# Add calm background music

Canonical URL: https://getvidiyo.app/prompts/add-background-music
Last updated: 2026-10-08

> TL;DR: Type "Add calm background music" and Vidiyo picks a licence-cleared track from its bundled library by mood, lays it under the whole video, ducks it under your voice, and fades it in and out. If nothing fits, it can make an original music bed on your Mac or import a track from a link you give.

## What to say

> Add calm background music

Category: Audio

## What Vidiyo does

1. Lists the bundled music by mood and length, and picks a track that fits the video.
2. Places it on a music track under the video.
3. Turns on ducking and sets the music a clear margin under your voice from measured loudness.
4. Fades the music in at the start and out with the last shot.
5. Measures the mix and reports the levels.

Background music sets the mood of a video and fills the small gaps between sentences. The hard parts are finding a track you're allowed to use and keeping it out of the way of your voice. This prompt handles both.

## What does Vidiyo do when you say this?

Vidiyo picks a licence-cleared track from its bundled library by mood, places it under the whole video, ducks it under your voice and fades it in and out. Levels come from measuring your mix, not from a fixed volume, so the music stays a clear margin under your speech. The assistant reports the levels when it's done.

If no bundled track fits, it can synthesize an original music bed on your Mac in the mood and tempo you want. Those are pads, drones and pulses, made to sit under talking rather than to be a song. If you have a specific track, give it the link and it imports it, noting that the licence is yours to check.

## How do you phrase it?

Describe the mood, energy or genre:

- "Add calm background music"
- "Upbeat music, but quiet under me"
- "Something cinematic that builds into the reveal at 0:45"
- "Lo-fi under the whole thing, fade out at the end"
- "No music in the first ten seconds"

You can also say "no music under tutorials" once and ask Vidiyo to remember it, so it won't add music to that kind of video again.

## How would you do this by hand?

By hand, you'd browse a music library, check the licence, download a track, drop it on the timeline, trim or loop it to length, set the volume, add ducking or keyframes under each sentence, and fade both ends. Finding the track usually takes the longest. Here you describe the feel and listen to the result.

## What should you check afterwards?

Listen to the first few seconds and the ending, where music is most noticeable. If the track has a strong beat, check that it doesn't fight the rhythm of your cuts. For a different feel, ask for "something warmer" or "less busy" and the assistant swaps the track while keeping the levels and fades.

## Honest limits

- Generated beds are pads and pulses, not songs with a melody.
- Tracks imported from a link have an unverified licence.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is the music licence-free?

The bundled tracks are licence-cleared for use in your videos. If you give the assistant a link to another track, it imports it but tells you the licence is unverified, so that part is on you.

### Which moods are there?

The bundled library is tagged upbeat, chill, cinematic, corporate, ambient and minimal. Describe the feel and the assistant picks from those, or makes an original bed.

### What is a generated music bed?

An original background made on your Mac from pads, drones and pulses in a mood and tempo you choose. It sits well under speech but has no melody, so a library track is better when you want a song.

## Related

- [Music and sound effects that sit under your voice](https://getvidiyo.app/features/music-and-sound-effects)
- [Audio ducking](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/audio-ducking)
- [Room tone](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/room-tone)
- [How to add background music without drowning out your voice](https://getvidiyo.app/blog/add-background-music-without-drowning-voice)
- [Keep the music under my voice](https://getvidiyo.app/prompts/duck-the-music-under-my-voice)

Download Vidiyo for Mac (free during the beta): https://getvidiyo.app/download