TikTok’s sound editing tools are more capable than most creators realize — and they’re all built into the app. Whether you want to swap in a trending track, record a voiceover, or balance your audio levels before posting, you can handle it without leaving TikTok. This guide walks through every major sound editing function, step by step, so you can get your audio right before you hit publish.
Where to Find TikTok’s Sound Editing Tools
TikTok gives you two windows for editing sound: during the creation process and immediately after uploading a video.
In-creation editing happens on the editor screen right after you record or import your clip. This is where most of the audio work takes place — adding sounds, recording voiceovers, applying effects, and adjusting volume. The tools appear as icons along the right side of the screen or in a bottom tray depending on your app version.
Post-upload editing is more limited. After a video is posted, TikTok allows minor edits (like swapping eligible sounds), but most controls are locked. For full audio control, always edit before you post.
Here’s where each core tool lives inside the creation editor:
-
Add Sound — top of the editing screen, or via the “Sounds” button
-
Volume — right-side icon panel, labeled “Volume”
-
Voiceover — right-side icon panel, microphone icon
-
Voice Effects — right-side panel, appears after recording
-
Sound Effects — accessible through the editing toolbar
Pro Tip: Starting with clean source audio cuts your in-app editing work significantly. A compact wireless mic like the Hollyland LARK M2 — which weighs just 9g and runs up to 40 hours — picks up clear voice audio before you ever open the editor.
How to Add a Sound from TikTok’s Library
-
After recording or importing your video, tap the “Add Sound” button at the top of the editing screen.
-
The sound library opens. You’ll see tabs for Recommended, Trending, Playlists, and a Search bar at the top.
-
To find a specific song, tap the search bar and type the track name or artist.
-
To browse by mood or genre, tap the Playlists tab and select a category (e.g., Hip-Hop, Chill, Viral).
-
Tap any sound to preview it over your video.
-
When you find the right track, tap the red checkmark to add it.
-
You’ll return to the editor with the sound applied. A trim bar will appear at the bottom — use it to choose which part of the song plays.
Shortcut: If you’ve already saved a sound by tapping the bookmark icon on another video, it appears under the Favorites tab inside the sound library. Saving sounds in advance saves time when you’re mid-edit.
How to Adjust Audio Volume on TikTok
Balancing your audio layers is one of the most important steps before posting. TikTok’s Volume panel gives you independent control over two sliders.
-
In the editing screen, tap the “Volume” icon on the right-side panel.
-
The Volume panel opens with two sliders:
-
Original Sound — the audio captured when you recorded the video
-
Added Sound — any track you’ve imported from the library
-
Drag each slider left to decrease or right to increase.
-
To mute original audio entirely, drag the Original Sound slider all the way to zero.
-
To feature background music under a voiceover, lower Added Sound to around 20–30 and keep Original Sound at zero.
-
To use only original audio, drag Added Sound to zero.
-
Tap Save when you’re satisfied with the balance.
Tip: Adjust volume last — after you’ve added all your sound layers, including voiceover. That way you’re balancing the final mix, not a partial one.
How to Add a Voiceover to Your TikTok Video
-
From the editing screen, tap the microphone icon on the right-side panel. This opens the Voiceover tool.
-
Your video will play automatically. Use the timeline at the bottom to navigate to the moment where you want your voiceover to begin.
-
Press and hold the record button while speaking. Release to stop recording. You can record in multiple segments across the video.
-
If you make a mistake, tap Delete to remove the last recorded segment and re-record.
-
Toggle “Keep Original Sound” on or off depending on whether you want the original video audio to play alongside your voiceover.
-
When finished, tap Save to return to the main editor.
Once your voiceover is recorded, you can balance it against any added music using the Volume panel covered in the previous section. Both layers can coexist — the key is setting the right levels for each.
How to Use Voice Effects and Sound Effects
These two features are often confused, but they serve different purposes.
Voice Effects alter the tone or character of your recorded voice — either from a direct TikTok recording or a voiceover. Sound Effects are standalone audio clips (like a drumroll, a laugh track, or ambient noise) that you layer on top of your video.
