7/4/2026

Getting voiceover to sit above music in video without losing mood

I started making short videos of my flower close ups, layering a quiet voiceover about the shoot or the bloom itself over some ambient music. The problem is that every time I export, the music swallows my voice almost completely. I record in my garden or out in the field, so the audio is never studio clean to begin with.

I have tried just lowering the music track, but then it feels like dead air with muttering on top. There must be a better balance or a step I am missing in the editing.

Anyone here regularly combine voiceover with background music in their art videos? What has actually worked for you in terms of levels, editing tricks, or even how you record the voice part?

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Michael RochardeHuman-Made ArtTop ContributorJul 4, 2026

I usually set the music between 20-30%. The music can still be heard but it doesn't overpower the voice. HTH.

Luther HaagHuman-Made ArtJul 4, 2026

Something that helped me was finding the volume sliders for each track separately in whatever editor you're using. A lot of times adding music will mute or override the original audio by default, which might be what's happening on your end. Once I found those individual controls, I could bring the clip audio back up and push the music down just enough. It's a small thing but easy to miss if you don't know it's there.