieter so your voice is audible, drag the "Added sound" slider to the left (e.g., 5-20%). Drag the "Original sound" slider to the right (e.g., 100%).
• For a dance video or a lip-sync where you don't want any original sound, simply drag the "Original sound" slider all the way down to 0%.

This volume mixer is your most powerful tool for creating professional, well-balanced audio overlays.

How to Overlay Your Own Original Sound or Voiceover

Sometimes the perfect sound isn't in the library. Whether you're recording a tutorial, telling a story, or trying to create your own viral audio, making an original sound is the way to go.

Using the Voiceover Tool for Narration

The voiceover function is perfect for adding commentary, instructions, or storytelling to your video after you've filmed it.

1. Prepare Your Video: Go through the video creation process as normal, but don't add a sound from the library yet. Finish editing your clips first.
2. Find the Voiceover Tool: On the editing screen, tap the down arrow on the right-hand menu to reveal more options. Tap "Voiceover."
3. Record Your Audio: A recording screen will appear over your video timeline. You can drag the timeline to the exact spot where you want your narration to begin. Press and hold the red record button to record your voice. You can release it to pause and record in multiple segments. Important: If you want to keep the ambient sound from your original clip, make sure the "Keep original sound" box is checked.
4. Layer in Background Music (Optional): After you save your voiceover, you'll return to the main editing screen. Now you can tap "Add sound" to choose some quiet background music. Head back into the "Volume" tool, and you will see three levels to balance: the original sound, the voiceover recording, and the newly added music. This layering technique gives your videos a polished and dynamic feel.

Creating an Original Sound by Uploading Pre-Edited Video

If you have a unique sound effect, a piece of music you composed, or audio you edited outside of TikTok, this method is for you.

The process is simple: use a third-party video editing app (like CapCut, InShot, or Adobe Premiere Rush) to combine your video clips with your custom audio track. Edit the sound exactly how you want it, save the final video file to your phone, and then upload it directly to TikTok.

When you post the video, TikTok automatically designates its audio track as a new sound titled "Original sound - [Your Username]." If other users like it, they can use your original sound in their own videos, which always links back to you and drives discovery for your account.

A word of caution: Be very mindful of copyright. If you upload a video with a popular copyrighted song that you haven't licensed, your audio may be muted, or your video could be taken down. This method is best for audio you own the rights to or for license-free tracks from royalty-free music sites.

Level Up Your TikTok Sound Game: Advanced Tips

Once you've mastered the basics, use these strategies to make your content even more effective.

• Find Your Niche's Sound: Every corner of TikTok has its own audio trends. Pay attention to what sounds are popular within your specific niche or community. Using an audio clip that is relevant to your target audience shows you understand the culture.
• Follow the Trend's Format: Don't just slap a trending sound on any old video. Watch a few of the top videos using the sound to understand the accepted format, joke, or visual gag. Success on TikTok often comes from adapting the trend to your own unique style, not ignoring it completely.
• Time Your Visuals to the Beat: The most engaging TikToks often align visual cuts and actions with the beat of the music or cues in the audio. If a sound has a significant beat drop, make sure something visually interesting happens at that exact moment. This makes your video more satisfying to watch and encourages re-watches.
• Save Sounds You Love: When you're scrolling your For You Page and hear an audio you might want to use later, tap the spinning record icon in the bottom-right corner and then tap "Add to Favorites." This saves the sound to a special folder in your audio library, so you can easily find it when you're ready to create content.

Sound Strategy: How to Use TikTok Audio for Brand Growth

For brands and marketers, sound isn't just a creative choice - it's a strategic one. Leaning into TikTok's audio-first culture is one of the fastest paths to growing an audience and building an authentic presence.

Start by participating in trends relevant to your industry. Rather than creating generic corporate content and pinning a trending song to it, think about how you can adapt the format of the trend. Can a popular lip-sync audio be used to address a common customer question? Can a dancing trend be used to showcase a new product in a playful way? Authenticity comes from joining the conversation, not just using its soundtrack.

For more established brands, consider creating a unique branded sound. This could be a short snippet of a jingle, a catchy tagline voiced in a memorable way, or a unique sound effect associated with your product. If it's short, catchy, and versatile enough for other creators to use, it could become a powerful audio asset that spreads brand awareness across the platform.

Final Thoughts

Mastering how to overlay and mix sound on TikTok transforms you from a casual user into a savvy creator. Whether you're layering quiet background music under a voiceover or jumping on the biggest audio trend of the day, using sound deliberately is what separates content that flies from content that flops. Use these steps to control your audio, create more engaging posts, and make your voice heard.

Consistently creating standout TikToks means staying organized, and part of that involves planning your content - from the visual concepts down to the audio selection - before you even hit record. Since we've spent our careers battling clunky social media schedulers that treat short-form video as an afterthought, we built Postbase to make that process easier. Our visual calendar truly helps you see your entire video strategy at a glance, allowing you to plan which sounds and trends you'll use ahead of time so your content stays both consistent and timely.