Improve Your Creative Projects With Sound Design
Finding ways to improve your audio/visual projects can seem daunting. It seems obvious to have high-quality images and sound, but frequently the significance of proper music supervision can easily be overlooked.
If you’re ever asking yourself, “What am I missing?” it could be the perfect soundtrack. Let’s look at some ways to quickly improve any number of your creative projects using royalty-free music.
Finding the Right Music: Royalty-Free Music Explained
When music is classified as “royalty-free,” the creators of the music have given the proper permission for their work to be used under specific terms and conditions.
This can be an excellent option for social media videos because it means that you won’t have to worry about any legal issues surrounding music licensing and the use of copyrighted material.
Some sites may claim their music is “copyright free.” However, that phrase can be a bit of a misnomer. It would help if you understood that it’s scarce for a piece of music (or any artistic product, for that matter) to be completely free of copyright.
Usually, these sites imply that their music, once adequately licensed, is free from royalties now or in perpetuity. When the music is licensed, the company takes care of any royalty payments on your behalf to have peace of mind that your music usage is safe and legal.
The last thing any creator wants is legal trouble haunting you. Using reputable stock music sites takes care of that aspect for you, so there’s no need to worry.
However, a few things to keep in mind when using the best royalty free music for videos. First, it’s essential to make sure that you read the terms and conditions of use carefully.
Some royalty-free music may only be used for personal, non-commercial purposes, while others have more lenient rules. It’s always best to use caution and get permission from the copyright holder before using any music in your video or podcast.
When you pay a one-time or monthly fee to a royalty-free music site, that fee is used to license the music. Your subscription is your license.
Once you have permission to use the music, the music sites essentially pay the royalties on your behalf. Fortunately, once you have downloaded a music track, you can still retain the license even if your subscription ends, depending on which service you use.
Getting the Most From Stock Music Sites
Fortunately, the internet provides us with many valuable resources to help us curate and implement music into our content creation projects.
Stock music sites like Epidemic Sound, Premium Beat, and Soundstripe have vast music and sound effects libraries at your disposal. They have curated playlists based on genre, mood, artist, and duration to get you started.
Some sites like Soundstripe even have tens of thousands of professional-quality stock video clips that you can use in your next YouTube or Instagram video.
Many stock music sites also offer handpicked playlists which takes some guesswork out of your music choices. It’s also beneficial to have all your music downloads in a convenient and organised space that you can easily refer back to when the time comes.
Only need one part of a song? Many royalty-free music sites provide access to stem audio files so that you can separate any one single aspect like a bass line, drums, or vocals.
This way, you can control the mix without worrying about any part of the music being too distracting. It also allows you to be more creative in how and where you use particular pieces.
Some of the most popular royalty-free music sites will offer both an annual and monthly subscription to choose what suits your needs best.
And if you’re ever in doubt, many of these sites have excellent customer service teams who are more than happy to answer any questions you might have along the way. Keep in mind that paying one-time, annual fees helps save money in the long run.
Keep a Stock Music Library Ready to Go
If you produce a lot of video or podcast content, it can be helpful to keep a library of stock music on hand. When you’re feeling uninspired or in a time crunch, you have a go-to selection of songs.
As you build up your library, keep an eye out for music tracks that fit a specific mood or tone. When working on a project, you can easily find the perfect track to match your sound design vision.
Fortunately, music sites typically allow you to save downloaded pieces of music in a convenient spot for future use. Some sites even offer organisational tools to help you keep track of your growing library of background music so that you never have to spend too much time looking for the right track.
When you organise your songs by genre, choosing video or podcast music is a simple task setting the right vibe and tone for your videos. Remember, the best royalty-free music helps enhance your story without distracting from it.
Using Sound Design to Your Advantage
Essentially, sound design is just the overall art of creating soundtracks or audio channels for a creative project, be that YouTube videos, short and feature films, podcasts, or any other medium with an audio component.
In addition to music, this also includes voiceover and sound effects. Luckily, most royalty-free sites offer both music and sound effects.
Once you have your voice/dialogue in good order, you can add the other elements to create a complete package of professional sound design.
The Bottom Line
Royalty-free music is an excellent resource for video and podcast creators who want to avoid the hassle of copyright claims and expensive fees.
By paying a one-time or low monthly subscription fee, you can download and have unlimited use of millions of high-quality tracks and sound effects without worrying about legalities.
Using the resources of these sites will help you quickly add a professional-level quality of sound design to all your creative projects.
