Sound effects · Mac and iPhone
Add sound effects to your video without hunting for files
A whoosh on a transition or a pop on a callout is a small thing that makes an edit feel finished. The usual price is a folder of downloaded packs and a licence nobody reads.
Zella generates every effect inside the app, so there is nothing to download, no attribution line and no licence to chase.
- Mac and iPhone
- Free on every tier
Quick answer
To add sound effects to a video, pick from the 101 sound effects built into Zella on both Mac and iPhone, synthesized on your device so they are royalty-free: Whoosh, Riser, Vine Boom, Pop, Ding, Bass Drop, Record Scratch, Air Horn and more, in 8 sound categories with a search box. On the Mac they are in the Sounds tab; on iPhone, behind the Audio button. Auto sound at cuts on iPhone, or Auto Sound on the Mac, places matched effects under your cuts in one go.
How to do it in Zella
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Step 1: Open the library
On the Mac, click the Sounds tab in the left sidebar. On iPhone, tap Audio in the timeline toolbar.
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Step 2: Preview
Tap a card to hear it. Effects are grouped into Transitions, Pops & UI, Impacts & Risers, Reveal & Suspense, Meme & Comedy, Gaming, Social & Alerts and Foley & Ambience, or type in Search sounds to find one by name or by a word like meme or hit.
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Step 3: Place it
On the Mac, click the plus button to drop it at the playhead, or drag the card onto the timeline. On iPhone, tap + to place it.
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Step 4: Nudge it onto the moment
Each effect lands as a short audio overlay. Slide it so it hits exactly on the cut, the click or the reveal.
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Step 5: Or place them automatically
On iPhone, Auto sound at cuts puts one matched whoosh, impact or riser under every transition, and tapping again removes only that set. You can also ask the AI Assistant to put a vine boom here.
Why do it this way
Royalty-free by construction
The effects are synthesized by the app rather than licensed clips, so there is no licensing to worry about on any video.
The same catalog on both
Mac and iPhone carry the identical set in the same 8 categories, so a project handed from iPhone to the Mac keeps its sounds.
Matched, not random
Automatic placement picks the effect by transition type: impacts land on the cut, whooshes straddle it, risers build into it.
What you need
- macOS 14 Sonoma or later (Apple Silicon or Intel), or iPhone on iOS 18 or later
- Free on every tier: every built-in effect, no watermark, exports up to 2 minutes at 1080p
Questions
Are Zella's sound effects royalty-free?
Yes. They are generated on your device by the app, so there is nothing to license and no attribution to add.
How many sound effects are there?
There are 101 sound effects on the Mac and iPhone alike, all free, in 8 categories: Transitions, Pops & UI, Impacts & Risers, Reveal & Suspense, Meme & Comedy, Gaming, Social & Alerts and Foley & Ambience.
Can I add my own audio files?
Yes. On the Mac, Add Music File… in the Sounds tab attaches an .mp3, .m4a or .wav as an audio overlay you can place and level.
Can I put a sound under every cut at once?
Yes. On iPhone, Auto sound at cuts does it in one tap, and Make it Viral places sounds under the strongest cuts. On the Mac, Auto Sound in the sidebar adds a whoosh, impact or riser under each cut, spaced so a cut-heavy timeline does not machine-gun.
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