How to Choose Background Music for Your AI-Generated Videos
The right background music can elevate your video from good to great — from setting the tone and creating emotional impact to enhancing engagement. Here’s our guide on how to choose the best track for your AI-generated videos:
1. Understand Your Video's Purpose and Tone
Before you even begin selecting music, it's crucial to understand the purpose and tone of your video. Each type of content calls for a different kind of background music.
Informative/Educational (tutorials, how-tos, educational explainers): Go for something subtle that doesn't distract from the information being presented. Opt for instrumental tracks that maintain a consistent, low-key tone. You want to avoid anything with lyrics or abrupt changes in tempo that could distract the viewer.
- Our recommendation: Classical compositions like a soft piano or string arrangement, or ambient sounds, or light electronic music.
Marketing/Commercial: Consider upbeat or inspirational tracks to evoke positive feelings toward a product or service. The tempo can be quicker, and the composition more complex, as you're aiming to elicit an emotional response that aligns with the brand messaging.
- Our recommendation: Pop music tracks that are high-energy and vibrant, or inspirational music with uplifting orchestration.
News/Historical/Documentary: In these types of videos, the objective is to provide facts, insights, and real-world narratives. The challenge is to select music that adds gravity and depth without overshadowing the factual content. The music should be unobtrusive and gravitate towards serious or dramatic. You're looking to build atmosphere and tension where appropriate but without compromising the focus on the content.
- Our recommendation: Light orchestral arrangements or single instrumentals like a piano or violin, or minimalist compositions that maintain a serious tone.
Art/Entertainment: Here, you have more freedom and can opt for music that complements the mood or pacing of your video. You can use the music to set the scene, heighten emotional impact, or even to subvert expectations for artistic effect. (For example, use electronic or techno music for a futuristic, sci-fi setting, or jazz/blues for a video with a nostalgic or retro vibe).
2. Consider Your Target Audience
Different age groups, cultural backgrounds, and preferences influence how your audience will respond to your music choices. Always keep your target demographic in mind when selecting a track.
Children (Ages 3-12): This age group is usually drawn to catchy, repetitive tunes with simple melodies. Bright, upbeat music can make educational or entertainment videos for children more engaging.
- Our recommendation: Children's songs and nursery rhymes for younger kids, cartoonish or playful instrumentals, or simple pop tunes for older children in this age group.
Teens (Ages 13-19): Teens often prefer genres that resonate with their emotional highs and lows or express their individuality.
- Our recommendation: Music styles like pop-punk, electronic dance music (EDM), and hip-hop are generally popular among this age group.
Millennials (Ages 24-40): Millennials have diverse music tastes that range from 90s nostalgia to contemporary hits. Depending on the video's purpose, you might opt for anything from alternative rock to lo-fi beats.
- Our recommendation: Lo-fi or chillhop, alternative or indie rock, or 90s hits for content geared towards nostalgia or retro themes.
Middle-Aged Adults (Ages 41-60): This demographic often appreciates classic rock, jazz, and soul music. These genres offer a rich tapestry of emotional textures that can be used in a variety of video types.
- Our recommendation: Soul music for emotional or inspirational videos, classic rock for documentary-style or historical/biographical type videos, jazz for marketing/commercial videos
Seniors (Ages 60+): Older adults may prefer classical music, easy listening, or hits from the '60s and '70s. The music should evoke a sense of familiarity and comfort.
- Our recommendation: Classical compositions for educational or informative videos, easy listening or orchestral pop for more commercial content, '60s or '70s hits for nostalgia-themed videos
Cultural Considerations: Music preferences also vary significantly across different cultures. Always consider the cultural background of your target audience. For instance, a video aimed at an audience in Latin America might benefit from Latin music genres like salsa or reggaeton, while an audience in India might appreciate Bollywood hits or traditional Indian music.
3. Pay Attention to Timing
The timing of your music should align with the key moments in your video. Decoherence’s audio-reactive effects allow you to customize how the “camera” moves to fit with your audio. Use these features to your advantage to make sure the music complements the video and doesn't overpower it.
4. Test Multiple Options
Don't be afraid to experiment with different tracks to see which one works best. Play the video with different types of music and assess how it impacts the overall experience. You can even A/B test different versions to see which resonates more with your audience (or ask friends and family as a sample).
5. Quality Matters
Always opt for high-quality music tracks to match the quality of your AI-generated video. Grainy or distorted audio can dramatically lower the perceived quality of your content, even if the visuals are top-notch.
6. Think About Consistency
If you’re creating a series of videos, consider using a consistent background track or theme music to make your content instantly recognizable. Just make sure the music is versatile enough to fit the various tones and moods within the series.
7. Keep It Legal
Always make sure the music you’re using is either royalty-free or that you have obtained the necessary permissions to use it.
Final thoughts: Background music is more than just an afterthought — it's an integral component that can make or break your AI-generated video! With the right track, your video won’t just be seen; it will be felt.