Voice Effects are accessed through the right-side panel after recording. Sound Effects appear in a separate panel in the editing toolbar, usually labeled “Sound Effects” or represented by a musical note icon.
|
Voice Effects |
Sound Effects |
|---|---|
|
Applied to your recorded voice |
Added as independent audio layers |
|
Options include: Baritone, Chipmunk, Megaphone, Echo, Electronic |
Options include: applause, horror stings, cartoon sounds, nature audio |
|
Applies to the whole voiceover or clip |
Can be placed at specific timestamps |
|
Access: right-side panel after recording |
Access: editing toolbar, Sound Effects panel |
Voice effects work best for comedic content, character-based videos, or if you want to disguise your voice. Sound effects work well for punchlines, transitions, or adding atmosphere without distracting from the main audio.
How to Trim and Sync Audio on TikTok
When you add a sound, TikTok defaults to playing the track from its beginning. Trimming lets you choose exactly which section plays — useful when the memorable hook of a song starts mid-track.
-
After adding a sound, tap the track bar that appears at the bottom of the editing screen. It will display the waveform of the selected audio.
-
A horizontal scroll bar appears. Drag left or right along the waveform to shift the start point of the audio.
-
The video preview updates in real time so you can hear how the audio lines up with your footage.
-
Release when the audio start point matches where you want it — for example, aligning a beat drop to a specific visual moment.
-
If TikTok’s Beat Sync option is available for your selected track, toggle it on to let the app automatically align video cuts to the music’s rhythm.
-
Tap the checkmark or Save to confirm.
The trim interface looks like a scrollable film strip at the bottom of the screen. The yellow handles on either end mark the playback window — drag the left handle to adjust where the audio starts within the track.
Tips for Better Sound Editing Results on TikTok
-
Save trending sounds before you edit. When you hear a sound you want to use later, tap the song title and bookmark it. It’ll be waiting in your Favorites tab when you’re ready to edit.
-
Record in a quiet environment. In-app editing can balance levels, but it can’t remove background noise. A quiet room — or a clip-on wireless mic — gives you cleaner audio to work with from the start.
-
Preview your full audio mix before posting. Use the play button in the editor to listen to all layers together: original sound, added music, and voiceover. What sounds good in isolation may clash when combined.
-
Adjust volume last. Add all your sound layers first — music, voiceover, sound effects — then open the Volume panel to set the final balance. Mixing as you go leads to readjusting everything when new layers are added.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you edit the sound on a TikTok after it’s already posted?
Limited editing is available after posting. Some videos qualify for TikTok’s Sound Swap feature, which lets you replace the background track without re-uploading. However, voiceover, volume adjustments, and effects cannot be changed after publishing. If you need significant audio changes, your best option is to delete the video and re-upload an edited version.
How do you remove the original sound from a TikTok video?
Open the Volume panel in the editor and drag the Original Sound slider all the way to zero. This mutes the original audio without permanently deleting it — you can restore it at any time before posting by pulling the slider back up. This is the cleanest way to replace original audio with a music track or voiceover.
Can you add your own music or audio to TikTok?
TikTok doesn’t support direct audio file uploads from your device’s library. You can use sounds from TikTok’s licensed library, or create original audio by recording directly in the app. One common workaround: play your own music in the room while recording, which captures it as original audio — though sound quality won’t be as clean as a library track.
Why is my added sound out of sync with my video?
Open the trim bar by tapping the audio track at the bottom of the editor and manually drag the waveform left or right to shift the audio start point until it lines up with the correct visual moment. If the sync issue is structural — for example, you filmed to a beat but the cuts don’t match — you may need to re-record with Beat Sync enabled or re-edit the video cuts.
Final Thoughts
TikTok’s built-in sound editing tools cover everything you need: adding library tracks, balancing volume levels, recording voiceovers, applying voice and sound effects, and trimming audio to sync with your footage. Working through each of these in order — sound first, voiceover second, effects third, volume last — gives you a clean, intentional mix every time.
Keep in mind that no amount of in-app editing fully compensates for poor source audio. If you want to go deeper on capturing better sound before you edit, look into how to record cleaner audio for short-form video — because the best TikTok edits start before you open the app.
