Import audio
Upload speech, music, or effects to use on the timeline or as supported voice references. For ready-made effects, check Flickpedia > Sound Effects or the Video Editor's SFX tab first.
Before you start
Use audio you own or have permission to use. Check usage rights for music, including generated tracks; see Your content and rights.
Trim the file to the part you need before uploading if it is long. A shorter clip is easier to place.
Upload the file
- Click the + button on the canvas and choose Upload.
- Pick the audio file. It appears as an audio node.
An audio node shows a waveform with a playhead, a timecode under it, and its menu beside it: Audio, Video, Add to folder, and Add to Timeline.

Audio nodes on the canvas, one selected with its menu open.
Put it on the timeline
Open the timeline and drag the audio node onto the audio track. Move it under the picture it belongs to. With the clip selected, follow Volume and fades to balance its level and soften the start or end.
Text to Music
Use Text to Music to generate a score or song from a description. You do not need source audio.
- On the canvas, open + › Generate Music. The action is named Text to Music. Availability depends on the audio and music features enabled for your workspace.
- Write a Prompt describing the instruments, energy, and purpose, such as “gentle piano and soft strings under a quiet reunion.” Use Genre and Mood chips if they help describe the track.
- Check the selected model and Target length. With Eleven Music, this is a suggested length, not an exact edit to picture; plan to trim the result on the timeline.
- For a song, edit the lyrics under Advanced > Song structure & lyrics. For an instrumental, say so in the prompt and leave lyrics empty. Check the model's settings, including Output Format where available.
- Check the cost on Run, generate the track, then listen before placing the result on the timeline under your picture.
Check that the mood and any vocals fit the scene. If music competes with dialogue, simplify the arrangement in the prompt and lower the clip level using Volume and fades.
Volume and fades
Use clip volume to balance dialogue, music, and effects. Use audio fades to soften an entrance or ending.
- In Video Editor, select an audio clip, or a video clip that still has embedded audio. Open Properties › Sound.
- Adjust Volume with its slider or numeric readout. The UI shows a percentage: 100% is the original level and 0% is silent. Set dialogue first, then lower music while listening to both.
- In the Sound section, set Fade › In and Fade › Out. Values are in seconds; each fade is capped at half the clip's duration or five seconds, whichever is shorter.
- Play across the start and end of the clip and through a dialogue passage. Check that the words remain clear and that the sound enters and leaves smoothly.
If you hear nothing, check clip volume, track mute, track volume, then preview volume. Preview volume only changes your listening level; it does not balance the mix. For detached audio, select the separate audio clip.
The fades under a video's Playback section affect the picture. They are separate from these audio fades and from Transitions.
Use it as a voice reference
An uploaded clip can guide a generated voice. In Text to Voice, attach it as a reference and mention it in the prompt. It can also be the speech clip for Character Dialogue.
Best practices
Use a consistent voice source. Keep each character's voice consistent across imported recordings and generated lines.
Level before you layer. Set dialogue clearly audible first, then bring music under it.
For deciding what the audience should hear and how the layers work together, follow Build a soundtrack that serves the scene.
Keep the original file. Flick keeps what you upload, but your own copy is the master.
Review the result
- Dialogue is intelligible over the music.
- Nothing starts or ends with a click; fades are set.
- The audio lines up with the picture it belongs to.
If something looks wrong
I cannot hear it. Check the clip's volume and that the track is not muted. Then check the preview volume.
It is on the wrong track. Audio belongs on the audio track. Drag it there.
It is longer than the shot. Trim it on the timeline; see Trim and split.
The generated voice does not match. Use a cleaner reference without background noise and describe the delivery. A reference does not guarantee an exact voice match.
Next
- Text to Voice to generate lines instead.
- Timeline basics for the tracks and the playhead.
- Export and download your film to check the mix in the exported file.