Adding Music to Wedding Videos and Other Audio Editing Essentials

The main focus of wedding video editing is the perfect visual, the perfect story. A good story, however, consists of multiple elements. For the perfect immersive experience, sound is as important as the visual.

Audio editing is an aspect of post-production that some wedding video professionals neglect.

Failure to ensure the quality of the audio can easily take the viewer out of the wedding day magic. Whether you’re using music or you’re enhancing the natural sounds from the day of the ceremony, you have to make sure that the audio adds to the ambiance and tells the viewer a story of love.

Wedding video editing encompasses many elements that you have to excel in – a task that’s far from easy. It requires time, patience, proper training, and a lot of experience.

You may find audio editing a daunting task, especially if you’re just getting started. The following guide will give you some pointers and essentials to speed up the process and eliminate some of the confusion.

 

Why Audio Editing Matters When Making Wedding Videos

 

As a wedding video professional, you have to deliver a stellar outcome each time. People are trusting you with capturing the emotion during one of the most important days in their lives. Good video does so by recreating the atmosphere in every way possible.

A few of the most important reasons why audio editing matters in wedding video post-production include:

• Audio enhances the overall storytelling and sets the mood
• It can be used as a creative, stylistic tool, especially if you’re trying to present a certain kind of video (artistic, fashionable, cinematic, etc.)
• Poorly synced audio will immediately ruin the experience
• No kind of impeccable footage can compensate for poor audio quality
• Poor audio quality demonstrates a lack of attention to detail – something that will potentially cost you clients and business opportunities in the long run

Numerous audio imperfections can be eliminated effortlessly in some of the most popular video editors, so you really have no excuse. Neglecting audio quality will give you a sloppy outcome and nobody wants that word used for their wedding day’s footage.

 

A Few Common Audio Problems You’ll Have to Address During Wedding Video Editing

 

Some audio issues are far more common than others. Knowing how to address those problems will result in much crisper sound and a better outcome.

These are the potential problems you should have a ready solution for.

Obviously, some other audio quality issues may also arise because of the particular wedding day or technology circumstances. As these are less common, however, you should probably focus on a resolution as such issues potentially arise. For the time being, focus on the common mistakes.

A few of the typical audio quality problems you’ll encounter over the course of your videography career include:

 

• Background noise can occur at any time and it will be an issue if you decide to use natural sound instead of music. Most of it, however, iseasy to eliminate during the post-production phase.

 

• Poor audio quality whenever people speak is often the result of poorly chosen microphones or not using a microphone at all. https://www.wedcuts.com/how-to-properly-edit-a-wedding-video-microphone/ Sound can be amplified during post-production but depending on the severity of the issue, this one can be a bit more difficult to fix.

 

• Audio clipping is a mistake that occurs during post-production. Most software products make it possible to reduce the scale of the issue or eliminate it altogether. If you’re a newbie, however, there is always the risk of doing some irreparable damage to your audio tracks.

 

• Audio that gets cut off is a really big problem. It usually results from a technical malfunction while shooting the video. Editing software can’t really make something out of nothing. Luckily, this is the type of mistake you can cover up with music or sounds from a library (as long as you haven’t lost an important wedding element like the best man’s speech).

 

• Overall low audio quality can result from various mistakes during shooting and post-production. We have discussed strategies to fix bad audio in the past and many of those can salvage the situation.

 

Now that you’re familiar with these problems, do your best to avoid them while shooting and editing. Apart from focusing on typical issues and making sure these never occur, there are a few additional things you can do to make sure that sound is always crisp.

Apart from giving you a few audio editing pointers, we will also discuss the best ways to use music if you want to increase the emotional impact and overall quality of your videos.

 

Audio Editing Strategies That Deliver Ear-Caressing Results

 

If you need some guidance on recording wedding audio like a rockstar, the following guide will come in handy.

We’ve also focused on the core audio editing strategies that will easily improve sound quality and result in a more polished video.

In this section, we’ll highlight a few additional approaches and techniques you may employ whenever you are trying to produce better sound for your wedding videos.

 

Focus on Pre-Production Sound Design

 

For some types of videos, you’ll have a very clear vision about where you’d like to go with sound.

In those instances, you’ll need to discuss the audio specifics with the clients, much like you’ll discuss the types of shots you’re going to create during the wedding day.

Sound pre-production design is your focus on creating special sounds that will be used alongside the video you shoot.

For example, you may want the sound of wine pouring from a bottle into an expensive crystal glass. If that’s something you need to feature and you want to have well-recorded, put some effort into making the session happen before the wedding day itself.

This approach isn’t always necessary, especially if you’re doing reportage-style wedding videography. Many wedding videos will also feature music from beginning to finish.

Every once in a while, however, dedicating some time to custom sound creation can result in the type of masterpiece your clients will really get to appreciate.

 

Know When to Use Sound Effects (And When to Skip Them)

 

When you discover sound effects, you’ll feel tempted to have them featured everywhere.

Just like with video effect usage, however, sound effects can achieve the best results when they’re used strategically and sparingly.

Sound effects can create an immersive experience or they may be used for a dramatic effect during the most touching moments. On the other hand, striking visuals don’t really need enhancement to shine. Keeping the audio minimal in those scenes is often an approach that pays off and results in classy shots.

Sound effects are usually good in the beginning of the video or to mark the end of a chapter (in case this is the approach you’ve chosen to tell the wedding story). If the bride and groom are comfortable with a more whimsical approach to wedding video editing, you may also try sprinkling some sound effects throughout the clip.

