Feature
Instrumental vs vocals in ads: instrumental whenever someone talks
Use an instrumental under any voiceover or video of someone talking. Use a sung track only when nobody speaks, because people cannot follow two sets of words at once.
In short
- Use an instrumental in any ad where someone talks, because sung words compete with spoken ones.
- A sung track works best when nobody speaks and the song carries the message, like a jingle.
- A sung line can fill the opening seconds before anyone speaks, but that takes two tracks and a second app to join them.
- In Cutroom, an empty lyrics box gives an instrumental, and both kinds cost 50 credits up to 60 seconds.
- Every attempt at a track costs another 50 credits, and sung words usually take more attempts than an instrumental.
- The right choice in any ad where somebody talks
- Instrumental
- A Cutroom track up to 60 seconds, sung or instrumental, on Basic
- 50 credits
- The longest Cutroom track, two minutes, sung or instrumental
- 130 credits
Instrumental vs vocals: the difference in an ad
An instrumental has no words. A sung track adds a second set of words, which is fine when nobody talks and a problem when someone does.
- People can follow one stream of words at a time. Two at once blur together, and they follow neither.
- A singing voice sits in the same range as a speaking voice, so it also covers the spoken words.
Instrumental and sung track side by side
Neither one wins every time. Whether anyone talks in the ad decides it.
Words
- Instrumental
- None
- Sung track
- The lyrics
Under a voiceover
- Instrumental
- Works if it is simple
- Sung track
- Competes with the voice
Ad where nobody talks
- Instrumental
- Sets the mood but says nothing
- Sung track
- The lyrics carry the message
Reuse in many ads
- Instrumental
- Easy, it is not tied to one message
- Sung track
- Hard, the words belong to one ad
How many attempts it takes
- Instrumental
- Fewer, because there are no words to get wrong
- Sung track
- More, because the words and the singing both have to land, and each attempt is another 50 credits
Cutroom price
- Instrumental
- 50 credits up to 60 seconds
- Sung track
- 50 credits up to 60 seconds
| Instrumental | Sung track | |
|---|---|---|
| Words | None | The lyrics |
| Under a voiceover | Works if it is simple | Competes with the voice |
| Ad where nobody talks | Sets the mood but says nothing | The lyrics carry the message |
| Reuse in many ads | Easy, it is not tied to one message | Hard, the words belong to one ad |
| How many attempts it takes | Fewer, because there are no words to get wrong | More, because the words and the singing both have to land, and each attempt is another 50 credits |
| Cutroom price | 50 credits up to 60 seconds | 50 credits up to 60 seconds |
When to use an instrumental
Use an instrumental whenever someone speaks in the ad. That covers most ads.
- Any ad with a voiceover, a person talking to the camera or a narrated demo needs an instrumental.
- Instrumentals suit a series of ads that should sound alike, because one description can make a matching track for each.
- If you are not sure yet, choose an instrumental. It still works if you add a voiceover later.
- Ask for a sparse track with few instruments, low bass and light percussion, so the voice stays clear.
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
When to use a sung track
Use a sung track when the song is the ad: no voiceover, nobody talking, just music and pictures.
- A sung line works best as a jingle, a short, catchy line with your brand name in it.
- Put the brand name in the first line, so people hear it before they scroll on.
- Keep it short. Singing is slower than talking, so plan on about one sung word per second.
- Read the lyrics aloud at singing speed before you make the track, because a line cannot be fixed afterwards.
- Each new attempt costs another 50 credits, so getting the words right on the third try means paying three times.
The exception: a sung opening, then an instrumental
If your ad opens with a couple of seconds before anyone speaks, a sung line can fill them. An instrumental then takes over when the talking starts.
- This needs two tracks, a sung one and an instrumental. At up to 60 seconds each, that is 100 credits.
- The Cutroom editor holds one music track per video, so join the two in another editing app.
- Cutroom lowers music while you talk, but a quieter sung line still competes. Switch to the instrumental when the talking starts.
- Check the switch on a phone at half volume, where a sung and a spoken line clash most.
Where Cutroom fits
Cutroom's music tool has one box to describe the sound and one for lyrics. Leave the lyrics box empty and you get an instrumental.
- Writing 'no vocals' in the description also helps when the style you ask for usually has singing.
- Music comes with Basic, $39.99 a month for 2,500 credits. The free first video and Lite do not include it.
- You cannot edit a track after it is made, and the longest track is 120 seconds.
- The track is made for you, not licensed from a library. Read Cutroom's terms before you use it in a paid ad.
Cutroom music prices
The same for an instrumental and a sung track. Each extra 30 seconds past a minute adds 40 credits.
| Track length | Credits |
|---|---|
| 15, 30 or 60 seconds | 50 |
| 90 seconds | 90 |
| 120 seconds | 130 |
Track length: 15, 30 or 60 seconds
- Credits
- 50
Track length: 90 seconds
- Credits
- 90
Track length: 120 seconds
- Credits
- 130
Questions people ask
- Should ad music have vocals or be instrumental?
- Instrumental, if anyone talks in the ad. Use vocals only when nobody speaks and the song carries the message, like a jingle.
- Can I have quiet vocals under a voiceover?
- It rarely works. Even quiet singing is a second set of words, so people end up following neither. Turning the vocals down does not fix that.
- When do vocals work better in an ad?
- When the song is the ad, like a short jingle with your brand name, and nobody talks over it.
- How do I make an instrumental in Cutroom?
- Leave the lyrics box empty. Adding 'no vocals' to the description also helps when the style you ask for usually has singing.
- What does each option cost in Cutroom?
- The same per track: 50 credits up to 60 seconds, 90 for 90 seconds and 130 for 120 seconds. Every attempt is charged, so a sung track you try three times costs three times. Music comes with Basic at $39.99 a month.
If anyone talks in your ad, use an instrumental; save sung tracks for ads where nobody does. Your first video is free; music comes with Basic at $39.99 a month.