7 Creative Ways to Add Music or Audio to Instagram Reels

Instagram Reels allow you to create fun and engaging short videos to share with your followers.

Adding audio elements like music, voiceovers, and sound effects can make your Reels more dynamic and entertaining.

This guide will teach you several methods for incorporating audio into your Instagram Reels.

Select Background Music from Instagram's Library

When creating a new Reel, tap the music note icon at the top left to access Instagram's audio library.

Browse or search for songs and preview tracks before selecting one. Use the slider at the bottom to pick the specific section of the song you want to use.

Tap Done once you've chosen your audio. Place this music first when layering multiple audio elements.

Import Audio from Other Videos

Don't see the song you want in Instagram's music collection? Import audio from other videos on your phone.

When making a Reel, tap the music note icon and then Import. Choose a video to pull the audio from.

Use the selection slider to isolate the part with the desired music. Tap Done to add this imported audio to your Reel.

Overlay Your Own Voice with Voiceovers

Add your own voice to narrate your Reel. After capturing footage, tap the music note icon followed by Voiceover.

Press and hold the red record button while speaking to capture audio. Release when finished.

Use the waveform visual to move your voiceover to the desired part of the video. Tap Discard and re-record if you don't like a take.

Balance Music and Voiceover Volumes

When including both imported music and an original voiceover, adjust volumes so one doesn't overpower the other.

After recording voiceover, tap the music note icon and then Controls.

Use the sliders to turn the music down and voiceover up. Listen and tweak levels until properly mixed.

Apply Voice Effects

Stand out by altering your voice with built-in effects. After recording a voiceover, tap Edit below it.

Scroll through and select from options like Helium, Giant, Robot, and more to change the sound of your vocals. These can make your Reels more quirky and fun.

Punch Up Footage with Sound Effects

Sound effects add interest to your Reels. Tap the music note icon followed by Sound Effects while assembling footage. Select a zany sound like Drum Roll or Laugh Track.

Press and hold while scrubbing the waveform to place the effect. A line will appear where it will play. Let go to set it. Add up to four sounds for extra flair.

Use Trending Audio from Other Reels

Hear a song you like in someone else's viral Reel? Easily download Reel audio from another Reel for your own content.

Open the Reel and tap the music attribution at the bottom. Preview or save songs from that page.

If you want to use it immediately, tap Use Audio. Grab tracks getting traction to make content more discoverable.

Switch Account Type to Access More Music

Business and creator accounts have access to different music catalogs due to licensing restrictions. Creator accounts unlock a fuller range.

Transition yours to creator by tapping Edit Profile > Account Type > Creator. Note you'll lose metrics like analytics and auto-posting.

Weigh whether more audio choices outweigh losing those tools.

Use Third-Party Editing Apps

If other methods fall short, use a third-party video editing app like InShot or Splice to layer custom audio.

First, create your Reel without music. Then open your editing app and import that clip along with your desired audio track.

Combine them into a new video with audio embedded. Finally, upload this musical Reel video to Instagram.

Try Snagging Audio from TikTok

TikTok trends start viral sounds. Steal audio from popular TikToks for your Instagram Reels with the web tool Kapwing. First, build your Reel without any music.

Next go to Kapwing.com and upload that video along with the TikTok that has the audio you want. Kapwing will extract just the audio from that TikTok.

It will then merge that removed audio with your Reel footage into a combined video that you can download and upload to Instagram.

Credit Audio Sources

If you utilize someone else's original audio, make sure to properly credit them to avoid legal issues.

This also helps listeners locate the full versions of tracks. List the name of the song and artist handle if available.

Ask creators if unsure whether a voiceover or other audio can be reused.

Conclusion

Customizing your Reels with complementary audio can truly make them stand out.

Experiment with mixing and matching original music, voiceovers, sound bites, special effects, and more.

Just be purposeful with choices and balances so nothing feels randomly tossed together. With the right audio embellishments, your Reels will become that much catchier.