Guide
A music bed is quiet music under a voice
Updated
A music bed is an instrumental track played quietly under someone speaking. It sets the mood and fills the pauses without getting in the way of the words.
In short
- A music bed is quiet instrumental music played under a voice in a video, ad or podcast.
- A music bed sets the mood, fills the pauses and covers small jumps in sound where the video was cut.
- The music should sit well below the voice, and it is often turned down further while someone speaks. That is called ducking.
- Free music you may use in videos comes from TikTok's Commercial Music Library, the YouTube Audio Library, Pixabay and Coverr.
- A chart song is not a free option for an ad. Using it needs a licence from the people who own it.
- Songs in TikTok's Commercial Music Library, free for businesses
- 1 million
- How far Cutroom lowers the music while you speak
- 12 dB
- Credits for a Cutroom music track up to 60 seconds
- 50
What is a music bed?
A music bed is music that plays under someone talking, for the whole video or a long part of it.
- A music bed is usually instrumental, with no singing, so it does not compete with the voice.
- Music beds are used under ads, explainer videos, podcasts, radio ads and presentations.
- The music stays in the background. Viewers feel the mood more than they hear the song.
- A song with lyrics, or a jingle you are meant to sing along to, is not a music bed.
What does a music bed do?
A music bed does three things under a voice.
- It sets the mood. The same video feels calm over soft piano and urgent over fast drums.
- It fills the pauses between sentences, so they do not sound empty.
- It covers the small jumps in background sound where a video was cut.
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
How loud should a music bed be?
There is no single right number. The voice has to stay easy to follow, so the music sits well below it.
- If the music makes words hard to follow, especially on a phone speaker, it is too loud.
- Ducking means the music drops while someone speaks and comes back up in the pauses.
- Premiere Pro can duck for you: in the Essential Sound panel, tag the track as Music, turn on Ducking and click Generate Keyframes.
- Cutroom plays the music at -18 dB and lowers it by 12 dB, to about -30 dB, while you speak. You can change how loud it sits.
An example: how Cutroom lowers music under a voice
| Moment | What the music does |
|---|---|
| Nobody is speaking | Plays at -18 dB |
| You start talking | Fades down within 0.2 seconds |
| While you talk | Stays 12 dB lower, at about -30 dB |
| You stop talking | Comes back up over 0.4 seconds |
Moment: Nobody is speaking
- What the music does
- Plays at -18 dB
Moment: You start talking
- What the music does
- Fades down within 0.2 seconds
Moment: While you talk
- What the music does
- Stays 12 dB lower, at about -30 dB
Moment: You stop talking
- What the music does
- Comes back up over 0.4 seconds
Where to get a music bed
Check the licence first. Music you may use in a personal post is not always allowed in an ad.
Where music beds come from
From each library's own pages, read 21 September 2026. Licences change, so check again before you run an ad.
| Source | Cost | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| TikTok Commercial Music Library | Free for businesses | 1 million cleared songs for TikTok posts and ads |
| YouTube Audio Library | Free | In YouTube Studio; some tracks ask you to credit the artist |
| Pixabay | Free | Music under the Pixabay licence; credit is optional |
| Coverr | Free | Music for commercial use, no credit needed |
| A chart song | A licence fee | You need permission from the people who own it |
| A Cutroom track | From 50 credits | Made for your video, not licensed from a catalogue |
Source: TikTok Commercial Music Library
- Cost
- Free for businesses
- Good to know
- 1 million cleared songs for TikTok posts and ads
Source: YouTube Audio Library
- Cost
- Free
- Good to know
- In YouTube Studio; some tracks ask you to credit the artist
Source: Pixabay
- Cost
- Free
- Good to know
- Music under the Pixabay licence; credit is optional
Source: Coverr
- Cost
- Free
- Good to know
- Music for commercial use, no credit needed
Source: A chart song
- Cost
- A licence fee
- Good to know
- You need permission from the people who own it
Source: A Cutroom track
- Cost
- From 50 credits
- Good to know
- Made for your video, not licensed from a catalogue
What makes a good music bed?
Simple music works best under a voice.
- Pick instrumental music. A track with singing competes with your voice.
- Pick a track with few instruments and no sudden loud parts, so it stays under the words.
- Pick calm music for advice and faster music for a sale or a launch.
- You do not always need one. A clear talk to the camera can work with no music at all.
Where Cutroom fits
Cutroom can make a music track for your video and lower it under your voice for you.
- Music is off until you add it. You describe the sound in your own words and get a finished track.
- A track costs 50 credits up to 60 seconds, 90 credits at 90 seconds and 130 credits at 120 seconds.
- Music is on the Basic plan, $39.99 a month for 2,500 credits, and on Premium. The free first video has no music.
- The track is made for you, not licensed from a catalogue. Check the terms of your account before you use it in paid ads.
Questions people ask
- Does every video need a music bed?
- No. A clear talk to the camera can work with no music at all. Add a bed when the video has many cuts or long pauses, or when you want to set a mood.
- How loud should background music be under a voice?
- Well below the voice, so every word stays easy to follow on a phone speaker. Cutroom, for example, plays music at -18 dB and drops it to about -30 dB while you speak.
- What is ducking?
- Ducking is the music dropping in volume while someone speaks and rising again in the pauses. Premiere Pro and Cutroom can do it for you.
- Can I use a chart song under my ad?
- Not without a licence from the people who own it. On TikTok, businesses can use the free Commercial Music Library instead, which has 1 million cleared songs.
- Where can I get free music for a video?
- The YouTube Audio Library, TikTok's Commercial Music Library, Pixabay and Coverr all have free music. Read each licence, because some tracks need a credit and some only cover one platform.
- What kind of track makes a good bed?
- A simple instrumental one. Few instruments, no singing and no sudden loud parts keep it under the voice.
Music made for your video, lowered under your voice for you, comes with Basic at $39.99 a month. Your first video is free.
Try for freeYour first video is free, no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It carries a Cutroom mark; Lite at $19.99/month removes it