DaVinci Resolve how-to
How to add music in DaVinci Resolve (import, fade, duck)
Short answer
Right-click in the Media Pool, choose Import Media and pick the song (on Mac you can also drag it in from Finder). Drag it from the Media Pool onto an audio track in the Edit page timeline, trim it, and drag the clip's volume line down so it sits under the voice. Drag the fade handles at either end for a fade-in and fade-out, and use the free Ducker effect to dip the music automatically whenever someone speaks.
Checked against: DaVinci Resolve 21 (free and Studio), Windows, Mac and Linux, per the Resolve 21 Reference Manual (July 2026).
Method 1: Edit page
Import the song
Right-click anywhere in the Media Pool, choose Import Media, select the file and click Open. On a Mac you can also drag files from Finder straight into the Media Pool.
Media Poolright-clickImport Media
Drag it to an audio track
Drag the song from the Media Pool onto an empty audio track (A2 or lower) so it doesn't overwrite your dialogue on A1. Trim the end by dragging the clip edge.
Set the level
Every audio clip has a volume line over it. Drag it down until the voice is clearly on top. Alt-click (Option-click) the line to add keyframes if the music should dip only in places.
Fade in and out
Hover over the clip and drag the fade handles at its top corners toward the middle. Drag the small handle on the fade curve to change its shape.
Method 2: Duck the music under voice automatically
Add Ducker to the music track
Ducker is a Fairlight FX plugin available on the Edit and Fairlight pages. Add it to the music track, open it and set Source to the dialogue track; add more dialogue tracks as extra sources if needed.
Set the duck level
Play the timeline and adjust the duck amount until speech is easy to follow and the music comes back up in the gaps.
Starting levels for music under speech
| Situation | Music level | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Talking head with background music | about -18 to -24 dB lower than the voice | Adjust by ear; the voice must stay clear |
| Music-only intro or montage | Near full level | Fade it down where speech starts |
| Ducker settings | Start with a moderate duck | Too much ducking makes the music pump |
If it doesn't work
| What you see | Fix |
|---|---|
| The song won't import | Streaming downloads and DRM-protected files won't open. Use an MP3, WAV, AAC or M4A file you own. |
| No sound when the song plays | Check the track isn't muted (M) and the clip isn't disabled, and that audio output in Preferences points to your speakers. |
| Music covers the voice | Lower the volume line, or add Ducker with the dialogue track as the source. |
| Posted video muted or claimed | Commercial songs are often muted on social platforms. Use licensed music, or add the track inside the app you post to. |
Questions people ask
Does DaVinci Resolve have free music?
Resolve doesn't ship with a music library for edits. Import tracks you are licensed to use.
How do I make music fade out in DaVinci Resolve?
Hover over the clip's end and drag the fade handle left. You can also keyframe the volume line.
Is Ducker in the free version?
Yes. Ducker is a Fairlight FX plugin, and the manual doesn't mark it Studio only (unlike Voice Isolation and Music Remixer).
More DaVinci Resolve guides
Sources and how we checked
- DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual: Adding media to the Media Pool (p. 384) (checked 2026-10-05)
- DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual: Volume overlay, audio keyframes and fade handles (p. 1142-1144) (checked 2026-10-05)
- DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual: Ducker (Fairlight FX) (p. 4094) (checked 2026-10-05)
The suggested levels are a common starting point for speech with music, not a Blackmagic specification.
Reviewed October 5, 2026 by the Koldflux team. Each step is compared with DaVinci Resolve's own documentation (linked above) and with the top search results for this task; where they disagree, the maker's documentation wins. Steps without a source link follow the menu names that several current guides agree on.