Music in the background of your podcast

A successful background music can significantly enhance the character of your podcast. It not only harmonizes with your spoken text, but also creates a pleasant atmosphere for your listeners. In this guide, you will learn how to add a music track in Audacity and place it optimally in the background.

Main Insights

• Add a new track to insert the music.
• Adjust the volume to keep the voice audible in the foreground.
• Use various methods for volume adjustment including envelope and effects.

Step-by-Step Guide

Let's start by adding your music track in Audacity. In general, this process is very simple, and you will see that with a few adjustments, you can create a great background music.

First, make sure you have already downloaded your music file. In this example, we are using a song by Kevin MacLeod or Liot. Once you have prepared your audio recording, you can create a new track directly.

To add the music, go to the menu bar and choose "Track," then click on "New Stereo Track." Now select the music file you want to play in the background. Make sure the file is in the correct format and choose it to import it into the new track.

Now comes the crucial step: You want to make sure the music is not too dominant and overpowers your voice. To do this, you need to adjust the volume of the music. Simply click on the track and press the minus key to gradually decrease the volume. Test the volume by playing the recording and make sure your voice remains clearly audible.

An alternative way to adjust the volume is using the envelope. You can click on the envelope tool button in the toolbar to create an envelope for the music track. Drag the points of the envelope downwards to significantly reduce the volume while creating a smooth transition.

Depending on your preference, you can decide how to adjust the volume. There are different ways to play the music in the background. If you want to use effects, go to the effects in the menu and select "Amplify." Here, you can also choose a setting to lower the volume, for example, by -20 dB.

If you want to make adjustments while the music is playing, you can also adjust the volume directly in the mixer. This way, you get immediate feedback and can find the best balance. I find this approach most effective as you hear the results of your adjustments instantly.

Finally, it's important to keep your tracks separate. This way, you can edit the audio elements independently, whether for later adjustments or for the final mix. It's also possible to further adjust the volume of the music tracks if you are not satisfied with the current setting.

I hope this guide has helped you effectively integrate your music in the background of your podcast. Try it out and experiment with different pieces of music to find the perfect sound for your recording.

Summary

Whether you have experience in audio recording or are new to the podcasting scene: Adding a music track in the background is easy to accomplish. You just need to add the track, adjust the volume, and ensure that your voice remains clear and distinct.