Sound effects are commonly used in videos. They make the video more engaging and interesting. These can be used in any type of video, whether professional or funny. The sound effects can replicate the real sound to give the audience a better experience. Sometimes these are necessary to make the video more explanatory. In simple words, there are dozens of applications, and nowadays, you will find sound effects in almost every video.

Today, we will show you how you can add sound effects on Windows Movie Maker. We will also discuss the best alternative and share places from where you can download the sound effects that you need.

Part 1: How to Add Sound Effects in Windows Movie Maker

Windows Movie Maker was a default video editor for Windows. It has been discontinued, but you can still download it and use it from various platforms. Some people still like to use it for video editing.

How to Add Sound Effects on Movie Maker

Step 1: If you want to add sound effects to any video, you need to have the sound effect audio file. You can download sound effects from different platforms, and we will also share some awesome platforms later in this article. So, you need to have the file ready to add it to any video.

Step 2: Open Windows Movie Maker. You can open it from the Start menu.

Step 3: You need to import the video to the movie maker. Go to the Home tab. Click on “Add Videos and Photos” in the ribbon. The file manager will open, and you need to select the video file and click on the Open button.

add video photos on movie maker

Step 4: Now go to the Edit tab. You will notice the Video Volume option at the top left corner. You can select the video from the timeline and click on the Video Volume. You can decrease the volume as much as you want.

If you want to decrease the volume of a part of the video, then you need to split that part. For that, move the playhead to the point where you want the audio effect, right-click on the video in the timeline, and click on Split. Similarly, you can split the endpoint of the video as well. Once you are done with splitting, you decrease the volume of that clip.

If you don't want to remove the sound of the video, you can skip this step.

Step 5: Move the playhead where you want to add sound effects. Go to the Home tab; you will see the Add Music option. Click on it and click on Add Music to the Current Point. Select the audio effect. This will add the sound effect in the timeline.

add music on movie maker

Step 6: Select the sound effect layer and go to the Options tab. Here you can set the start and end of the sound effect.

Step 7: When you are done, see the preview. After that, click on the Save Movie option in the Home tab. Click on For High-definition. The video will be saved automatically.

Also Read:

How to Add Sound Effect to Video>>

How to Add Sound Effect in Final Cut Pro>>

Part 2: Pros and Cons Using Windows Movie Maker to Add Sound Effects

Like every video editor, Windows Movie Maker also has some pros and cons. Let's have a look at them.

Pros

  • Windows Movie Maker is a simple and user-friendly video editor. It has a simple user interface.

  • It has almost all tools for basic video editing, including visual effects, trimming, adding audio, and speed adjustments.

  • You can share your video directly on social media using social sharing options.

Cons

  • Windows Movie Maker has been discontinued, so there will be no updates or new versions. Moreover, it is not available in the official store. However, you can download it from other websites.

  • The timeline increases from top to bottom when you add anything to it, which creates a mess. For larger projects, it will create difficulties for the user.

Part 3: Windows Movie Maker Alternative to Add Sound Effects - iMyFone Filme

Windows Movie Maker is a discontinued video editor, so it is essential to find a better alternative to use new features and tools. iMyFone Filme is the best alternative to Windows Movie Maker because it is a user-friendly video editor with tons of features. You can easily edit any type of video on your own.

Features:

  • Filme has all basic to advanced video editing features, including text, visual effects, trimming, cropping, video speed adjustment, transitions, and animations.

  • You can use multi-layers of video, audio, and images to make your video stunning.

  • The best thing about Filme is that it has multiple audio track options that help you mix music tracks and sound effects. You can be more creative.

  • You can edit the properties of anything you have added to the video. The editing options are super easy for beginners.

iMyFone Filme

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How to Add Sound Effects in Filme

Step 1: Open Filme. Go to the File menu, hover over to the New Project and select any aspect ratio.

Filme New Project

Step 2: Click on Import>Import Files. Open the video you want to edit. The video will be in My Media; you need to drag it to the timeline.

Step 3: Similar to the video, you can import sound effects. Add the sound effect wherever you want in the timeline.

Filme Audio in Timeline

Step 4: If you want to increase or decrease the duration of the sound effect, you can split it. Select the audio in the timeline, move the playhead from where you want to split, and click on the scissor icon on the toolbar over the timeline. Delete the excess part of the audio. You can also shrink or expand it by dragging its ends.

Filme Split Audio

Step 5: See the preview; if everything is perfect, go to the Export menu and click on Export Video.

Part 4: FAQs About Adding Sound Effects via Movie Maker

1 Can you record audio with Windows Movie Maker?

Yes, you can record audio with Movie Maker. Move the playhead to where you want to add narration. Go to the Home tab and click on Record Narration in the ribbon. You will see two options: Record Narration and Add Sound. Click on Record Narration. Now, click on Record on the left corner of the window to start recording. When you are done, click on Stop.

2 Does sound effect affect the sound when I add it with Movie Maker?

If the video already has a sound, then adding a sound effect means mixing these two audios. Obviously, you will hear both, but the louder one will dominate. However, you can mute the sound of the video. For muting the video, select the video and go to the Edit tab. You will see the Video Volume option in the left corner of the ribbon.

3 Does Windows Movie Maker have a built-in sound effect?

No, there are no built-in sound effects in Windows Movie Maker; you need to download the effects from other platforms.

Bonus: 5 Places to Download Sound Effects for Free

01 Freesound

Freesound has a huge collection of sound effects. You can download them for free. All you need is an account; you can register for free. Once you have a registered account, you can download any sound effects.

02 Free SFX

This is also a platform with many free sound effects. It also shows the complete details of bitrate, duration, and sample rate. You can listen to the sound before downloading.

03 ZapSplat

ZapSplat has a large library of sound effects, which is kept up-to-date. You can download as many effects as you want for free. The best thing is that it offers a high-quality WAV format to Gold members. For basic members, there is only MP3.

04 SoundBible

This is an amazing website from where you can download free sound effects having different licenses. You can use some audios for personal and some for commercial as well, but you need to follow the license directions. The best part is that you don't need to register or login to download the file, and both MP3 and WAV formats are available.

05 AudioMicro

AudioMicro has 2000+ free sound effects that you can use for your videos. The unique thing about it is that you can listen to all effects on the page by its auto-play feature. You need to register using your email or any social account to download the file.

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