Sound Effects & Voice Changers in Zella

Quick answer: Open the Sounds tab in Zella’s editor. The top half is a library of 30 royalty-free sound effects — split into four categories (Transitions, UI & Punch, Impact, Fun). Tap a sound to preview it, then click the ⊕ button or drag it onto the timeline at the playhead. The bottom half is 16 voice changers (Chipmunk, Robot, Deep, Alien and more) — tap one to transform your mic voice, tap it again to remove it. You can also add your own music file here, and the AI Assistant can drop a sound effect by name.

On this page: why sounds matter · open the tab · add SFX · categories · voice changers · music · assistant · impact · FAQ

Why add sound effects?

A well-placed whoosh on a transition or a pop on a callout makes an edit feel finished — the same trick short-form videos use to keep you watching. Zella builds every sound right on your Mac (they’re synthesized, meaning generated by the app, not clips you have to license), so they’re royalty-free (free to use with no copyright worries). Voice changers do the same thing for your narration: one tap turns your voice into a robot, a chipmunk, or a booming monster. You don’t need a separate sound-effects pack or an audio app.

How to open the Sounds tab

Open a project in the editor (see chapter 7).
In the left sidebar, click the Sounds tab.

The panel has two parts: a sound-effects library on top and voice changers below.

How to add a sound effect

In the Sounds tab, scroll the effect library.
Tap a card to hear a quick preview.
To place it, either click the ⊕ (plus) button on the card — it drops the sound at the playhead (the vertical line marking the current time) — or drag the card straight onto the timeline where you want it.

Each sound lands as a short audio overlay (an extra sound clip that plays on top of your video), so you can slide it to the exact frame afterward.

The sound-effect categories

The 30 built-in effects are grouped into four categories so you can find the right feel fast:

Category	What’s inside	Best for
Transitions	Whoosh, Swoosh, Riser, Boom, Vine Boom, Laser, Record Scratch	Scene changes and swipes
UI & Punch	Pop, Click, Tap, Ding, Notification, Error, Punch, Keyboard, Camera Shutter	Callouts, clicks, on-screen actions
Impact	Bass Drop, Explosion, Suspense, Cymbal Crash, Drum Roll, Heartbeat, Glitch	Drama and big reveals
Fun	Sparkle, Coin, Air Horn, Boing, Level Up, Ta-Da, Slide Whistle	Playful, meme-style moments

Pick the category that matches the moment, then preview a few to find the one that fits.

How to apply a voice changer

The 16 voice changers transform your mic track (the voice you recorded) — the whole voice, not just a clip you select:

In the Sounds tab, scroll to the Voice Changer section.
Tap a voice — for example Robot, Chipmunk, Deep, Echo, Reverb, Megaphone, Telephone, Underwater, Monster, Helium, Alien, Ghost, 8-Bit, Duck, Cartoon, or Ogre.
Zella processes the voice on your Mac and swaps it in.
Tap the same voice again to turn it off and go back to your normal voice.

Only one voice changer is active at a time — tapping a different one replaces it.

How to add a music file

The Sounds tab also has an Add Music File… button:

Click Add Music File….
Pick an audio file (.mp3, .m4a, .wav).
It attaches as an audio overlay you can position and set the volume for.

To make music sit nicely under your voice, use Auto-Duck — see Audio.

Adding sounds by chat

If you use the AI Assistant (chapter 105), you can just ask for a sound by name — for example, “add a vine boom here” or “put a whoosh on that cut.” The Assistant drops the matching built-in effect at the time you mean, so you don’t have to hunt for the card.

What impact sounds have

For creators and editors, sound design is a small effort with an outsized payoff:

Edits feel professional — a whoosh on a transition or a pop on a click reads as “made by an editor,” not “recorded in one take.”
Attention holds — punchy impact sounds and playful hits are exactly what short-form video uses to stop the scroll.
Personality on tap — a voice changer turns a plain narration into a character in one tap, with no extra recording.
One app — royalty-free effects and voice changers usually live in a separate sound library or audio editor, but here they’re each one tap.

Sounds FAQ

Where are the sound effects in Zella? In the editor’s Sounds tab (left sidebar). The top half is the effect library; the bottom half is the voice changers.

How many sound effects and voice changers are there? 30 sound effects across four categories, plus 16 voice changers.

Are the sounds free to use? Yes. They’re generated on your Mac, so they’re royalty-free — no licensing to worry about.

How do I put a sound at an exact spot? Drag the card onto the timeline, or use ⊕ to drop it at the playhead, then nudge it into place.

How do I make my voice sound like a robot (or chipmunk)? In the Sounds tab, tap the voice you want in the Voice Changer section. Tap it again to remove it.

Pro tips & gotchas

Tap to preview before you place — each card plays a quick sample so you can pick the right one.
Use ⊕ to drop a sound at the playhead, or drag the card for frame-exact placement.
The voice changer transforms your whole mic track, and only one is active at a time — tapping again removes it.
For background music, use Add Music File…, then Auto-Duck it under your voice (see Audio).