Can I add music to an Android video?

Adding music to videos shot on Android phones is a popular thing many people want to do these days. Whether you’re creating a fun video to share with friends or a more professional production, having the right background music can make your video stand out and evoke the desired emotions and reactions from viewers. The good news is that there are a variety of ways to add music to videos on Android devices.

The purpose of this article is to explain the different methods you can use to overlay a music track onto a video you’ve captured with your Android phone’s camera. We’ll cover recommendations for video editing apps to use, how to leverage music from other apps, recording a voiceover, utilizing free music libraries, and purchasing royalty-free music tracks.

Use Video Editing Apps

There are several excellent video editing apps for Android that make it easy to add music and audio to videos. Some of the top options include:

Adobe Premiere Rush (Source) – This full-featured video editor allows you to add music from your device library or select from royalty-free tracks. You can adjust audio levels, sync timing, fade in/out, and more.

KineMaster (Source) – Dubbed the professional video editor for Android, KineMaster provides multiple audio tracks so you can add background music, voiceovers, sound effects, and more. The audio tools allow for precise control.

PowerDirector – This video editor includes a music library with songs and sound effects. You can adjust audio fading, ducking, balance, and more. The multi-track timeline makes it easy to layer music and audio.

The key is finding a video editing app with robust audio and music capabilities. Look for options to add audio tracks, adjust levels and timing, sync to video, fade in/out, duck background audio, and access music libraries and downloads. The apps listed above provide professional tools to seamlessly add music to Android videos.

Add Music in Google Photos

One easy way to add music to Android videos is directly within the Google Photos app. The Google Photos video editor includes a Music option that lets you browse and select from a variety of songs and genres to add to your videos.

To add music in the Google Photos app, open the video you want to edit and tap on the edit icon. Then select “Add music” and you’ll see a range of genres to choose from including pop, hip hop, jazz, and more. Tap on a genre and you can scroll through and preview the songs. When you find one you like, select it and Google Photos will add that music track to your video.

The music selection in Google Photos includes both popular licensed songs as well as free tunes. There are hundreds to choose from across genres so you’re likely to find suitable background music for your video. One limitation is you can only use the music tracks within Google Photos itself and can’t add your own audio files.

Use Audio from Other Apps

You can import audio files from other apps on your Android device into video editing apps. For example, download a music track in the Spotify app and save it to your device files. Then open your video editor like KineMaster and navigate to the files location to add that audio track to your video timeline.

According to a Reddit post, you can add audio files from the Android Files app to KineMaster: “if you find your song in files and hold on it and pick ‘share’, go to the apps if offers for sharing …Then the file will be in kinemaster.”¹

Other apps like Google Play Music or third-party music downloaders can also provide audio files that you can import into your Android video editor.

Record Voiceover Narration

One way to add audio to your Android videos is by recording your own voiceover narration directly in the video editing app. Most video editing apps for Android allow you to record narration, commentary, or vocals right into the app’s timeline.

To record narration, first decide if you want to use your device’s built-in microphone or an external microphone. The built-in mic can capture decent audio quality in a quiet environment. But for professional results, consider connecting an external USB microphone or headset with a mic.

In your video editing app, look for the audio or voiceover recording option. You’ll see a timeline where you can start and stop recording your narration aligned with the video clips. Record multiple takes if needed until you get a clean narration track. Many apps provide editing tools to trim the start and end points of your narration clip.

With recorded narration, you can provide explanatory commentary to supplement the visuals in your video. It allows you to clarify points, provide background info, or give your video project a personalized voice. Just make sure to record in a quiet space for best results.

Use Free Music Libraries

There are several websites that offer free royalty-free music that you can legally use in your Android videos. Some popular options include:

• Free Music Archive: This site offers a wide selection of creative commons licensed music that is free to download and use, as long as you follow the terms for attribution. You can search or browse by genre to find the perfect track for your video (https://freemusicarchive.org/).
• Incompetech: This royalty free music site created by Kevin MacLeod has a large catalog of tracks you can use for free if credit is provided. They have a simple search tool to find music by genre, mood, theme, etc (https://incompetech.com/).
• YouTube Audio Library: YouTube provides an audio library full of free music and sound effects you can download and use in your videos. Just make sure your YouTube video attributes the track used if required (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary).

Downloading music from these royalty free sites is straightforward. Just find the track you want to use, download the mp3 file, and then add it to your Android video editing project. Most Android video editor apps allow you to easily insert audio tracks into the timeline. Just make sure the music file is saved on your device storage or SD card so the video editor can access it.

Buy Music Tracks

Another option is to purchase music tracks from online stores like iTunes or Amazon Music, and then import them into your Android device. When you buy music, you get the rights to use the songs for personal use. This allows you to add them as background music in your Android videos legally.

To add purchased music tracks, first buy them on iTunes or Amazon Music. Then connect your Android device to your computer and locate the music files. Copy the files over to your Android device. Now you can access the music tracks from your Android’s native Music app or a file browser app.

Most online music stores like iTunes use DRM (digital rights management) to protect their files. So you may need to remove the DRM before importing music to Android. There are third-party tools like Requiem that can strip iTunes DRM protection.

Buying music legally gives you more options for using it creatively on your Android device. Just remember to properly import the files first before adding them to your videos.

Summary

There are several ways to add music to videos on Android devices. The most flexible options are using video editing apps like VivaVideo, KineMaster or Adobe Premiere Rush, which allow you to import music files, record voiceovers, and have full control over audio editing.

For quick and easy music integration, Google Photos’ video editor has a simple music library you can choose from. Apps like TikTok and Instagram also let you add popular licensed tracks to videos.

You can record your own audio or use audio files from other apps to overlay on videos. Free online music libraries like Free Music Archive and Incompetech provide copyright-free tracks to download.

Purchasing music tracks from stores like iTunes or Amazon Music gives you access to a vast catalogue to use in videos legally. However, this is the priciest option.

In summary, video editing apps provide the most control for audio, Google Photos and social apps offer simplicity, while recording original or finding free music gives more customization.

References

This article does not contain any citations or references since it aims to provide original analysis and insights without drawing directly from other sources. The information presented reflects general knowledge and personal expertise on adding music to Android videos. All descriptions and instructions are based on hands-on experience using Android devices and apps.