BGM and Audio

🎵 BGM & Audio

OpenSource Clipping includes an automatic background music (BGM) system with two professional mixing modes.

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How It Works

1. Gemini AI analyzes the clip content and suggests a mood (e.g., chill, epic, sad, upbeat, suspense)
2. The system picks a random MP3 from the matching mood folder in assets/bgm/
3. BGM is mixed with the clip audio using the selected mixing mode
4. If the MP3 is shorter than the video, it's auto-looped seamlessly

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BGM Mixing Modes

Sidechain Ducking (Default)

BGM volume automatically lowers when the speaker is talking, then rises during pauses. This provides a professional effect like premium podcasts and YouTube videos.

python main.py --url "VIDEO_URL" --bgm-mode ducking

Constant Background

BGM plays at a stable, low volume throughout the video without any dynamic adjustments. Best for content with few pauses.

python main.py --url "VIDEO_URL" --bgm-mode background

Disable BGM

python main.py --url "VIDEO_URL" --no-bgm

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BGM Folder Setup

Place your royalty-free .mp3 files into the mood folders:

assets/
└── bgm/
    ├── chill/          # Relaxed / lofi music
    │   ├── song1.mp3
    │   └── song2.mp3
    ├── epic/           # Cinematic / action music
    │   └── trailer.mp3
    ├── sad/            # Emotional / melancholic music
    │   └── piano.mp3
    ├── suspense/       # Mystery / tension music
    │   └── dark.mp3
    └── upbeat/         # Energetic / happy music
        └── pop.mp3

Rules

• You can place multiple MP3s in each folder — the system picks one randomly each time
• If the requested mood folder is empty, the system falls back to chill/
• If chill/ is also empty, BGM is skipped entirely (same as --no-bgm)
• MP3 files shorter than the video are auto-looped (-stream_loop -1)

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Recommended BGM Sources (Free & Royalty-Free)

Source	URL	Notes
Pixabay Music	pixabay.com/music	⭐ Recommended — free, no attribution required
YouTube Audio Library	YouTube Studio → Audio Library	Safe from copyright strikes
Incompetech	incompetech.com	Kevin MacLeod — usually requires attribution

Pixabay Direct Links

• Chill
• Epic
• Upbeat

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Technical Details

• Base BGM volume: 0.25 (25% of original volume)
• Ducking mode uses FFmpeg's sidechaincompress filter
• BGM is applied after segment trimming (if enabled) to ensure seamless audio across cuts

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See Also

• CLI Reference — --bgm-mode, --no-bgm
• Hook V2 & Segment Trimming — How BGM interacts with trimming