Guides

How to Make Sounds on TikTok

Learn to make sounds for TikTok

You’ve probably heard this sound all over TikTok by now. Aside from the hilarity, what is it about TikTok sounds that make them so magnetic, and how can you make sounds on TikTok that reach the same level of virality? We took a look at some of the characteristics these sounds have in common so that you can replicate their virality and hear your sound across TikTok. 

Sound is what gets videos trending on TikTok, so knowing what sounds are trending and why are essential to creating content that stays fresh and relevant. The more relevant your audio, the more likely your video is to be discovered. 

Despite the fact that this means everyone uses the same sound multiple times, it doesn’t mean you should go and copy other videos. Instead, be creative and try to do something different with your sounds. It’s incredible how many different ways the same sound can be used. 

Being creative with something everyone’s heard before means you’ll grab the attention of viewers and drive up your engagement. It’s one of the best ways TikTok pushes us to be better creators! 

Sound in TikTok

Here are some of the sounds used in TikTok: 

• Voiceover 
• Music 
• Sound Effects 

Voiceovers can be recorded by you, or use an automated voice that “reads” what you type into the app. You can also just record your own voice straight into the app. Here’s how to add a voiceover: 

1. Open the TikTok app
2. Tap the + to create a new video
3. Record and edit your video 
4. Hit next.
5. Hit the Voiceover button on the editor page
6. Hold the Record button 
7. Speak into your phone’s mic .
8. Tap Save to keep your recording 
9. Place your voiceover where you want it in your video
10. Tap Next to caption your video
11. And post! 

Making Music in TikTok

Music is a little more complicated, depending on if you want to go with TikTok’s library of music samples or if you want to make your own music from scratch. 

Adding in music from TikTok’s library is simple, and you can even see what samples and clips are trending on the Discover page. These are the tracks you want to add to your new posts if you want to go viral, or if you just want better engagement on your page. 

However, we’re creators, which means sometimes the pre-made stuff isn’t going to cut it. This means that you’re going to have to make your own music, whether it be your own composition, or an edit — or supercut. 

TikTok doesn’t have an option to do this in the app — yet — which means you’re going to have to use an external app or music software. 

A great music creation tool for Apple users is GarageBand. It’s used by students and professionals alike, and definitely has options for TikTok creators looking to push their boundaries. And, while it can have a bit of a learning curve, you can even create music on your iPhone with GarageBand — no Apple computer needed. 

Editing music is also better done on an external app. Any editing software will work, including Final Cut Pro, iMovie, and Da Vinci (those last two are also free!). You’ll need your music clips to create your edit. For the sake of brevity, we’ll explain how to add music to your video outside of TikTok using iMovie, which can also be used to edit on your iPhone. 

1. Open iMovie
2. Tap + and select Movie
3. Select your video and tap Create Movie
4. Tap +
5. Insert the music clip you want to add
6. After adjusted the sound and any effects, tap Done
7. Tap the bottom of the screen and select Save Video

Just make sure you save your video with a vertical aspect ratio, otherwise you’ll get pesky black bars on either side of your video and a lot if it will be cropped out of frame. This is because TikTok is designed around a vertical aspect ratio, whereas iMovie or other editing software will default to a 16:9 ratio, which is perfect for filmmaking but not great for social media. 

Once your video is edited and your aspect ratio is correct, you can upload it straight to TikTok. Just upload your video instead of recording, add any effects or captions, and post! 

Making Sound Effects in TikTok

Finally, there are sound effects. Sound effects are fun because they can come from the most mundane things — like that girl yelping. 

You can create and save your own sound effects in TikTok. Just record whatever you like, then post it as a private video. This way, you get to archive your videos and create your own sound library that you can pull from whenever you’re ready. 

To use the sounds from your videos, follow these steps.

1. Tap Me in the bottom-right corner.
2. Tap the lock icon (this is your private tab)
3. Choose the video with the sound you want
4. Tap the record icon 
5. Press “Use this sound.” 

TikTok will pull the sound from the video, leaving you to use it however you like. You can also do this with videos posted by other users if they have their accounts set to public. Likewise, if you set your profile to public, others can pull your custom sounds from your videos. 

Going Viral on TikTok

Sounds give you one of the best tools to go viral. Videos that feature trending sounds get put onto trending pages, which means they get seen by tons more people. Trending sounds and music keeps content fresh, and it forces creators to be creative with their content, their style, and their brand. 

Here are some tips to think about if you want to make sound that goes viral: 

Make it clean: 

People need to be able to hear your sound to appreciate it. This means no random background noise, no static, no stuttering. Your sound needs to be as clear as possible so that it can be used in anything. 

While videos that feature trending sound is all about the sound, you also don’t want to draw attention to it. After all, it is all about the video content, and bad sound will distract from that — which is never a good thing. 

Make it general: 

Don’t make it too specific, otherwise it won’t be used across a variety of content. The reason that yelp became so popular was because it sounded like the high notes of a bunch of different popular songs, but it’s also hilarious and can be used in a ton of different situations. 

Make it short and sweet: 

TikTok’s a short-form platform, which means it favours shorter content. If your sound is short and loopable, people will be watching your video more. This drives up engagement and tells the algorithm that your content is what people want to see.

Make it creative: 

TikTok is ultimately a video-sharing platform, which means you have to be creative to be noticed even amongst hundreds of thousands of new videos every single day. Challenge yourself to create content that people want to see and that they’ll remember, so that they hit that share button to show others. 

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