If you’re editing videos with Adobe Creative Cloud tools, you’re most likely using Adobe Premiere Pro or one of Adobe’s newer mobile and desktop apps for creators. Adobe Premiere is one of the top video editing tools used by content creators today.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through step-by-step exactly how to add music to Adobe Premiere, including adding audio clips to your sequence and adjusting the volume of your audio files.
We’ve included both quick text guides and detailed visual step-by-step guides (complete with pictures) to make it super easy. Use our table of contents below to jump right to your preferred tutorial. You’ll be on your way to editing amazing videos with music in no time!
Table of Contents:
More Resources
- Adobe Premiere Pricing
- Video tutorial of adding music to your video using Adobe Premiere
- How to get copyright-free music for videos
How to Add Music to Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro is a desktop-only video editing tool. Once it’s installed on your computer, follow our quick steps or detailed guide below to easily add music to your project.
Quick Steps to Add Music in Adobe Premiere Pro:
- Open Adobe Premiere Pro on your desktop computer.
- Start a New Project or open an existing project.
- Import music files stored on your computer using one of the following methods:
- Click File > Import (or use the Import button at the top of the screen) to browse your device and select your audio file.
- Drag and drop the song file directly into the Project panel.
- Use the Media Browser panel to locate your song file, then right-click and select Import.
- To use Adobe Stock music, open the Essential Sounds panel, go to the the Browse tab and search for music. You can preview, license, and add songs directly to your project.
- Once your music is in the Project panel, drag it into the timeline to add it to your video sequence and begin editing your video to the music
Detailed Instructions to Add Music in Adobe Premiere Pro:
First, open Adobe Premiere Pro on your computer and either click New Project to start a new project, or click Open Project to open your existing video project.
Within your editing view, you have a few options when it comes to adding music to your sequence. Let’s walk through all of the ways you can easily add songs and audio files to your Premiere Pro video project.
Click Import from the top of the screen to browse your computer and hard drive for your audio files. You can quickly jump to different folders on your computer using the side navigation menu.
With your songs selected, simply click the Import button at the bottom.
👉 Pro Tip: Are you looking for copyright-free music for videos? Click here to find out how to use music from trending artists in your videos for free!
This will add your song file to your project files panel.
Another way to easily add music to your Premiere video project is to simply drag the song file from your computer into the project files panel within Adobe Premiere.
One more way to add songs to your project is to select the Media Browser panel and browse your computer or hard drive for your song files. Once you have located the songs you would like to use, simply right click the file and select Import from the drop-down menu.
All of your added song files will now show within your project files panel.
If you prefer to add music to your video edit from Adobe’s Stock Music library, you can browse their sound library by clicking the Browse tab of the Essential Sound panel.
👉 Note: The songs from Adobe’s Stock Music library are not free to use or copyright-free (they are available to be purchased). These songs can only be used according to the licensing terms provided by Adobe or you may be at risk of copyright infringement or copyright claims.
How to add a song or audio file to your video sequence
To add a song to your video sequence, follow these steps:
- Select the audio file you want to use from the Project panel.
- Drag the audio file directly into your sequence timeline.
- Place the audio on one of the audio tracks (A1, A2, A3, etc.) in the timeline. You’ll recognize these tracks by the labels on the left side of the timeline.
Your song has successfully been added to your video edit! Now you can edit the song to your video!
How to adjust the volume of an audio track in Premiere Pro
To adjust the volume of your audio track in Premiere Pro, you have three simple options:
Option 1: Adjust Volume Using the Timeline:
- Select the audio file in your sequence.
- Hover over the volume line (running through the waveform) and drag it up or down to increase or decrease the volume.
Option 2: Manual Volume Control via Effect Controls:
- Select the audio clip in your sequence.
- Go to the Effect Controls panel and locate the Volume section.
- Adjust the Level by entering a positive number to increase the volume, or a negative number to decrease it.
Option 3: Adjust Volume Using the Essential Sound Panel:
- Select your audio clip in the timeline.
- Open the Essential Sound panel and click on the Music option.
- Use the Clip Volume slider to adjust the audio level.
How to Add Music to Adobe Premiere AI Video Editor
Adobe Premiere AI Video Editor is Adobe’s replacement for Premiere Rush on mobile devices. It’s a free app designed for creators editing on the go, optimized for social media content on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts. Download it from the App Store or Google Play and follow the steps below to add music to your videos.
Quick Steps to Add Music in Adobe Premiere AI Video Editor
- Download Adobe Premiere AI Video Editor and sign in to your Adobe account.
- Start a new project by tapping New from photo library, New from files, Create for YouTube Shorts, New blank project, or choosing a template from the gallery. (In our example, we’ll tap New from photo library.)
- Select your video clips from your camera roll and tap Next. Your media will load into the video editor.
- From the bottom menu, tap Music and audio.
- Choose your audio source: Your music (browse your device’s music library), Extract audio (pull audio from a video in your camera roll), or Files (select a downloaded audio file). Any option will load your selected track into the video editor.
- Once added, tap the audio clip in the timeline to adjust volume and timing.
- When you’re happy with your edit, tap Export. Choose your resolution, frame rate, quality, and format, then export your video.
