Editing Sound: An Underrated Way To Improve TikTok Videos 

Once TikTok users get used to recording and uploading simple straight-to-camera videos, most decide they should learn how to make their TikTok content look better. They experiment with filters and effects, they learn how to edit out flubs or insert transitions between takes, they may even figure out how to layer multiple clips.

When it comes to the audio on their video, though, they usually just rely on their dialogue or choose a TikTok sound that sounds “right” for their content.

They’re “leaving money” on the table.

The audio track of a TikTok post is a crucial element in creating compelling material that keeps viewers watching all the way to the end of the video. Sure, adding a trending song can attract some new viewers and get them engaged— but knowing how to produce a pristine TikTok audio track gives videos a completely new and valuable component.

Let’s discuss.

Editing Your Voice on TikTok

Even if people tell you that you have the perfect voice for doing a radio show or podcast, it may not do much to heighten viewers’ excitement or interest level when they watch your video. TikTok makes it simple to “change your voice” to add a completely different feel to your content, and it’s just as easy as adding a video effect or filter.

With a couple of clicks, you can turn your voice into one that sounds like a robot, a giant, a musical instrument, or an evil villain. You can also choose an effect that makes it sound like you’re speaking in a huge auditorium, using a megaphone, or have just inhaled helium — and that’s just scratching the surface of the possibilities.

Here’s how to do it.

1. Hit the “+” icon at the bottom of your home screen to reach the TikTok Create Page, and record your video by choosing a maximum length and tapping the red “Record” button. When finished, hit the red checkmark at the bottom right of the screen.
2. You’re now on the Editing screen. Tap the “Edit” icon (it looks like a rectangular monitor near the top of the right-hand menu).
3. On the next page, you’ll see a timeline of your video underneath the display. Tap on the timeline and then scroll through the options at the bottom of the screen until you reach “Voice effect.” Click the icon, and you’ll have a large selection of voice-changing effects to choose from. When you tap on one, you’ll hear what the effect will sound like when applied to your video; make your final selection and tap the “x” to go back to the video editor.
4. Make any other video edits you’d like or hit the back arrow (“<”) to finish and upload your post.

You can find a larger selection of voice effects by doing things differently. Instead of clicking the “Edit” icon on the Editing screen, tap the “Voice” icon. You’ll see available voice effects categorized in the bottom half of the screen, including a section that shows you all of the effects currently trending on the social media platform.

Important: Don’t add a TikTok sound to your video before adding a voice effect; that will prevent you from changing your voice.

Adding Voiceovers to a TikTok Video

Editing your voice adds a new level of fun to the TikTok content you produce. You can take a different approach if you prefer, adding voice-over narration that adds a new dimension to the production.

1. From the Editing screen mentioned above, tap the “Edit” icon and then click “Sound” on the bottom menu.
2. Choose “Voiceover” from the popup menu, move the video timeline so the vertical line is positioned at the spot where you want your voiceover to start, and then hit the red “Record” button. Hit the button again when you’re done with your narration.
3. That same popup lets you add other TikTok sounds or sound effects to your video if you’d like.

Here’s one more way to add narration by “someone else” to your content.

1. From the Editing screen, tap the “Text” icon in the right-hand menu, and then type out the narration you want to add to your video.
2. Click the “Text to speech” icon in the top menu. You’ll see a popup with the many narrator voices you can choose from. Click one and then tap “Done.”

Editing the TikTok Sound You’re Using in Your Video

Here’s a different type of sound editing.

You may have chosen the perfect song from the TikTok sound library for your post, but the part of the song you want to use isn’t synchronized with the part of your video when you want it to play. You can easily take care of that issue.

1. Record your TikTok video and move on to the editing screen.
2. Tap “Add sound” and decide on the song you want to use.
3. Click on the sound’s title, and then tap the “Editing” (scissors) icon.
4. You’ll see the song’s timeline playing underneath your video. To move to a different part of the song, just put your finger in the middle of the timeline and drag it to the right or left until the “correct” part of the song is synchronized with your content.
5. Click “Done” and you’ve now edited the sound to play exactly when you want it to.

There are many more sound editing tricks you can learn after you master these.

For example, you can choose “Edit” from the Editing screen and work with the content timeline to reposition an entire video’s audio track or cut out just some of the audio); you can speed up or slow down only the audio; you can adjust the sound’s volume. The TikTok editor lets you do almost anything you can think of to improve your content; play around with it and have fun!