15 - Adding Music

About this video

This CapCut lesson covers adding music to the ice cream video. The instructor warns that the music built into CapCut’s audio tab is, as far as he knows, only cleared for TikTok, so it is risky for YouTube; frequent YouTube creators are advised to use a music subscription service with proper usage rights, while beginners can use the free tracks in YouTube Studio’s Creator Music section at studio.youtube.com, searchable by genre, mood, vocals, beats per minute, and length, with downloadable MP3s and licensing details. He selects tracks including ‘Station’ by Corbin Kites and ‘Forever’ by Anodominy Beats, noting he cannot redistribute them in the course downloads because of licensing. After dragging a track onto a lower timeline track, he lowers its volume to about -15 to -17 dB under speech, marks the beat hit after ’let’s go’ with the M key, and uses keyframes — clicking the diamond next to volume — to ramp the music up to around -6 dB during a graphic where nobody is talking, then back down before speech resumes. He then trims a section that sounds too dramatic, loops a good passage using Ctrl+B and Alt-dragging to duplicate it, drops the music out entirely at a natural ending point as an intentional ‘button,’ and brings in the second track at about -17 dB for the cookie sandwich section.

Key takeaways

• CapCut’s built-in music is only cleared for TikTok as far as the instructor knows — for YouTube, use a subscription service or the free, licensable tracks in YouTube Studio’s Creator Music library.
• Music under speech should sit roughly 15-17 dB down; the lesson settles on about -17 dB for dialogue sections.
• Keyframes (the diamond beside the volume control) let music swell to around -6 dB when nobody is talking and duck back down before speech returns.
• Use the M key to mark a beat hit and align the edit and volume ramp to that marker.
• Loop a good music passage by splitting with Ctrl+B and Alt-dragging copies, and let the music drop out at a natural line ending to create an intentional button before starting a new track.

Episode details: published January 7, 2026 · 12:07 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Kevin Stratvert’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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