Here’s an example of a wedding video trailer that uses sound effects in the beginning to build some drama. The sound effect is used alongside short video cuts to deliver a really dynamic result:

 

 

Put Together a Library of Sounds and Effects for Commercial Use

 

Having workflows in place is as important during wedding video editing as it is during audio post-production work.

To make things faster and excel, start working on a sound library.

A good sound library features songs, sounds, and audio effects that are approved for commercial use.

If you don’t know how to conceptualize and execute such a library, sit down and draft a list of the sounds and the music types most often featured in wedding videos.

To get a good idea about the essentials, it’s a good idea to dedicate some time to exploring the most popular wedding videos. The types of music and audio competitors use will inspire you to seek similar sounds and build your library.

The database is going to be small and focused on essentials in the beginning. As you shoot more weddings and gain a better understanding of client needs, you’ll get to expand the library with additional sounds that can work well with various types of wedding videos.

 

Keep Dialogue and Speech Editing Minimal

 

Certain parts of the wedding should be kept as they are, both in terms of visuals and audio.

Speeches and conversations between people don’t need your input. Just make sure there’s no background noise and the quality of the speaking audio is as good as humanly possible.

It’s not your job to cut and enhance a speech or an interaction between the bride and her father. Taking such liberties is the best way to piss off your clients.

It’s true that some people may need some time to get to the point. They may lack public speaking skills but it’s not your job to fix such audio “issues.” People want authentic memories from their wedding day and unless you’ve been instructed otherwise, keep dialogue and speech editing to minimal levels.

 

Leave It to Professionals

 

This one is a no-brainer but because it’s so important and so effective, we need to mention this aspect of audio post-production as a separate point.

Sometimes, video and audio editing aren’t your biggest strengths. That’s ok and that’s normal.

If you’re a master videographer and you’d like to dedicate more time to your art, consider outsourcing post-production. Wedding video editing teams specialize in the aspects of video creation that you lack strength in. They also employ quality software for optimal results, giving you more time to focus on interacting with clients and shooting videos.

Those professionals will often have extensive audio libraries at the disposal of their clients, freeing you from having to invest time and money into building your own database. It’s a beneficial partnership to consider, especially if you lack post-production skills or you simply have too much on your place videography-wise.

 

Adding Music to Your Wedding Videos

 

One final important element that needs to be discussed under the broad audio topic is the addition of music to wedding videos.

Just take a look at this video and pay attention to the way the music impacts the viewing experience:

 

 

It’s absolutely beautiful. The way the music blends with the groom’s speech takes the clip to a whole new emotional level. Once the intro is over, the music builds up and changes the dynamic to take the viewer into the rest of the clip.

To make the best picks, you can use a few simple strategies:

• Ask the bride and groom for preferences: Sure, their choices may be cheesy or cliched but after all, you’re working on their wedding video. Just use royalty-free music or pay for the respective license before adding it to the final product. This approach isn’t going to contribute to a cinematographic masterpiece (most of the time) but you’ll most definitely have happy clients.

 

• Avoid music that sounds too generic: When looking for royalty-free or inexpensive music, you’ll often come across generic-sounding pieces. If you’re going to rely on these for ambiance creation, you’ll be better off using natural sound. There are royalty-free pieces and inexpensive tracks (especially by little-known musicians) that have artistic value and uniqueness. Investing in those types of pieces makes a lot more sense, especially if you want your wedding videos to have distinctive, sophisticated vibes.

 

• Use classical music: Mozart, Vivaldi, Beethoven, and other classical composers who created their masterpieces more than 70 years ago are already in the public domain. Choosing their beautiful work is a nice way to add some polish and sophistication to your wedding videos. True, classical music isn’t going to work well with all kinds of wedding videos. Still, it’s an option to keep an eye on.

 

• When in doubt, choose piano music: Piano always sounds elegant and romantic. It’s another go-to choice that will give you emotion without making the wedding video sound generic and cheap.

 

• Don’t forget to consider the lyrics: Here’s a little detail that can make all the difference in the world. When doing wedding video editing, you’ll be more likely to focus on the sound and the music. Neglecting the importance of visuals, however, can easily result in bloopers your clients wouldn’t be too happy with.

 

• Try a few options: When in doubt, choose a few types of music and try them with the footage. Some audio will speak to you and it will fit the video like a glove. Testing out a few choices will make it much easier for you to pinpoint the one that works best.

 

Timing is everything: Pay attention to the way the music changes and exactly where this music happens. You want to use the change of beat or a more dramatic element like the chorus to highlight a certain part of the video. Timing is everything during post-production and that includes sound work.

 

Final Thoughts

 

A well-rounded wedding video editing approach encompasses everything.

Sure, video is going to be your main focus.

Audio, however, doesn’t just play supportive role. It has the power to make your video a masterpiece or to completely ruin the viewing experience.

Always have some sound concept in advance and run it by your clients. You can ask for their favorite songs. They may be looking for a more dynamic, a funkier, or a more emotional approach towards storytelling than what you’re envisioning.

Once you have this information, you’ll be free to focus on sound editing.

Take your time, explore various choices, and avoid the generic route. Pinpoint the best moments and make them even more impactful through the addition of the right sounds.

Once you’re done, do a final check and keep your ears open for errors or imperfections. Something as small as a tiny syncing error can have a lasting effect on your reputation. Make sure your clients know you’re a perfectionist. Ace both the audio and the video editing of every wedding clip you create.