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Add background music under Background music in the editor’s Audio panel: pick a track from Tella’s music library or click Upload to use your own. One track plays under the whole video, looping if it is shorter and fading in and out, and it never replaces your voiceover.
Audio you add here is background music: it’s mixed in underneath the audio that’s already in your video (your voiceover, screen audio, and so on) and plays quietly behind it. It is not a voiceover or main audio track, and it does not replace your existing audio.Tella doesn’t record a voiceover over an existing clip. To narrate a recording, record your mic at the same time as your screen, or re-record the clip. To place an audio file you already have at a specific point in the video, add it as a sound effect instead. See Can I combine two separate recordings into one video?.
Background music applies to the whole video, not to a single clip. There’s one background track for the video, and it plays across every clip.

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Open the Audio panel

  1. Open your video in the Tella editor.
  2. Click Audio in the sidebar.

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Add a track from the music library

The Background music section shows suggested tracks as waveform strips. Click the play button to preview one, click its waveform to seek, and use the separate add button to apply it. To see the full library:
  1. In the Audio panel, click Browse all. This opens the Music library panel.
  2. Browse Tella music presets organized by category (Calm, Energetic, Focused, and Playful), or switch between Video, Personal, and Team to find an uploaded track. Video contains tracks added to the current video and is selected by default. You can also click the search icon in the header to find a track.
  3. Click the play button to preview a track. Click its waveform to seek to another point.
  4. Use the track’s separate add button to apply it to your video.
The track is added across the full duration of your video.

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Upload your own background music

To add a local audio file directly to the current video:
  1. Open Audio in the sidebar.
  2. Click Upload beside Background music.
  3. Choose an audio file from your computer.
Tella uploads the file and applies it as the video’s background music. To save a track for reuse, click Browse all, choose Personal or Team, then click the upload icon in the Music library header. You can also drag an audio file anywhere over the library; uploads go to the active tab.

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Adjust the music volume

Drag the Volume slider under the current track in the Audio panel to make the music louder or quieter.

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Remove or replace the track

  • To remove the current track, click Remove song on the track in the Audio panel.
  • To swap it for a different track, click Change music. This opens the Music library panel where you can pick another track or upload your own.

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Why does my uploaded audio fade in and out?

Background music is meant to sit gently behind your voice, so Tella shapes it automatically:
  • It fades in at the start and fades out at the end of your video, so the music eases in and out instead of cutting abruptly. This is expected behavior for background music. It’s not a glitch with your file.
  • It’s mixed under your existing audio at the music volume you set, so your voiceover and screen audio stay in front.
If you uploaded a track expecting it to play at full volume as the main audio, that’s why it sounds quiet and fades. The Background music section is for background music, not for a primary voiceover track.

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What happens if the music is longer or shorter than my video?

  • If your background track is longer than your video, Tella fades it out at the end of the video.
  • If your background track is shorter than your video, Tella loops it so you have music for the full duration.

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Set background music via the API or MCP

Background music can also be set and removed programmatically. Use PUT /v1/videos/{id}/background-music and DELETE /v1/videos/{id}/background-music in the Public API, or the set_background_music and remove_background_music tools in the MCP server.
Last modified on September 28, 2026