Any frequent TikTok user has definitely come across a certain phenomenon. When you scroll through your "For You" Page long enough, you end up hearing the same song repeatedly in multiple videos—used in a variety of scenarios.

Sometimes, you may even hear the same joke or sketch over several videos, interpreted differently by different creators. This phenomenon happens when a TikTok sound is trending or goes viral, and it can be a powerful tool for the person who created it.

In this article, we'll give you a step-by-step guide on how to make your own sound on TikTok and reap the benefits.

How to Make Your Own Sound on TikTok

The easiest way to create an original sound on the app is to record a new video. If you talk during the recording, sing, or play an instrument, all of these will be made into a new sound. You can also do a voiceover on TikTok, which the app automatically converts into a sound as well.

To make your own sound on TikTok:

1. Use the + at the bottom of the main TikTok screen to record a new video.
2. Press Record and do your thing.
3. Press V to go to the next page.
4. In this screen, add filters, voiceover, or voice effects to your heart’s desire. You can even use the Synth voice effect to get your talking voice to sound like a song.
5. Tap Next.
6. Post to your page as usual, with a caption and hashtags to make sure it gets more views.
7. After the video is done uploading, go to your profile and open it.
8. You should see a spinning record at the bottom right of the screen. Tap that.
9. This page is the feed for the new sound. You can edit the sound name to something more catchy and one that people can easily search for.
10. Add the sound to your favorites to use later.
11. If your sound gets picked up by other creators, this feed will also show all the videos that use it.

Remember, you cannot use a sound from the TikTok library in your video with this—even if you reduce the volume and make your original sound louder. If you use something from the library, that will be the default sound on the video rather than what you created.

How to Create a Sound on TikTok Without Posting a Video

You don’t have to post a video publicly to create a new sound. For instance, if you want to use a scene from a movie, and you can’t find it in the library, you can post a video of the sound as private. This will give you access to that sound at any time in the future.

To create a TikTok sound without publishing a video:

1. Play the sound you want to put on TikTok on your phone, and grab that as a video with your phone’s built-in screen recorder. Make sure that you record in a quiet place.
2. Go to the TikTok app and press + to create a new video.
3. Press Upload instead of Record this time and select your screen recording. Then, hit Next.
4. Crop the sound to the exact point you need using Adjust Clips and hit Save. After that, hit Next.
5. When you reach the Post page, tap Who can watch this video.
6. Select Only me and post the video.
7. Open the video and tap the spinning record button in the bottom right corner as before.
8. Change the name of the sound and Add to Favorites to use it in other videos.

If you can’t press the spinning record to view the sound, quit the app and relaunch it. This should fix the problem. If you still can’t click it, you can make the video public and change it back to private after you use the sound.

How to Make a High-Quality TikTok Sound

You should take into account that if you create a sound using a screen recording app, it will grab the sound from your phone’s microphone. While this is the easiest way to upload a new sound, the quality may not meet your standards.

This is especially true if you’re a musician who wants to upload their song so other people can use it in their videos. In that case, you need to use a video editing app.

With a video editing app, you can pick any random video from your phone and replace the audio with any other sound on your phone. Then, upload that new video as private—like we demonstrated above—to get the best quality for a TikTok sound.

Check out these free video editing apps for iPhone and iPad, most of which have a degree of audio editing functionality that will come in handy for your TikTok sounds.

Why You Should Create Your Own Sounds on TikTok

If you’ve already created some TikTok videos, you probably know how important the sound is. It can enable you to convey a certain emotion, or help you land the punchline. When you use the right sound, it can also increase your chances of going viral on TikTok.

But if you can choose a sound from the thousands already in the TikTok library, why would you need to create an original one?

First, you may not be able to find the song or sound effect that fits perfectly with your video. Secondly, you may want to use your own voice to describe the scene or provide commentary.

Finally, if you’re a musician or a comedian, you can harness the power of the TikTok sound to gain a bigger audience and more followers on the app and outside it.

Did you know that the musician Lil Nas X achieved most of his success with his song Old Town Road thanks to people who used it as a sound on the app? Curtis Roach, the rapper who created Bored in a House, also went big thanks to the numerous remakes of his sound on TikTok.

Tips on How to Make a TikTok Sound Go Viral

It is hard to pinpoint exactly what will make a sound gain success with other creators, and a lot of it has to do with the right time and place. However, there are several things you can do to help boost your chances:

1. Add your own twist to something familiar. People often love a sound because it is something they recognize, but then it turns into something surprising or funny. This includes mashups, cutting two familiar things together, and more.
2. Grab people in the first few seconds. Just like with videos, the sound has to be interesting right away. People have a short attention span on TikTok.
3. Make it sound good on a loop. It's no secret that the most successful videos on the app are those that people watch over and over again. If the sound is even funnier when looped, it's a winner.
4. Create clean audio. Make sure that the sound is crisp, loud enough, and without background noises. You don't want anything to distract from it. And people won't use it if it sounds amateurish.

Stand Out by Making Your Own TikTok Sounds

We provided you with the steps on how to make a TikTok sound as a standalone, without the need to attach your face to it. However, if your goal is to make the sound (and maybe yourself) go viral, it’s best to create a killer video to go along with it.

People may find your sound with a random library search. But the more likely scenario is that they come across your video and that they like it so much they decide to make their own version of it, using your sound.