Detailed Instructions to Add Music in Adobe Premiere AI Video Editor
Download Adobe Premiere AI Video Editor from the App Store or Google Play and sign in using your Adobe account. Note that available features will depend on your Adobe subscription.
On the home screen, you have several options for starting a new project:
- New from photo library – select video clips from your camera roll (this is the most common option if your footage is shot on your phone)
- New from files – import video files stored in cloud storage or your device’s Files app
- Create for YouTube Shorts – a quick-start option optimized for vertical short-form video
- New blank project – start with an empty timeline
- Template gallery – choose a pre-built video template to customize.
- Note: when you select a template, your video will be automatically synced with the template’s default music. You can always open the project in the full editor to swap out this stock music for your own track.
In our example, we’ll tap New from photo library. Browse and select the video clips you want to use, then tap Next. Your selected media will load into the video editor.
To add music to your project, tap Music and audio from the bottom menu.
You’ll see several options for adding audio, including:
- Your music – browse and select tracks from your device’s music library
- Extract audio – select a video from your camera roll and use its audio track
- Files – browse your device’s Files app and select a downloaded audio file
Any of these options will load your selected audio into the video editor.
👉 Click here to find out how to find and use copyright-free music in your videos.
In our example, we’ll tap Files and select a song file that’s already been downloaded to our device. Once your music is added to the timeline, tap the audio clip to access volume controls and adjust the mix to your liking. When you’re done editing – adjusting volume, cutting your video to the music, and making any final tweaks – tap Export.
Choose your resolution, frame rate, quality, and format, then tap Export Video to save your finished video.
How to adjust the volume of music in Adobe Premiere AI Video Editor
- Tap the audio clip in your timeline to select it.
- Tap Volume from the bottom editing menu.
- Use the volume slider to increase or decrease the level. Move it to 0 (or tap the volume icon on the slider) to mute the audio entirely.
- To apply your volume settings to all clips in your edit, tap the “apply to all” stacked icon.
This allows you to fine-tune the audio for a balanced mix in your video ✅
Adobe Premiere Pricing
Adobe Premiere Pro – Best for experienced editors and professionals (Desktop: Mac and PC)
- Single App (Annual, billed monthly): $22.99/month – includes 100 GB cloud storage, Adobe Express Premium, and Adobe Firefly generative AI credits
- Single App (Annual, prepaid): $263.88/year
- Single App (Monthly, no commitment): $34.99/month
- Creative Cloud All Apps (Annual): $59.99/month – includes Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop, Audition, and more
Adobe Premiere AI Video Editor – Best for creators editing on the go (iOS and Android)
Video tutorial of how to add music to Adobe Premiere:
Thematic creator Katie Glasglow offers a fantastic video tutorial on adding music to your video edits, using Adobe Premiere Pro in her “how i edit (002) / my workflow, adding music + voice-overs, doodles, simple animations” video:
Katie is also a talented music artist on Thematic, and we highly recommend exploring out her beautiful songs, which are available for use in your Adobe Premiere Pro projects!
How To Get Free Copyright-Free Music for Videos
Now that you know how to add music to Adobe Premiere Pro, let’s guide you through how to find the best copyright-free music for your videos!
It can be frustrating to spend hours perfecting your video, only to face a copyright claim or strike when uploading it to platforms like YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram. Let’s make sure you avoid that issue by using royalty-free music.
Using Royalty-Free Music from Adobe Stock
Adobe offers royalty-free music and sound effects directly within both apps. In Premiere Pro, you can browse the Adobe Stock music library through the Essential Sound panel. In Adobe Premiere AI Video Editor, stock music is available through the Soundtracks option when adding audio. However, many creators have reported receiving false copyright claims when using this music on platforms like YouTube.
Adobe’s built-in music library offers production music for your videos, but it may require an additional subscription or a song-by-song licensing fee. Keep in mind that this music generally does not include trending tracks from well-known artists.
Using Trending Copyright-Free Music from Thematic
Luckily, Thematic offers a much better solution for creators who need copyright-free music. With Thematic, you can access a wide range of high-quality, royalty-free music for YouTube videos, TikTok, social media, and podcasts—all at no cost. Best of all, the music is claim-free, ensuring your videos are safe from any copyright issues.
Thematic offers global usage rights, so you can use the music in any location, and with any number of followers. You can even incorporate the music into sponsored or branded content without any problems.
Creating a free Thematic account gives you access to unlimited music downloads, and you’ll keep 100% of your ad revenue with zero copyright claims.
Ready to level up your videos with amazing copyright-free music? Join Thematic’s thriving community of creators today and start using music in your content with peace of mind!
We hope you find this guide on how to add music to Adobe Premiere helpful. You’re on your way to creating some amazing videos and we can’t wait to see them!
More Video Editing Guides 🔗
Still figuring out which video editing app is right for your creative workflow? Explore our step-by-step guides for adding music to videos in all of the top creator editing apps:
- How to Add Music to CapCut
- How to Add Music to iMovie
- How to Add Music to InShot
- How to Add Music to Edits (Instagram App)
- How to Add Music to Canva
- How to Add Music to DaVinci Resolve
Looking for more creator tools and resources? Visit Thematic’s Creator Toolkit for additional resources on creating content – including starting a YouTube channel, thumbnail and channel art templates, best practices, and of course, great royalty free songs to use in your videos for free with Thematic.
