11.1 When to Use SFX
What you're creating: Minimal, purposeful audio cues for state changes and non-obvious interactions — not for every click or scroll.
✅ Use SFX for: state changes like opening or closing a panel / success/failure cues (e.g., export complete, settings error) / moments of interaction that aren't visually obvious
❌ Avoid: highlighting every mouse click or scroll / repetitive SFX that become noise over time / arcade-style beeps, chimes, or stingers unless it fits your product aesthetic
11.2 Background Music
What you're creating: A neutral, low-tempo instrumental track that fills silence and adds warmth — never competing with the voiceover.
✅ When to use it: to fill silence during longer visual actions / to add warmth or pacing to lower-energy voiceovers / to smooth transitions or chapter breaks
❌ When to skip it: during dense tutorials or highly detailed product walkthroughs / if you already have system sounds or interface audio / when silence is part of the pacing (before a reveal, after a step)
Track selection: choose neutral, low-tempo tracks — instrumental only, no vocals or lyrics — simple, ambient textures — avoid dramatic crescendos, heavy percussion, or cinematic tension
Looping: use music that loops cleanly or fades naturally — avoid tracks that reset with a jarring intro every 30 seconds — for short videos, edit music to match the arc (intro, build, soft outro)
11.3 Embracing Silence
What you're creating: Deliberate, intentional pauses that read as calm and confident — not gaps to fill.
Use deliberate silence before key reveals or transitions — it reads as calm and confident
Don't be afraid to leave micro-pauses between segments without SFX or music
- Silence is an underrated editing tool — a deliberate pause before a reveal can heighten focus and signal intentional pacing
