Background music for true crime podcasts:how to pick it
Good background music for true crime podcasts is slow, low and patient. It builds tension under the narrator without ever competing with the words. Pick tracks with a steady pulse, very little melody and no vocals, then keep them well under the voice.
This guide covers what to listen for, which kind of track suits each part of an episode, how to mix music under narration, and what the licence needs to cover.
What makes background music work for true crime podcasts?
In a true crime show the story is the lead, and the narrator carries it. Music is there to set a mood the listener feels but does not follow. Anything that asks for attention, like a catchy tune or a sudden drop, pulls the ear away from the facts.
The underscore tracks on our Mystery & True Crime shelf, like Evidence Room Ambience and The Ticking Void, run between 70 and 84 beats per minute (bpm, the speed of the pulse). That is slow enough to sit under a calm speaking voice, and still moves enough to keep a sense of dread going.
Listen for these things when you audition a track:
- A steady pulse. A slow tick, a low drum or a repeating note gives a sense of time passing, which suits a timeline of events.
- Space in the middle. The human voice sits in the middle of the sound range. Drones, low piano and soft pads leave that space free.
- Little or no melody. A melody competes with words. Texture does not.
- No vocals. Sung or spoken words in the music clash with your narration every time.
- No big surprises. A crash or a drop you did not plan for will land on the wrong sentence.
Match the music to each part of the episode
One track for a whole episode gets tiring. Most shows use two or three, each with a job. Here is how the tracks on our shelf map to the usual parts of an episode.
| Part of the episode | What it needs | A track that fits |
|---|---|---|
| Cold open | Tension fast, before the intro | The Final Ticking (84 bpm, tense and urgent) |
| Case background | A bed that disappears under long narration | Evidence Room Ambience (70 bpm, tense and patient) |
| The turn or a reveal | A darker shift that says "listen now" | The Ticking Void (76 bpm, ominous and hollow) |
| A second segment | The same feel, told a little differently | The Final Ticking (Alt Mix) (84 bpm, tense and relentless) |
You can preview all four on the shelf and play them against your own narration before you decide anything.
How to mix music under narration
- Start the music in a pause. Bring it in between sentences, never under the middle of one.
- Duck the music under the voice. Ducking means the music drops in level whenever someone speaks and rises in the gaps. Audacity has an Auto Duck effect, and most editors have a similar tool.
- Loop the track for long segments. A 20 minute stretch of case background needs more than a three minute track. Pick a steady passage and loop it in your editor, with a short crossfade at the join, so it can run as long as the segment does.
- Change the track when the story changes. A new chapter, a new suspect or a new year is a natural place to switch.
- End on purpose. Fade out under the last line of a segment, or let the track finish on its own ending. A hard cut in the middle of a phrase sounds like a mistake.
- Check it on a phone speaker. Many people listen on small speakers or cheap earbuds. If you lose a word there, the music is too loud.
Common mistakes to avoid
Music that is too loud. It is the most common problem. If you have to lean in to hear the narrator, pull the music down further than feels right.
The same bed under every scene. Listeners stop hearing it, and then it starts to annoy them. Rotate two or three tracks.
Dramatic stingers everywhere. A hit on every revelation soon sounds like parody. Save it for the one moment in the episode that earns it.
Music you have no licence for. A podcast is published work, just like a video. A track found online without a licence can get an episode taken down when the rights holder complains.
What the licence should cover for a podcast
Before you buy music for a show, check three things in the licence:
- Podcasts are named. Some music licences only cover video.
- Monetised episodes are allowed. You want ads, sponsor reads and paid memberships covered, now and later.
- The track is not registered with Content ID. Content ID is YouTube's system that matches audio and can claim your video's earnings. If you post video episodes on YouTube, this matters.
Ours covers all three. The full wording is on the licence page.
FAQ
Can I use copyrighted music in a true crime podcast?
Not without permission from whoever owns the rights. That permission is what a music licence is. In the US, fair use is narrow and judged case by case, so it is not a safe plan for background music. The US Copyright Office's fair use page explains how it works.
How loud should background music be under narration?
Quiet enough that every word is clear on a phone speaker. There is no single number that works for every voice and every track, so set it by ear. Then listen again on the smallest speaker you own.
Where can I find background music for a true crime podcast?
Music libraries and shops that license tracks for creators, or a composer you hire. Whichever you choose, check that the licence names podcasts and allows monetised episodes. Our Mystery & True Crime shelf was filed with this kind of show in mind.
Next step
Open the true crime shelf, put one of your finished episodes in your editor, and play each track under the first five minutes. The right one is the track you stop noticing while the story keeps moving. Every track there is sold on its own, under the same licence, so you can buy just the one that fits.