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Choosing the right music cues for a video project should take place earlier rather than later in your editing process. Working with temp tracks can lead you to get attached to music you can’t afford, and hiring a composer can be untenably expensive, especially for smaller projects. PremiumBeat, a royalty free music library, offers a variety of affordably licensable cues that can be used in your project. Here are seven things to keep in mind when choosing from those cues:

1. Commit to music as early as possible

It’s good to make sure that any client you’re working for signs off early on your choice of music — last-minute editing to adjust to a new piece of music can be infuriating. You can then focus on keeping your editorial rhythms in sync with the cue.

2. Have the music match the viewer demographic

Raucous rock wouldn’t do for a corporate training video, while somber classical music wouldn’t fit an athletic event. When browsing the PremiumBeat library, browse by genre to quickly find a track tonally matching the look and feel of your video project.

3. Don’t wallpaper your project with music

It’s not a good idea to add music to every minute of footage, which can come off as oppressive. Think about whether the ambient sound and dialogue you already have is enough to sustain interest.

4. Beware of words

Music with sung lyrics can be distracting, especially if you have dialogue on top of that as well. If it’s not a montage, you’re probably better served by going wordless.

5. Real instruments > MIDI

Chintzy, fake instruments that fail to stand in adequately for the real thing do your project a disservice. Steer clear of them.

6. Cut it up

If part but not all of a cue works for you, don’t try to force it; that’s what musical loops are for. All PremiumBeat cues come with loop sets so that you can customize song usage to your needs.

PremiumBeat.com is a curated royalty free music library with 1000s of handpicked tracks. Get only exclusive music for your video and film projects!