How To Make and Add Original Audio to Instagram Reels

Adding original voiceovers or audio is a great way to create unique and authentic content that can attract a larger audience. Using original sounds in Reels enhances your clips, improving your chances of going viral and attracting more followers. 

With AI-powered tools, generating original audio takes seconds. Read on to learn how to make original audio on Instagram without musical talent or comedic genius. 

How To Create Original Audio for Reels

Although you can find and adopt trending Instagram audio in your Reels, using original music or voiceovers gives your content a personal touch. The fastest and easiest way to create original audio is with an AI resource like Captions.

Captions offers numerous video editing tools to generate engaging sound for your videos, such as:

• AI music — Generate custom, royalty-free tracks from over 50 genres, moods, and themes.
• Sound effects — Add pre-recorded sounds like typing, paper tearing, and turning gears. 
• AI voiceover — Select a preset voice or use your own to automatically speak your video’s captions. 

Here’s how to create original audio for Instagram Reels using the Captions app:

1. Start a new project — Navigate to Captions on your mobile device or computer. Click “Import” to upload a video and start a new project. 
2. Add a voiceover — Captions automatically adds text based on the language spoken in a video. Tap “Voiceover” and then “Add” to apply the audio by entering the text into the voiceover box. Choose a pre-configured AI option or select “Create your AI voice clone” and read a one-minute script to add your own vocals. 
3. Add background music — Tap “Music” and browse different themes and genres. To edit your music, select from the following options:

• Intensity — Change the intensity during different track segments.
• Volume — Adjust the volume up or down.
• Ducking — Automatically adjust the volume when someone speaks.
• Delete — Remove your track.

4. Add sound effects — Click “Sounds” to manually add sound effects to individual clips. Tap and drag the premade effects to your desired location and adjust the volume up or down to blend with the video, voiceover, and music. 
5. Export your project — Tap “Export” to download your video with original audio. 

How To Add Your Own Audio to Instagram Reels

Whether you want to lip-sync to a song or include voiceover dialogue from a TV show, adding unique sounds to your Instagram Reels is a great way to get your content noticed. Here’s how to make a sound on Instagram using original or borrowed audio:

1. Open Reels — Navigate to Instagram and log into your account. Tap “Create” and select the Reel option at the bottom of the screen. 

2. Navigate to apply audio — You can add audio before or after you record or upload your video. To add audio, click the music icon on the left. 

3. Upload your audio — Select a track from Instagram’s music library or click “Import” to upload audio to Instagram. The app will mark your video with an “Original Audio” tag if you use your own clip. 

4. Select the audio track — Pick the song or track section you want to play during your Reel. Use the audio source sliders to adjust the volume. ‍
5. Customize the sound — Select the “Voice Over” or “Special Effects” icons at the bottom to apply additional audio to your video. Click “Done” to save your edited Reel. 

5 Tips for Creating Trending Audios

Creating viral Reels with original audio is easier if you know how to optimize your content for maximum engagement. Keep these tips in mind when making shareable audio for Reels.

1. Keep Your Audio and Reels Short

Generally, it’s best to keep Reels between 7–15 seconds long to encourage viewers to watch your entire video. People are drawn to shorter Reels, so these get more replays. This user behavior tells the Instagram algorithm that the content is valuable, boosting your Reels’ reach. 

2. Film a Reel That’s Easy To Recreate

Popular trends tend to emerge when the content is easy to adapt or mimic. Avoid using complex audio or video transitions and stick with simple sound effects, popular songs, and memorable dialogue. 

3. Make Audio Universal and Relatable

The more deeply people connect to your content, the greater your engagement and reach. Choose audio that applies to various groups and situations or that speaks to most people in your target demographic. For example, if you target Gen Z viewers, you could recycle a well-known line from an iconic film of their era and work it into your video.

4. Avoid Copyright Infringement With Background Songs

You may infringe on another creator’s copyright or creative property if you layer original audio on top of a background song. Instagram automatically tells you if a song is copyrighted, so stay on the safe side by using either original or non-copyrighted music in your Reels. 

5. Create a Recognizable Audio Name

Give your audio a simple title before uploading your video — otherwise, the name defaults to “Original Audio.” A catchy name makes it easier for people to find your sound in a saved list. 

To choose a name, tap the “Rename audio” button on the same screen where you add captions to your Reels.

Create Catchy Audio With Captions

Making your content stand out with original audio is straightforward if you have the right tools on hand. Captions’ creative studio provides all the features you need to make engaging music, voiceovers, and sound effects for your Reels. 

Generate royalty-free music to match or enhance any mood, punch up content with a diverse sound effects list, and use a pre-made or an AI voice clone to create engaging voiceovers.

Try Captions today and start creating fun, original sound for your video content.